Activist Disowns Black Lives Matter, Says Group 'Hijacked' by Radical-Left 'Marxists'
BLM protest leader says group wants to tear down capitalism and abolish the police
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A prominent organizer of Black Lives Matter protests in the UK has disowned the organization, saying the group has been "hijacked" by radical-left "Marxists."
Activist Imarn Ayton, 29, blasted Black Lives Matter in an outspoken attack.
She also voiced concerns that people may have donated toward BLM's high-profile online fundraising campaign without realizing that those behind it want to tear down capitalism and abolish the police.
Ayton said she organized the Black Lives Matter rally in London’s Parliament Square on June 6 and a peaceful protest in Hyde Park on June 20.
She claimed that BLM UK's fundraising campaign that has raised more than £1 million ($1.29M) from people duped into believing the group was pushing racial justice.
"The issue with BLM UK is they have not revealed themselves, they have not been transparent," she told The Mail on Sunday.
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"They are abolitionists, they believe in the removal of prisons, smashing capitalism and abolishing the police," Ayton revealed.
BLM UK was formed in 2016 but rose to prominence this year after the death of George Floyd in the US and a campaign in Britain to take down statues of figures linked to slavery or colonialism.
The group’s Twitter feed, which has the same distinctive black and yellow color scheme as the US campaign, has 74,000 followers and its Instagram page has 78,000.
A crowdfunding campaign launched by the group on June 2 has attracted 34,500 donations totaling £1.1 million ($1.41M).
But opposition has grown over BLM UK’s far-left policy agenda and a tweet posted recently criticizing Israel.
The leadership of the group also remains secret.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that GoFundMe remains in control of BLM UK’s fund while it checks on where the money will go.
The online crowdfunding platform has been carrying out what it describes as "vetting" for more than two weeks.
"No funds have been withdrawn," a spokesman said.
"We require a verified bank account for withdrawal and insist on transparency on use of funds."
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Ms. Ayton said BLM UK had used a skillful social media campaign – and taken advantage of a leadership vacuum among other groups – to position itself at the forefront of the racial justice campaign.
"They have hijacked taking credit for this movement," she said.
"In terms of this movement, they did not organize, they did not lead it, they were not involved in 20,000 people on the streets."
She added: "I am just mortified because everyone has given money and they are not going to use that to better the black community.
"They are going to use it to abolish the police, remove prisons, and get rid of capitalism.
"Why on earth would you donate £1 million to people that are not actually doing anything for the black community here and now?"
Ms. Ayton, of Peckham, South London, said she was building an alternative "black reformist movement" that will call on the Government to implement the findings of a series of reviews on ethnic injustices.
Her rally on June 20 was criticized by BLM UK, which posted on Instagram that protests were being "hijacked by reformists," adding: "Remember: all skin folk are not kinfolk."
