UFFC protest

Today was the annual protest by the UFFC against deaths in the custody of the state. I saw people like Joan who was a very good friend of Pauline Campbell, carrying the banner showing Sarah Campbell, Pauline’s daughter, who died in Styal Prison in 2003. I was pleased to see her but it’s under poignant, tragic and sad circumstances (I still miss Pauline, she was brilliant). Again, I saw banners of people who have died at the hands of the state, families still waiting for justice.

We marched from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street armed with a letter from the families. Representatives walked to the gates of Downing Street but the heavily armed cops behind the gates wouldn’t accept the letter. So we stood there protesting our anger that the agents of the state wouldn’t take the letter.

Before going across to Downing Street there were speakers powerfully yet painfully talking about the death of their loved one, the injustice they have experienced by the state. We were standing in the road and this cop came out of nowhere and shouted,  ”Move onto the the pavement”. This exposed the utter insensitivity and lack of concern, nor showing any respect to this protest. As one of the protesters shouted in response to the cop’s demand, “Not until you stop killing people”!

Quite!

And then across the road further injustice along with no dignity nor respect shown by the cops, heavily armed they were too! It’s just a letter…. Show some humanity and humility. But no….they wouldn’t. Instead the letter was pinned to the gate with the flowers. I remember the days when you could walk down Downing Street yet now its gated. And you have to ask permission for the cops to take the letter. It’s only a letter, what are they scared of? Did they think the letter was a WMD?

A senior cop blustered excuses to families about procedure and bureaucracy but that further excuses and further ignores the rights of the families. I was livid, angry …so bloody appalled by the actions of the police and so were the crowd. We are meant to live in a democracy where a letter should be accepted without any problem but instead the closed off gate leading to 10 Downing Street is symbolic to the remoteness of democratic procedure, and not being part of this whole process.

Left outside the gate refused entry treated like invisible nobodies. Treated with contempt. Democracy was obstructed by the behaviour of these police today.

The refusal to accept the letter adds insult to injury to these families whose loved one has died in the custody of the state. No justice. No Peace.

More pix on my Flickr page

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