Anthony Joshua retaliates with critics of his speech at Black Lives Matters protest in Watford
Anthony Joshua has criticized a speech he gave this weekend about Black Lives Matter – encouraging people to ‘invest in black companies’.
The 30-year-old heavyweight champion joined hundreds of protesters at a meeting in Watford on Saturday where he delivered a passionate speech on the fight against racism.
He spoke to the crowd and read a speech written by his friend Reece Campbell, who was unable to attend the demonstration in his hometown.
He said: ‘Today we join many thousands of protesters in the UK and many hundreds of thousands around the world.
“We are united against the virus that has played an important role in taking lives, lives of the young, the elderly, the rich and even the poor. A virus that is not apologetic, a virus that spreads across all sectors of our communities, sports, education, churches, entertainment, the media and the government.
Anthony Joshua harks back to critics who claimed he was “racist” after his speech at the park
Joshua responded to critics with an image of some text on Twitter on Sunday evening
Not just in the UK, but all over the world. The virus has been declared a pandemic, this is our control and I’m not talking about Covid-19, the virus I’m referring to is called racism. ‘
He then called on the British to “speak out in peaceful demonstrations,” but not “use these demonstrations for selfish motives and turn them into riots and plunder.”
But a snippet of the speech was taken out of context and uploaded to social media on Saturday, with some accusing Joshua of racism.
In the speech, he said, “We must be united in a nonviolent demonstration, showing them where it hurts.
“Don’t spend your money in their stores and economies and invest in black companies.”
Commenting on the social media response to the comment, Joshua said, “If you think I’m a racist, go f *** yourself!
The heavyweight champion read a speech on a piece of paper during the protests
A snippet of the first speech Joshua read was taken out of context on social media
“If you watch the full video, the speech was passed for someone to read and I took the lead.
“I spoke personally from the heart about the Watford community, investing ideas from our personal seven figures to create unity and opportunity and add change to the African / Caribbean community.
‘Shops are not an issue here. Before you talk s ***, you better boycott racism. ‘
In a previous statement, Joshua addressed other criticisms that he did not seem to obey social distance rules while attending the protests.
He said, “I understand the concerns about social distance.
“But I hope those who complain about social distance have the same energy as those who gather on the beach for a day [and] those who go to the park to have a picnic. ‘
Joshua attended the BLM protests following the death of African American George Floyd, who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, USA.
Protests have taken place around the world following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis
Joshua joined hundreds of peaceful protesters on his march through his hometown
Joshua wore a hoodie with Black Lives Matter on the front to support the movement
Police officer Derek Chauvin has since been charged with first-degree murder after a video appeared in which he knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while lying on the floor in handcuffs.
His death led to a series of sometimes violent protests in the United States and demonstrations around the world.
Joshua further explained that Floyd’s death was the catalyst for the protests.
“But I know that I have taken over my street knowledge and put it into the business world and I have received a lot of respect in that sense. So either way, gang culture is over.
“So where was I. We must deal with youth and end black youth gang culture. This zip code war – how many houses do we have in that zip code we’re fighting for?
Joshua wore a leg brace and walked with crutches after suffering a training injury
Hundreds of people showed up for Black Lives Matter’s protest march in Watford on Saturday
“Let’s inject the vaccine. Every life is important – I agree 100 percent. But that includes black lives, which is why we are here today.
“George Floyd – we all know his name – was the catalyst in a list that’s been way, way, way too long.”
Joshua’s appearance on crutches also saw fans fearing the heavyweight boxer sustained a serious injury.
However, the 30-year-old’s spokesperson confirmed Sports email that his injury is not serious and says: “Anthony felt a slight stab in his knee while training.
‘The braces are a precautionary measure on the advice of physio’s. It will be further monitored by its doctors, but there is no immediate concern. ‘
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