The death of George Floyd took place thousands of miles away in another
country under another jurisdiction
and yet we simply can't ignore the depth of emotion that has been triggered
by that spectacle of a black man losing his life
at the hands of the police.
In this country and around the world, his dying words I can't breathe
have awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible undeniable feeling
of injustice, a feeling that people from black and minority ethnic groups
do face discrimination in education, in employment, in the application
of the criminal law.
And we who lead and who govern simply can't ignore those feelings because
in too many cases I'm afraid they will be founded on a cold reality.
Yes, I'm proud to lead the most ethnically diverse government in the history
of this country with two of the four great offices of State held by a man and a woman
of Indian origin.
And yes, I'm proud of the work I began to lead more than 10 years ago to recruit
and promote more young black people in the police and other walks of life.
This country has made huge strides.
I remember the 1970s and the horror of the National Front.
I truly believe that we are a much, much less racist society
than we were in many ways were far happier and better.
But we must also frankly acknowledge that there is so much more to do
in eradicating prejudice and creating opportunity and the government I lead
is committed to that effort and so I say yes you're right, we're all right
to say black lives matter.
And to all those who have chosen to protest peacefully
and who have insisted on social distancing I say yes, of course I hear you
I understand but I must also say that we are in a time of national trial
when for months this whole country has come together to fight a deadly plague.
After such sacrifice, we can't now let it get out of control.
It's black and minority ethnic communities who've been at the forefront
of the struggle against coronavirus, whether in health care or transport,
social care or any of the other essential services that have kept our country going
and it's BAME communities, tragically, that have paid a disproportionate price.
So no, I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing
for the obvious reason that we risk a new infection at a critical time,
just as we've made huge progress.
And no, I will not support or indulge those who break the law or attack the police
or desecrate public monuments.
We have a democracy in this country.
If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election
or vote for someone who will.
And so I must say clearly, that those who attack public property or the police,
who injure the police officers who are trying to keep us all safe,
those people will face the full force of the law not just because of the hurt
and damage they're causing,
but because of the damage they're doing to the cause they claim to represent.
They're hijacking a peaceful protest and undermining it in the eyes of many
who might otherwise be sympathetic and as a society we can and must do better.
This month, on 22nd June we celebrate the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948.
And we remember the contribution of the afro-caribbean workers in the NHS
and across all public services, who helped to rebuild this country
after the war.
And today, once again, we face a great task to relaunch this country
after coronavirus.
So let's work peacefully, lawfully to defeat racism and discrimination
wherever we find it and let us continue to work together across all the communities
of this country as we put Britain back on its feet.