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TONY PARSONS

Violent attacks on cops and vandalising statues has NOTHING to do with fighting racism

IF they think Winston Churchill was a racist, then wait until they learn about the bloke on the other side.

Seriously — do the idiots who now deface Churchill’s statue with depressing regularity not get that this man was the greatest anti-Fascist of all time?

Statues of Winston Churchill have been vandalised during the Black Lives Matter protests
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Statues of Winston Churchill have been vandalised during the Black Lives Matter protestsCredit: Splash News
Things turned violent in central London when a police officer was thrown off her horse
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Things turned violent in central London when a police officer was thrown off her horseCredit: Twitter

And do those same extremist thugs not understand that without this country — a country they so clearly despise — standing alone against Nazi Germany, then an entire race would have disappeared into the gas ovens of Auschwitz and Treblinka and Bergen-Belsen and Buchenwald and Dachau?

My oldest mate was on that Black Lives Matter march last weekend. The father and grandfather of mixed-race children, my friend was there to take a peaceful stand against racism.

And no doubt my concerned and peaceful pal was typical of the thousands who marched, and — despite Black Lives Matter cancelling this weekend’s march to avoid clashing with the far Right — will march again.

But their peaceful protest was hijacked by a hardcore minority of brutes who bring nothing but shame on the noble cause they hide behind.

No protest that leaves 49 policemen hospitalised UK-wide over the weekend can be deemed, as reported by the increasingly ludicrous BBC, “largely peaceful”.

I know that most marched with the best of intentions, including many of my teenage daughter’s friends, all young and idealistic enough to believe they can make a real difference in the global struggle against racism.

Yet despite all those good intentions, I confess that my blood boils when — exactly 75 years since VE Day — a little maniac attempted to set fire to the Union Flag that hangs on the Cenotaph, the eternal monument to the generations who paid for our freedoms with their lives.

Black Lives Matter protests have taken over the capital and a number of other towns and cities across the UK
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Black Lives Matter protests have taken over the capital and a number of other towns and cities across the UKCredit: Splash News
The police have done their best to control the huge numbers of protestors in London
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The police have done their best to control the huge numbers of protestors in LondonCredit: Splash News
Protestors carried signs reading 'no justice, no peace', 'silence is violence' and 'the UK is not innocent'
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Protestors carried signs reading 'no justice, no peace', 'silence is violence' and 'the UK is not innocent'Credit: Splash News

On the orders of their timid senior officers, so pathetically desperate to avoid confrontation, the poor police on the ground had to stand by and watch this abomination take place.

But to many British people these acts — desecrating the Cenotaph, scrawling abuse on the bronze statue of Churchill — are nothing less than hate crimes, insulting what millions of us hold sacred.

This weekend had been trying hard to be a brief pause in the culture war that is tearing our country apart.

As noted, BLM has asked its supporters to stay at home while Churchill’s bronze statue and the Cenotaph have been boarded up — a heartbreaking sight to many of us.

After last weekend’s wanton destruction, it was on the cards that this weekend Parliament Square would be stuffed with right-wing protestors.

What exactly did we think was going to happen?

“They are not protesters, they are c****,” commented funnyman David Baddiel. No, David — what they are is totally inevitable.

Because violence always begets violence, bigotry is inevitably answered by more bigotry, and mob rule always cries out to the mob on the opposing side.

DISGRACEFUL SCENES

And there will be more ugly scenes like yesterday’s Battle of Trafalgar if police stand timidly by and watch monuments being desecrated.

In Bristol, less than one week after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was tossed into the harbour, another honouring Jamaican poet Alfred Fagon was doused in bleach.

Mindless vandalism — all of it. Gutless senior police officers and cowardly politicians, all of them terrified of looking racist, are misreading the mood of this nation.

The disgraceful scenes of a policeman being beaten up in Hackney suggests that the softly, softly approach has done little to placate those bent on violence.

It’s not complicated — chucking bikes at the legs of police horses, defacing war memorials and beating up coppers has NOTHING to do with fighting racism.

Extremists are being allowed to wipe their shoes on all we hold sacred. At the heart of this conflict is what the lunatic Left never ever understands about the endlessly tolerant British people.

Dreadfully sorry, but we are not ashamed of this country’s history.

We are proud of it.

Liz's joy a lesson

Liz Hurley celebrates her 55th birthday with a bubble bath.

“Happy birthday to me,” Liz wished herself on Instagram.

Liz Hurley celebrated her 55th birthday with a bubble bath
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Liz Hurley celebrated her 55th birthday with a bubble bathCredit: Instagram

What I love about this Brexit-backing national sweetheart is that Liz has a genius for wringing every last drop of joy out of any given moment.

“This is the fifth birthday we’ve celebrated during lockdown amongst my little group,” says Liz.

“Grateful to be happy and healthy and to have the best family and friends.”

There’s a lockdown lesson for us all: Count your blessings.

