The Black Lives Matter movement, which last year sparked several violent protests across America, has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

The nomination was made by Petter Eide, a member of the Norwegian parliament who saw the effort as a “very important worldwide movement to fight racial injustice” and dismissed questions about violent protests on behalf of the movement.

“Research has shown that most of the demonstrations organized by Black Lives Matter were peaceful,” Eide said. “Sure, there have been incidents, but most were caused by either police or counter-protesters.”

A study by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which looked at 7,750 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the four months of last year, found that 93 percent of the protests were mostly peaceful, but photos and video footage taken by journalists across America portray a different image.

Despite the numerous violent incidents associated with the movement’s name, several innocent civilians and members of Congress have suffered the brutality of movement activists.

Last August, Black Lives Matter activists harassed patrons sitting on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and allegedly demanded that they raise their fists. Other activists in the movement also rounded up Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and several women for several minutes on the streets of Washington, DC, as they tried to leave a Republican National Convention event at the White House.

Last September, data released by Princeton University showed that riots related to the Black Lives Matter movement occurred in 48 of the 50 largest cities in the United States.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is expected to select the prize winners in November.

Source:

Kyle Morris,Journalist