feature: “make no mistake, this is an act of white supremacy” – sandra bland mural defaced by #alllivesmatter protesters

On tuesday it was reported that a Sandra Bland mural in Ottawa, Canada, had been defaced by #AllLivesMatter protesters – with the very same hashtag it has used time and time again to overshadow the epidemic of violence against black people. The mural, a tribute to the #BlackLivesMatter activist who was found dead in a Texas jail (after being threatened, assaulted, and arrested by Texas Trooper Brian Encinia during a traffic stop), was painted by local artists Kalkidan Assefa and Allan Andre; and its defacement by the #AllLivesMatter campaign has been described by sociologist and researcher Erik Ritskes as “an act of white supremacy”. With Ritskes insight, TeleSUR have taken a closer look at the story and problematic slogan. CLICK HERE to read it in full and see some extracts below.

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By Alexander Aplerku, AFROPUNK Contributor

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“#AllLivesMatter is a mantra of white supremacy that ignores history, social relations, power, and, most of all, the lives of non-White people,” he said.

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“#AllLivesMatter is a mantra of peaceful multiculturalism that proclaims equality in the face of disproportionate violence against Black and Indigenous peoples, in particular. #AllLivesMatter is hate speech, especially when splashed across the mural of a slain Black woman, erasing once again Black life, remembrance, resistance, and presence. It proclaims that Sandra Bland’s life does not matter underneath of #AllLivesMatter,” he added.

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All Lives Matter” has been controversial with Black Lives Matter activists, who have long maintained that it is often deployed by people who want to avoid addressing the specific state violence that people of color are faced with on a daily basis. This can be seen even at the national level in the United States. Politicians like Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley have been criticized for the use of the phrase when called upon by activists and protesters to address the issue.

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