Bond a father

Former Bond girl Britt Ekland slams the upcoming 007 film No Time To Die for making James a father.

“Bond should probably be a little bit more untouchable,” Britt told Good Morning Britain.

Former Bond girl Britt Ekland claims Bond should not become a father
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Former Bond girl Britt Ekland claims Bond should not become a fatherCredit: Paul Edwards - The Sun

I’m not so sure, Britt.

After all those long decades of meaningless sex with passing lovelies, and even the odd serious relationship, I reckon it is an interesting twist in the Bond saga to make him a dad.

By rights, Bond should be a great-grandfather by now, like Mick Jagger.

But Britt Ekland – who played Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun – is old school.

And Britt reckons it’s no time for diapers, Mr Bond.

Epic fail, Facebook

How thick are the people running Facebook?

The social media platform recently implemented what was meant to be a ban on racist content – and promptly deactivated the account of The Specials’ founding member Neville Staple.

Facebook deactivated the account of The Specials’ founding member Neville Staple
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Facebook deactivated the account of The Specials’ founding member Neville StapleCredit: Getty - Contributor

Facebook was worried about the skinhead associations of the 2 Tone record label.

But the bands on 2 Tone did more to promote genuine racial tolerance than Facebook ever will.

Ty, don't desert us for Saudi

For once, the hype is justified. If Tyson Fury fights Anthony Joshua next year, it will be the biggest sporting event in a lifetime.

The Gypsy King, and AJ have reportedly made a verbal agreement to fight TWICE in 2021. “This is just mega,” says Fury’s promoter Frank Warren. “It will be the biggest sporting event in this country since England won the World Cup in 1966.”

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua may fight outside of the UK
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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua may fight outside of the UKCredit: PA:Press Association

It is a mouthwatering prospect: AJ, the affable golden boy of British boxing versus the Gypsy King, who looks like a brick outhouse but who dances like Fred Astaire.

Only one thing could spoil the night, or nights, to remember: If the money men take the fight to some soulless venue such as Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where Joshua fought Andy Ruiz Jr in their 2019 rematch.

It would be obscene for Fury and Joshua to fight outside this country.

Neither of them will need the money. The pay-per-view takings will smash all existing records to smithereens and buy Ferraris for the pair’s great-grandchildren.

Every boxing fan – anyone who loves SPORT – will feel their heart pumping at the prospect of Fury fighting Joshua.

Don’t spoil it by taking the fight of the century to Saudi.

BBC bias

"A police horse has bolted at protesters at an anti-racism rally in London,” reported the BBC on Twitter.

Er, that makes it sound as if the horse was a violent, pro-racist horse.

The horse of a police officer ran free when a cop was thrown off during a Black Lives Matter protest
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The horse of a police officer ran free when a cop was thrown off during a Black Lives Matter protestCredit: Rex Features

What happened was this.

Some thug hurled a bicycle at police horse Rocky The Rockstar and he bolted because he was terrified, dismounting cop Nicky Vernon and leaving her with horrific injuries.

The BBC’s ludicrously brazen bias gets worse.

No wonder Defund The BBC, a grassroots campaign started by student James Yucel, is becoming wildly popular.

It's just criminal

Sadiq Khan has been an unequivocally lousy London Mayor who has done nothing to stop the capital’s appalling knife crime, the victims of which are overwhelmingly young black men.

But now Khan has announced the creation of the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, which will discover if any of London’s ancient statues offend modern sensibilities.

Sadiq Khan plans to review statues in the capital and make some changes
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Sadiq Khan plans to review statues in the capital and make some changesCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Khan may be pathetically soft on knives but he is a real hardman when it comes to statues.

Open the schools

IT is great that the zoos are opening tomorrow.

It would be even better news if all our schools were opening full-time in September.

Largely because the teaching unions want to see this Tory Govern- ment on its knees, millions of children are having their education cancelled.

And it will not be the privately educated kids who suffer.

Microscopic denim

Izabel Goulart proves the trend for microscopic denim shorts is easier to pull off if you are a Brazilian former supermodel.

If my mum had seen denim as distressed as that, Izabel, she would have left it out for the bin men.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

Izabel Goulart wows fans and shows off her long legs in microscopic denim shorts
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Izabel Goulart wows fans and shows off her long legs in microscopic denim shortsCredit: The Mega Agency
Bill Roache, of Coronation Street also gets in on the short denim shorts trend
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Bill Roache, of Coronation Street also gets in on the short denim shorts trendCredit: IMAGEVIEW

Bill Roache, of Coronation Street is in amazingly good nick for 88 but, out and about after lockdown, Bill also proves denim shorts are best worn by the likes of Izabel.

By rights, Bill should not be seen in those before the 9pm watershed.

Defiant Black Lives Matter protester says he vandalised Winston Churchill statue as wartime PM was a 'confirmed racist'

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