Reform, not revolution, needed for racial equality: UK activist

Imarn Ayton has been among the many protesters on the streets of London in recent weeks calling for racial equality in the UK.

But unlike some voices in the Black Lives Matter UK movement, she wants reform not revolution.

"My personal focus is institutionalised racism, because this is something that affects every aspect of life. It affects education, health care, media, politics, immigration, policing, and, of course, the criminal justice system. It affects everything. And I'm also very much aware of the fact the institutionalised racism drives poverty, poverty drives crime and crime drives violence. These are all things that are stuck in a vicious cycle."

The death of George Floyd in the United States a month ago reignited calls for racial equality in the UK - and much debate about how to achieve it.

Black Lives Matter UK, which calls itself an "abolitionist movement", does not advocate reforming the police, state or prisons.

It says it wants to dismantle capitalism.

But Ayton says despite differences in opinion on how to achieve racial equality, it shouldn't matter.

"Just because there are differences in approach doesn't mean there should be a problem, we all want the same thing. So therefore, it shouldn't be a problem if I am asking for reform, shouldn't be a problem if they want to take more of a radical approach."

She wants the government to implement the findings of a series of reviews on ethnic injustices, such as the Lammy Review of 2017, that examined the treatment of ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system.

Black Lives Matter UK did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.