'Your pain is our pain': UK Muslim body expresses solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests

The UK's largest umbrella body of mosques and Muslim organisations has issued a statement in support of anti-racism protests in the US sparked after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man.

The Muslim Council of Britain said on Tuesday it was "shaken" by the news of Floyd's murder, an African-American man who died of strangulation after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

"To his family, and the families of all whose names we don’t know, we convey our deepest condolences. Your pain is our pain," it added.

Floyd's killing last month, a harrowing video of which was shared across social media, has prompted tens of thousands to protest across cities in the US for eight days straight, led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The events have reignited long-running grievances over deep-seated racism within the US authorities, specifically police brutality against the black community.

The largely peaceful rallies have been met with a violent police crackdown, with scores of protesters injured by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.

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Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened to deploy "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers" across America, in order to "dominate" anti-racist protesters he called "domestic terrorists".

Anti-racism demonstrations in solidarity have sprung up across the globe, including a rallies across the UK on the weekend.

"We stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters in the United States, UK and beyond, wherever anti-Black racism manifests," the MCB statement added.

"We recognise that anti-Black racism must be stamped out wherever it may manifest, for a failure to do so will continue to result in the taking and ruining of precious life."

The Coucil also vowed to crush racism within the Muslim community in the UK.

"We commit to playing our part in tackling anti-Black racism within the UK, supporting the individuals and organisations doing vital work in this space, whilst focusing on addressing anti-Black racism within Muslim communities," the Council said, concluding with the slogan: "Black. Lives. Matter."

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