Conservative TV presenter Reverend Calvin Robinson has been awarded the fictitious “Negro of the Year” award. A group of ethnic minority anti-racism lawyers deemed Robinson a “black man who has gone beyond the call of duty in serving white supremacy”. The group has been criticised by the community for such actions.
On Saturday, the African, Caribbean and Asian Lawyers for Justice (ACAL) group posted on its X account a graphic image of Robinson.
The picture said the award was given by the Negro White Recognition Association in the UK for Robinson’s “contribution to the world-wide embarrassment of black people”.
And we have a winner! There was plenty of stiff competition, but we are delighted the award goes to a black man who went over and above the call of duty in service to white supremacy. #NWA pic.twitter.com/rZ6q8vBaQ3 — African, Caribbean and Asian Lawyers For Justice (@BameFor) September 30, 2023
On the campaign group’s Facebook page, it describes itself as “an umbrella coalitional campaign challenging Windrush injustices and the Government’s hostile environment.” Its X account enjoys a considerable following of 12,400 people, including a number of high-profile lawyers and UK lawmakers.
The post caught the attention of dozens of social media users who voiced their condemnation of the perceived racism. One user wrote in response:
Opposing racism by being racist is a bold gambit, I’ll give you that much.
While another one added:
That is utterly racist and offensive. Have you any idea how bad this looks? Shame on you.
A third user asked:
Okay, so racism is okay as long as you are doing it but if others do it’s a bad thing right?
Responding to one accusation of racism in the post, the account replied:
What qualifies you to make that determination?
One reporter of the post said their protest to X was dismissed because the content did not violate the social network’s rules.
Calvin Robinson, a deacon in the Free Church of England, has often been criticised by members of the black community. He was accused of working against the campaign for social justice because of his political beliefs.
Robinson believes that the Black Lives Matter movement increases racial tensions in society, so he has spoken out against the movement. He has also been condemned by Church of England clergy for insisting that the church is not “institutionally racist”. Because of these allegations, his ordination was blocked and Robinson joined a breakaway conservative Anglican movement called the Free Church of England.
Last week, the broadcaster’s management suspended Robinson, a presenter on the fledgling GB News programme, after he refused to take part in a talk show usually hosted by Dan Wootton, another presenter who was suspended along with Lawrence Fox for allegedly making misogynistic remarks about a female journalist on air.
On February 26, 2012, a 17-year old African American boy, Trayvon Martin, was walking home when he was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic. Zimmerman stated that he was acting in self-defense, but the nation protested in anger. He was charged with second-degree murder, and a high-profile trial followed. He was later acquitted of all charges.
#BlackLivesMatter (BLM) was formed in 2013 in response to Zimmerman’s acquittal. It has grown into a global organization, the Black Lives Matter Foundation. It is based in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
