Kingston Council (RBK) have raised a Black Lives Matter over the Guildhall building in a show of solidarity with the international movement for racial justice.

RBK and were joined by one of the foremost champions of Black Lives Matter in the borough — Kingston Race Equalities Council (KREC)'s CEO John Azah — at the unfurling of the flag.

Council Leader Caroline Kerr and Azah released a joint statement last week voicing strong support for the movement, and Azah previously voiced KREC's reasons for championing BLM in an open letter published by the Comet last week.

On Friday (June 12), Kingston Council’s Equalities Champion Councillor Kim Bailey explained the council's thinking regarding the flying of the flag.

Her statement referenced the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in the US and around the world in the wake of the killing of African American man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.

The movement demands racial justice and an end to police brutality, and Cllr Bailey said that the council was committed to supporting the cause of racial justice in such a diverse borough as Kingston.

"As we raise the Black Lives Matter flag at the heart of the borough, we want to signal that we are proud of being a community where diversity is valued and celebrated.

"This is testament to the strong and active community and faith sectors, and of being a safe and welcoming place for all, but there is still more we must do," she said.

"We are committed to continuing to work to stamp out racism, discrimination and intolerance in all its forms.

"We will continue to listen to BAME communities about the issues important to them such as eradication of both health and economic inequalities, and act on these concerns," Cllr Bailey added.

The Black Lives Matter flag will fly over Guildhall under June 22, RBK said.