Protesters gathered in Borehamwood before marching through the town centre as people threw their support behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Around 120 people sat apart from each other in Aberford Park on Sunday holding placards and posters as part of nationwide demonstrations, sparked by the death of black man George Floyd at the hands of police in the US.

The posters carried messages like 'Black Lives Matter', 'Jews support Black Lives Matter', and 'Borehamwood is not innocent'.

After speeches by campaigners and politicians in the park, the group made their way to the town centre and walked down Shenley Road chanting 'Black lives matter' and 'No justice, no peace'.

Police officers were in attendance throughout and there were no reports of any trouble from protesters although the protest organiser says the group came across 'three or four hecklers'.

Borehamwood Times:

A poster reads 'Jews support Black Lives Matter'

The event in the town was organised by 24-year-old Rachel Turek - who says she almost cancelled the protest due to some of the responses she received on social media.

Rachel, a nurse in an intensive unit, said: "I planned to go to the town centre with signs and hand out flyers, raising awareness about problems in the UK and in Borehamwood. It wasn't necessarily about what was happening in America.

"I had a lot of support on Facebook for this but also a lot of negative comments. Some thought we were jumping on the bandwagon and that we didn't need to protest in Borehamwood about something happening in America."

But Rachel says she received so much support, she decided to mover her event to Aberford Park, where there were a handful of speakers.

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Protesters socially distanced in Aberford Parl Credit: Cllr Al Collins

Borehamwood Times:

Town councillor Al Collins was among those who spoke in Aberford Park

Rachel says "incredible and amazing" black men and women spoke about their experiences with racism both inside and outside of Borehamwood.

Politicians also spoke, including Hertsmere Labour group leader Councillor Jeremy Newmark.

Dressed in a red Labour t-shirt, Cllr Newmark said: "If the death of George Floyd is to mean anything for us in Borehamwood, it has to stand as a symbol for us in our own town and in our own community to stand up and speak out as and when it matters.

He added: "Myself and my colleagues came here today because we felt it was important to show solidarity and support for the black and minority ethnic community in this town."

Borehamwood Times:

Councillor Jeremy Newmark was among those who spoke

Following the speeches in the park, the protesters, led by police, made their way to the town centre chanting and demonstrating.

Rachel, who has lived in Borehamwood all of her life, says she understands why people in the town were concerned about her event taking place because of coronavirus.

She said: "I'm a nurse, of course I understand about health and that's why we had strict rules in place.

"No one was allowed to stay unless they had a mask and were seated on arrival.

"But actually, I felt much safer doing this than going shopping and I've seen the park busier in recent weeks.

"We had multiple NHS staff with is and I have asked everyone who took part if they can self-isolate for a week."

Borehamwood Times:

People sat apart in the park

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A protester leads a march down Shenley Road with a poster stating 'Borehamwood is not innocent'

Rachel says the main goal of the protest was to raise awareness of racism and she is planning on holding more events in the future as the lockdown restrictions ease.

There have been anti-racism protests all over the country.

Crowds gathered and socially distanced in Verulamium Park in St Albans on Saturday, while hundreds marched through Watford town centre on the same day, including boxer Anthony Joshua who was back in his hometown.

Protests across the country have mainly been peaceful but there has been some violence in central London, with more than 20 police officers in the capital injured.

In Bristol on Sunday, protesters tore down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston.

Avon & Somerset police has said it has identified 17 suspects linked to the criminal damage and investigations are ongoing.

Borehamwood Times:

A statue of Edward Colston is thrown into the water in Bristol on Sunday. Credit: PA