To the shock and horror of probably no one, a woman who helped organise the BLM protests to remove the Edward Colston statue in Bristol in 2020 has been found guilty of fraud.
Yvonne Maina, who changed her name to Xahra Saleem, will be sentenced at the end of October. She initially denied the accusation but has since pled guilty to keeping around £30,000 worth of donations for herself. These were given via a GoFundMe page titled “BristBLM.”
Now, I wonder if anyone is surprised at some factors in this story. First off, GoFundMe didn’t take that page down. And the fraud itself comes as no surprise, given the massively expensive property purchases made by the American BLM organisers using donations. It seems par for the course that these organisers help themselves.
The page had initially been set up to fund masks for the demo in Bristol as it was being held during the Covid era. Any money left over was earmarked to go to a charity which planned to send young people to Africa. But the money never went there, and the charity itself, “Changing Your Mindset,” based at the Malcolm X Centre (this is a thing according to the Bristol Post) in St. Paul, has since closed because that’s not in the least bit suspicious.
There was a second fraud charge for another fundraiser she set up after the protests called “Bristol Protesters Legal Fees”, to which Saleem also pled not guilty. The CPS has since dropped that charge.
It’s not a huge story, just something sliding under the radar. But proof, as if it were required, is that many of these racial justice warriors are just grifters at heart. Seeking donations online from people who would support their cause, saying it’ll be used for activism, then pocketing the difference to fund their lifestyle. They may start genuine and with a plan. Then they get a look at money, and things change. Fraud is too friendly a word. They ultimately become parasitical.
They are feeding off the anxiety and anger of those who feel a sense of oppression or exploitation by a statue of Edward Colston. In a twisted sense of irony, the one looking to exploit them was much closer to home.
It is disheartening to observe the workings of the left. The clergy of liberalism, both men and women, often propagate the gospel of resentment. Trade Unions take advantage of the labour force, corporations exploit migrants for their benefit, and Anti-Racist NGOs manipulate minority groups for their gain. All of these actions stem from the same strategy of creating resentment. The aim is to incite the masses and reap the rewards of increased fees, profits, and donations.
