GRAFFITI has been scrawled on city buildings following anti-racism protests.
Hundreds of people descended on Southampton Guildhall Square as part of the Black Lives Matter protests last week.
The protests which have swept the globe were held after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Over the past week graffiti has been daubed on buildings in Shirley bearing slogans such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘I can’t breathe’.
Appearing above Superdrug on the High Street and in the Lidl car park, some of it contains swear words and abuse towards police officers.
Councillor for the Shirley ward, Satvir Kaur said: “I am very supportive of the Black Lives Matter campaign, however, cannot condone any acts of vandalism.
“Unfortunately, these actions from a small minority take attention away from our collective fight against racism and injustice within our communities.
“The right to protest and campaign is a key part of our democracy, but I believe we can achieve far more by bringing people together and campaigning peacefully.”
George Floyd was an unarmed black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes in May.
Last Wednesday around 500 people flocked to Guildhall Square with banners and boards speaking out against racism and police brutality.
Organised by Black Lives Matter Southampton, the event was a “strictly peaceful protest”.
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