Black Lives Matter activists descend on Tottenham police station to support rapper Wretch 32 after his father was Tasered by officers - in protest nine years after death of Mark Duggan
Crowds of people descended on a London police station to support rapper Wretch 32 - whose father was Tasered by police - and to protest 'police racism, police violence and police impunity'.
The crowd gathered peacefully in scorching temperatures to hear speeches and demonstrate outside Tottenham Police Station.
Activists spoke to crowds near signs reading 'defund the police, invest in our lives' and '1,750 deaths in police custody or following contact with police in England and Wales since 1990'.
Musician Wretch 32, whose real name is Jermaine Scott, posted a video on Twitter of his father Millard Scott, 62, falling downstairs after being Tasered by officers in north London in April.
Wretch 32 could be seen mingling in the crowd on Saturday, as protesters spoke of their own treatment at the hands of police.
He told the crowd: 'I am saddened that we have to be standing here today. I feel that as a community, as a people, that we are over-policed and under-protected.
'We don't feel protected. My dad did not feel protected. The police are supposed to protect and serve. When they came into the house, what exactly were they serving with that Taser?'
Crowds of people descended on a London police station to support rapper Wretch 32 (pictured) - whose father was Tasered by police - and to protest 'police racism, police violence and police impunity'
Wretch 32 (left) could be seen addressing the crowd alongside his father Millard Scott, 62, on Saturday, as protesters spoke of their own treatment at the hands of police
He said people have 'no trust in the system' and it is a struggle with the police which the community faced since he was a child.
Then, putting an arm around his father, he said: 'My dad stands here today. In my eyes he is lucky to be alive.'
The crowd called for officers to stop what they called the over-policing of black communities, along with the use of excessive force, Tasers, stop-and-search and the disproportionate use of handcuffing during arrest.
A list was pinned to a barrier outside the police station featuring the names of people - both black and white - who have died after coming into contact with police, dating back to the 1980s.
Crowds of people descended on a London police station to protest 'police racism, police violence and police impunity' nine years after Mark Duggan was killed
Wretch 32, whose real name is Jermaine Scott, posted a video on Twitter of his father Millard Scott, 62, (pictured together today) falling downstairs after being Tasered by officers in north London in April
The crowd (some participants pictured) called for officers to stop what they called the over-policing of black communities, along with the use of excessive force, Tasers, stop-and-search and the disproportionate use of handcuffing during arrest
Crowds descended on Tottenham Police Station for a demonstration in north London today
Banners called for 'justice' for Cynthia Jarrett, Joy Gardner, Mark Duggan, Smiley Culture, Roger Sylvester, Ian Tomlinson and Jean Charles de Menezes.
The protest came nine years after Mr Duggan, 29, was shot dead in Tottenham after armed officers intercepted a minicab he was travelling in on the basis of intelligence that he was carrying a gun.
A pistol was later found around seven metres away from the minicab.
Mr Duggan's shooting in August 2011, by an officer known only as V53, sparked riots in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and other English cities for nearly a week.
Messages which read 'The Met Police must cease and desist' and 'Defund the police, invest in our lives' were pinned to a door at the police station today.
Mark Duggan, 29, (pictured) was shot dead in Tottenham after armed officers intercepted a minicab he was travelling in on the basis of intelligence that he was carrying a gun
Mina Agyepong, 42, told the crowd her 12-year-old son Kai 'is traumatised and he is angry' after armed police raided her north London home late at night in July to arrest him.
He had been playing with a toy gun. Suspicions had been raised by a passer-by who said they saw a black male holding a firearm on the sofa.
She said: 'I worry now what his relationship is going to be with the police - that sense of distrust. Stop criminalising our children.'
The 1985 Tottenham riots began when Broadwater Farm resident Ms Jarrett died of heart failure after four policemen burst into her home during a raid on October 5.
Her son fought back tears as he told the crowd: 'I get emotional when I think about my mother because I love her.
'We have all got to stick together and keep on marching. We have got to keep on protesting because this is for all of our kids and our future. They can tear down your family from top to bottom.'
Winston Silcott was one of the Tottenham Three, alongside Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite, convicted in 1987 of PC Keith Blakelock's murder during the riots.
Their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1991, after questions were raised about the way police interviews were carried out.
Mr Silcott helped steward Saturday's demonstration.
Scotland Yard said officers had gone to the address of Wretch 32's father in Tottenham on April 21 as part of an operation to tackle a drugs supply linked to serious violence in Haringey.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), has said it will not investigate the incident and the matter should be dealt with within the Met Police.
