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United Families and Friend March in London (23 Oct 2008)

Peter Marshall | 25.10.2008 21:32 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles

Several hundred people, including many family members and friends of those who have died in suspicious circumstances in police custody, prison and 'secure' mental health facilities, marched at an appropriately funereal pace through the centre of London this afternoon (25 Oct 2008.) Pictures (C) 2008, Peter Marshall, all rights reserved.

Justice for Sean Rigg
Justice for Sean Rigg

The de Menezes family attended the protest
The de Menezes family attended the protest

Why?
Why?

Death Certificate for Patrick Cawley (1982-200)
Death Certificate for Patrick Cawley (1982-200)

Family Campaign
Family Campaign

Police largely kept a low profile
Police largely kept a low profile

Justice for all
Justice for all

A long list - 2553 names
A long list - 2553 names

Police inspect the bouquets
Police inspect the bouquets

Laying the bouquets at Downing St
Laying the bouquets at Downing St

Grief at Downing St
Grief at Downing St

Gates of Downing St
Gates of Downing St

Justice
Justice

Rally calls on Parliament for action
Rally calls on Parliament for action

Women in black at rally in Parliament Square
Women in black at rally in Parliament Square


For many of us at this annual event, there was this year an added sadness and grief in the absence of a dedicated campaigner on this issue, Pauline Campbell, who devoted herself to the cause after her daughter died because of the neglect of the authorities in Styal prison in 2003.
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2003/10/oct25-06.htm

Many of us heard Pauline speak at previous annual marches organised by the United Families and Friends of those who have died in custody and had come to know and respect Pauline through her single-minded campaigning.
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/01/jan.htm#holloway

News of her suicide at her daughter's grave this May came as a shock (but not a surprise) and it was appropriate that she was remembered at the start of the march in Trafalgar Square.
 http://re-photo.co.uk/?p=361

Pauline was one of many whose name was not listed among the over 2500 people who have died in care of police and prison staff, either through violence or neglect, but her and many other deaths are also very much a result of their actions.

Despite the publicity achieved by this campaign, and various investigations by the media, inquest verdicts and other enquiries that have made the damning evidence crystal clear, nothing seems to have changed. Racism, the lack of a proper culture of care and an almost complete lack of accountability mean that healthy people, mainly but not all black, continue to die in police and psychiatric custody and in prisons and there is no justice for them. In the past year there were 182 such deaths recorded, and the banner carried in the march listed over 2500 who have died.

The march made its way in silence down Whitehall to Downing Street where, after the bouquets had been subjected to a police examination, family members were allowed to come forward and fix them to the gates in front of Downing St, where police had agreed they would be allowed to stay until the end of the protest.

Among those taking part were the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, The inquest on his death continues.
 http://inquest.justice4jean.org/

Outside Downing St the marchers were encouraged to give vent to their feelings and make a great noise, before continuing to march, now chanting, to Parliament Square where there was a rally at which a number of people whose family members had been killed made pleas for justice to be done.

More pictures on My London Diary shortly
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/10/oct.htm#united

Peter Marshall
- e-mail: petermarshall@cix.co.uk
- Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk

Additions

fitting tribute

26.10.2008 00:07

A fitting tribute to Pauline and a concise report. A number of family members of people killed in police custody spoke at Parliament Square after the procession, including the sister of Jason McPherson, who died of a asthma attack whilst being held down by 10 cops in police custody after being prevented from being allowed to have use of his inhaler despite repeated pleas.

Dignified Rage


Correction Re: Jason McPherson

26.10.2008 14:33

I said re: the death of Jason McPherson that he died of an asthma attack.
Just like to retract that now.
This has NOT definately the case as the post-mortem has still not been finalised and so the cause of
Jason's death is still not properly established.

A further correction which needs to be stated is that his death took place in January last year, not this year as previously stated.

Jason was heard asking for his inhaler by his friends whom were arrested with him and because whilst being held down by the police his mobile was turned on and rang through to his mother whilst this happened and his mother heard it all. Jason was also heard saying the words: "get off me, I cant breath".

Dignified Rage


Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

Why wasnt this advertised on the front page?

26.10.2008 01:42

Great (as well as sad) to see this March happen again but why wasn't this advertised on indymedia as a front page feature before it happened?

It happens every year and should be pushed as something people should support.

anonymouse


Why I didn't, anonymouse.

26.10.2008 07:17

Despite the extreme worthiness of the cause I didn't personally propose a feature or attend the event for the following reasons.

The demo has police permission to operate in the SOCPA zone and stewards and so it cowtows to the cops. Can you not see the irony here?

The picture of a cop inspecting bouquets sickens me and I wonder why the demonstrators continue to tolerate such treatment.

