‘Black Lives Matter’ debate comes to Sidmouth

A global debate about the value of life has reached Sidmouth.

Over a poster proclaiming ‘black lives matter’ – a movement highlighting that black lives are ‘relatively undervalued’ in the US – someone stuck a hand-made sign saying ‘all lives matter’.

Robert Crick, who put up the original message on the town’s Unitarian Church noticeboard, said the amendment ‘misses the point’, so he made changes of his own.

“The ‘black lives matter’ campaign has never said that it is only black lives that matter,” he said.

“But I welcome the intervention and hope it leads to more debate in the town.

“What I have done is to move the ‘all lives matter’ notice alongside the ‘black lives matter’ notice and added the words ‘of course’ – because it is a truism that ‘all lives matter’.

“It is refreshing to note the rise in a widespread love of all humanity under the over-arching belief that ‘all lives matter’.

“However, when people are discriminated against or denied justice solely on the basis of their skin colour, it is our responsibility to recognise injustice and oppose it.

“A national protest march has been organised for March 18 in London and Glasgow to ‘stand up to racism’.

“It is vital that Sidmouth citizens engage in democratic discourse about this issue.”

He said the new notice did not appear to be hostile and even had a love heart on it.