“However, we don’t think it will be possible with people like them present.”“Now is the time that we stand together against racism and all forms of prejudice but also to support those working tirelessly in the NHS to save lives,” she added.London mayor Sadiq Khan today added that “key statues” including one of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi will also be covered.But the escalation of tensions has caused many protestors to abandon demonstration plans.
Those three words have now become a slogan for protesters.Debates over many of the nation's monuments have been sparked by the pulling down of a controversial statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.The graffiti reads: "Son of slaver + colonialist profiteer".People are sitting on the grass and cheering as they listen to speeches, and will leave for Downing Street shortly.Sky's Noel Phillips is at the scene and says the protesters will also pass Buckingham Place and Parliament Square.Speaking to one protester, she says "institutional racism is a pandemic" that needs to be properly addressed and acknowledged by the government if things are to change.The prime minister said it was "absurd and shameful" that a statue of Sir Winston Churchill was "at risk of attack" by protesters.Sky News will broadcast a global debate show on Tuesday night at 8pm - looking at the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter protests, and examining institutional racism and how we fix it.Our correspondent Becky Johnson is speaking to the demonstrators who say they will later "take the knee" in remembrance of George Floyd.There are fears they could be vandalised this weekend as the debate over removing statues of controversial figures continues.They are planning to march to Downing Street later.Mr Floyd was killed by a police officer in the US two weeks ago and has been the catalyst for worldwide protests.The group says today's events haven't been planned properly - and that its planned event tomorrow (in Hyde Park) was moved due to "threats" from far-right group the EDL. A Black Lives Matter protest due to take place in Hyde Park at 1pm tomorrow has been cancelled after organisers warned that they might be targeted by “hate groups”. A similar event scheduled for this afternoon will still go ahead.Police today said they have amped up protection measures in the capital amid security fears.It comes after protests last weekend, sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd by a US policeman, saw clashes between protests and police in London. Hundreds of people, including prominent celebrities and politicians, gathered Thursday in Minneapolis to honor George Floyd, the man whose death sparked nationwide protests against police brutality… Khan today urged the public to stay at home, with crowds expected after the boarding up of the Churchill statue, the Cenotaph, and other monuments.Johnson denounced the moves today, writing on Twitter: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country — and the whole of Europe — from a fascist and racist tyranny.”“We cannot now try to edit or censor our past.