THE Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest held in Aberdeen this afternoon had to be diverted after a "statue protecting" protest got in the way.
The BLM protest, which outnumbered the counter protesters by several times according to eyewitness reports, took place from 1pm to 3pm on the city's Union Street.
However, anti-BLM protesters in a parallel street apparently caused the original march to be diverted.
Writer Ally McKenzie tweeted: "Strange afternoon. Aberdeen city centre. Tops of buildings shrouded in mist. Not many people around till you get to Union Street: BLM protest.
"In a parallel street, the anti-BLM protest (including one black man). Cops in vans wearing PPE masks. Just surreal."
Another lashed out at the "utter clowns" who had blocked the BLM march, while a third condemned the anti-BLM protesters "attempt to silence us by cutting off the march".
Beautiful peaceful protests in Aberdeen 💕 #BlackLivesMattter pic.twitter.com/xzdDkHK5XY
— Char(lottie) (@__sadsquatch__) June 13, 2020
The BLM event organiser, Olaoluwa Akisanya, called for “continuous action” to tackle racism.
Akisanya is the president of the African and Caribbean Society at Aberdeen University and arranged the event to stand in solidarity with US protesters.
He said: "The main goal is to empower the community in tackling issues we face and have an outlet for those affected by injustices."
The protesters on the other side were reportedly heard shouting "All lives matter" and "F**k BLM".
They were photographed standing outside the city's art gallery "defending statues", although it is not clear which ones.
According to eyewitness reports, there were over 100 anti-BLM protesters.
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