Winston Silcott (pictured) was one of the Tottenham Three, alongside Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite, convicted in 1987 of PC Keith Blakelock's murder during the riots
Protesters gathered outside Tottenham Police Station today to protest 'police racism, police violence and police impunity'
One demonstrator clutched a sign reading 'no justice no peace, defund the police'
Activists spoke to crowds while standing in front of signs reading 'defund the police, invest in our lives' and '1,750 deaths in police custody or following contact with police in England and Wales since 1990'
Tottenham Rights, The Monitoring Group, Black Lives Matter UK and Stopwatch also co-organised the demonstration (attendees pictured) and all participants were urged to obey social distancing rules
An activist spoke to crowds outside Tottenham Police Station. Signs were seen stuck to a door
A woman wears a mask with a fist, a symbol synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement
Deputy Police Commissioner Sir Stephen House told a London Assembly Police and Crime Committee in July that the IOPC had decided 'this matter should be returned to you, the Metropolitan Police, to be dealt with in a reasonable and proportionate matter'.
The Metropolitan Police had reviewed the incident at the time and said it had found no misconduct, but the IOPC called the matter in to make its own assessment.
The police said no further action is being taken as there is no public complaint and no indication of misconduct.
It added that should a public complaint be made or information provided about injuries, it would refer the matter again to the IOPC.
Treena Fleming, the Metropolitan Police commander of the North Area Command Unit, said: 'I can understand why any use of Taser can look alarming, and why it did look alarming in this case.
'We never underestimate the impact such an incident can have on a family and the wider community.'
She said officers 'are highly trained to engage, explain and try to resolve situations, using force only when absolutely necessary'.
Temi Mwale - the director of London-based 4Front project - wrote on Instagram ahead of today's event: 'It has been nine years since the Metropolitan Police killed Mark Duggan in Tottenham, sparking uprisings across the country.
'The police continue to violate, brutalise and kill black people with impunity. On the 9th anniversary of the uprisings we will demand justice.
'We are empowering young black people most impacted by police violence to fight for their rights and get their voices heard. No justice. No peace.'
The group support people with experiences of violence and the criminal justice system and empowers them to 'fight for justice, peace and freedom'.
Tottenham Rights, The Monitoring Group, Black Lives Matter UK and Stopwatch also co-organised the demonstration and all participants were urged to obey social distancing rules.
A protestor holds a sign reading 'Black lives matter. UK police murder too' at the demonstration today
A woman stands by a painted sign reading 'no justice no peace' and 'Black lives matter' in Tottenham
Demonstrators take part in a Black Lives Matter protest outside Tottenham police station
A flag soaked in fake blood was flown. It read: 'The UK is not innocent. Our blood your hands'
Signs were plastered to the entrance to Tottenham Police Station as demonstrators addressed the crowds today
Temi Mwale - the director of London-based 4Front project - shared a poster (pictured) and wrote on Instagram: 'It has been nine years since the Metropolitan Police killed Mark Duggan in Tottenham, sparking uprisings across the country'
The protests this weekend were in stark contrast to the demonstrators who took to the streets dressed in paramilitary-style clothing last Saturday for an Afrikan Emancipation Day march through London.
The event was slammed as 'divisive' by Nigel Farage.
Hundreds of demonstrators brought Brixton to a halt as they marched through London.
Farage said: 'Terrifying scenes in Brixton today. A paramilitary-style force marching in the streets.
'This is what the BLM movement wanted from the start and it will divide our society like never before.'
The protests this weekend follow last Saturday's Afrikan Emancipation Day march through London (pictured)
Family Forever members resembled the Black Panther revolutionary activists of 1960s America
A promotional video made by the group (pictured at the march) said they are 'united in the battle against racism, inequality and injustice'
However, co-leader of the Green Party Jonathan Bartley responded to Mr Farage's intervention.
He tweeted: 'You are just trying to create division. But these people in Brixton today know that love and justice will conquer the fear and hate that you peddle. Hope is what people need right now and they are showing the pathway toward it.'
The Metropolitan Police said three people were arrested during last weekend's demonstration.
Black Lives Matter activists descend on Tottenham police station to support rapper Wretch 32 after his father was Tasered by officers - in protest nine years after death of Mark Duggan
![Black Lives Matter activists descend on Tottenham police station to support rapper Wretch 32 after his father was Tasered by officers - in protest nine years after death of Mark Duggan]()
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August 09, 2020
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