In advance of Saturday’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ rally in Derry/Londonderry, a spokesperson from the event organisers, the North West Migrants Forum, commented: “We are aware of the concerns raised surrounding the Black Lives Matter rally that took place in Belfast earlier this week. With this is mind, we want to reassure the public of the steps and precautions we are taking to fully protect the wellbeing and safety of everyone in attendance at our peaceful rally on Saturday 6th June in Derry/Londonderry.
We have received numerous donations of personal protective equipment (PPE), including facemasks, gloves and over 500 new bottles of hand sanitiser, all of which will be made available for attendees to make use of on the day.
Our team of volunteer stewards currently standing at 45, will also be in place to ensure that everyone adheres to social distancing rules and remains two metres apart from one another, and there will be two metre markings displayed on the ground outside of the Guildhall to help people with this. We encourage participants to bring their own PPE if they prefer.
In addition, we have confirmed with the PSNI that this rally will be conducted in accordance with the government’s official guidelines regarding the prevention of COVID-19, and our social distancing measures will be actively enforced.
Delighted that The Derry Trades Union Council are supporting the Socially Distanced Day of Solidarity Rally tomorrow and they will also Provide us with additional volunteers to ensure social distancing at the event.
Social distancing is likely to be part of our lives for the next few months, if not years, so in the midst of our new normal this is a great opportunity to show your support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
We want to reassure everyone that from the outset, the health and safety of every member of our community has been at the forefront of our minds whilst organising this rally and we will be doing everything we can to ensure lockdown guidelines are not breached.
To read a full copy of the health and safety guidelines that we have put in place for this event, please visit our Facebook page; North West Migrants Forum and NWMF website; www.nwmf.org.uk
North West Migrants Forum