Wotsit


The regularity of this march more important than police's authorisation of it

26.10.2008 11:17

Wotsit said:
"The demo has police permission to operate in the SOCPA zone and stewards and so it cowtows to the cops. Can you not see the irony here? "

> In an ideal world, the families would not have to cowtow to the police. In an ideal world, they would not have to go through the indignity of not getting a fair trial in the courts but going through with it nevertheless, but all of the families have done this because that is the only means to formally get justice in our supposed fair and independent judiciary (as far as I understand it, only once legal challenges have been exhausted in the public courts can families be in a position to pursue private prosecutions; the problem of course is the cost).

I agree with Wotsit's sentiment on dismissing the need for pre-approval by the state. The only ways and means through the fog of the state's jurisdiction in compromising the independence of our supposed fair criminal justice system and 'policing us' is for us to all self-organise in free association on our estates, in our communities and link up across them regionally and nationally (Wotsit dismisses the importance of how far this march can go to achieving this). Self-organising is essential, but I'd say both this and pursuing justice through the criminal justice system is essential, however unneccessarily fraught with delay, obfuscation and sabotage the process is victim to during the course of it's pursuance. The self-organising of our movement is there primarily to support family members in this struggle in any case.

If the families had the puritanical attitude you have, Wotsit, then they wouldn't have even got over the first hurdle in pursuing justice within the criminal justice system, not least managing to make this march a regular event.

Also, shame on Indymedia for not remembering to give the march it's fullest publicity before it happened.

Waltzing Matilda


missing the point entirely

26.10.2008 11:47

"Also, shame on Indymedia for not remembering to give the march it's fullest publicity before it happened.

Is that the same Indymedia whose mission statement says: "The content of the Indymedia UK website is created through a system of open publishing: anyone can upload a written, audio and video report or a picture directly to the site through an openly accessible web interface"

In other words, it was your failure Waltzing Mathilda, as much as anyone elses that there wasn't a feature beforehand. There are no servants, paid or unpaid, at Indymedia to do your work for you.

Billy Can


collective editorial team should = collective memory for important events

26.10.2008 12:13

point taken Billy. What I was question more precisely is why the Indymedia collective remembered to give the event pre-publicity last year (front-page I believe), but failed to even list it in the forthcoming events section this year!

If there is a editorial collective, then I question the lack of collective memory for the importance of this event, in comparison to say, the Climate Camp?


Waltzing Matilda


The march has been featured in the new IMC-London website

26.10.2008 17:38

Please note that as this event was taking place in London, it had been advertised for the whole week in the new Indymedia London site in the 'Featured events' section.

Also, there is now a feature about the march on the website's front page:

 http://london.indymedia.org.uk/

The Indymedia London new website now has a different publish form:

 http://london.indymedia.org.uk/publish

Please make sure that reports of demonstrations, actions and events taking place in the London area are also published in Indymedia-London. We'd love to promote your stories!

See the IMC-London feature 'Annual United Families & Friends Remembrance March' here:

 http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/142

Cheers,

IMC-London
mail e-mail: imc-london@lists.indymedia.org
- Homepage: http://london.indymedia.org.uk


Nice Report, worth putting on main page as a national event,IMC UK does its best

27.10.2008 12:00

They can be emailed in advance, at least 2 wks before event. Iam not sure if IMCUK do have a regular list of event they advertise without articles that could be check at monthly or annual meetings, but its worth it. IMC is a voluntary service & has to deal with alot of information, it doesnt rely on advertising as it tries to be as unbiased as possible.Whoever feels strongly about this maybe can help write a headline article on this next year.
Indymedia does get activist accounts on a good platform to many people including media professionals& they often use it to pick up on stories.

Regualar Reader& human rights activist


Good Report,Nice1 IMC,does everyone on IMCUK have acess2annual event checklists?

27.10.2008 12:06

They can be emailed in advance, at least 2 wks before event. Iam not sure if IMCUK do have a regular list of event they advertise without articles that could be check at monthly or annual meetings, but its worth it. IMC is a voluntary service & has to deal with alot of information, it doesnt rely on advertising as it tries to be as unbiased as possible.Whoever feels strongly about this maybe can help write a headline article on this next year.
Indymedia does get activist accounts on a good platform to many people including media professionals& they often use it to pick up on stories.

Green syndicalist


A Moving Occasion

28.10.2008 10:24

Some fine photography and coverage here. I was glad to be there again for this moving annual demonstration and join with those calling on the government to bring justice, healing nd a move toward peace for these courageous and dignified families. There was the slow, funeral like move down whitehall then the chnating of truths concerning the neglect, incompetence and violence that has caused the deaths of so many in police and prison custody. The fact that this event has proven to be necessary at all is a national disgrace indicating the truth of Pauline Campbell's often asserted claim that in government and the coridoors of power there is no shame.

George Coombs


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