LONDON -- Across Britain,?? ??? ?? the Black Lives Matter UK (BLMUK) movement has called for a nationwide #shutdown to bring attention to racism in the UK.
SEE ALSO: Black Lives Matter reveals a six-point plan to combat systemic racismProtesters have chained themselves to the motorway into London's Heathrow Airport, blocked the tram lines in Nottingham, and obstructed major roads in both Manchester and Birmingham, creating major traffic delays across the country.
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Law enforcement have made several arrests, and erected screens around protesters in some locations.
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Social media has exploded in response to the protests. Some have spoken out against the activists, suggesting that the disruption to commuters was a poor decision:
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To which BLMUK and others have pointed out, the disruption is kind of the point:
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In a BBC article, activist Marcia Rigg is reported as saying, "Deaths are not just happening in the U.S. at the hands of police; they are happening in the UK too, and so therefore it's the perfect platform to highlight those deaths in Britain because people are not aware of them."
The protests were planned in conjunction with the anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, the 29-year-old shot dead by police in Tottenham during August 2011.