Black power rises again

Lewis Hamilton gave the black power salute at the Syrian Grand Prix this weekend.

It is interesting that he is doing it only now and not choosing to kneel.

Kneeling was the gesture favoured by Martin Luther King, while the fist in the air (black power salute) was popularised by the Black Panthers and Malcolm X.

Hamilton has said he is committed to fighting racism, full article here.

However, the salute he is choosing, though perhaps more powerful than kneeling, is attached to a violent and at times racist movement.

So what am I saying!

Simply that I hope Lewis Hamilton hasn’t fallen in with reactionary Black is best politics, as the Black Panthers sometimes suggest.

He is a symbol of black achievement and that in itself is a powerful force against racism, it could be argued he no longer has to put his fist in the air, but maybe he feels he does.

Keeping fun free

A petition has been launched to prevent the charging of sports activities on Hyde Park.

A charity group that uses the park for team bonding sporting events have discovered that there are moves to charge for playing sport on Hyde Park.

Charging through the nose

A private company (called Will to Win) approached the charity demanding they pay to continue playing.

The company not only wanted an up front fee, but also wanted to charge per game.

The charity campaign

The charity "were shocked and have had lots of discussions with Royal Parks and Will to Win to try and resolve the situation, but they’re not budging".

Thus, they have resorted to a Change.org petition to try and ensure that free sport on Hyde Park remains a reality.