Ferguson: Protest at US embassy in London over killing of Michael Brown
Relatives of young black Britons who died as a result of
controversial police actions have staged a rally outside the United States embassy in London
to protest against the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri ,
reports The Guardian.
Wielding placards condemning the failure of a grand jury in
Among them was Carole Duggan, aunt of Mark Duggan, whose
shooting by police was a trigger for the 2011 riots across England .
“We want to send out condolences to Mike Brown’s family. We
feel the pain and know the pain of losing somebody at the hands of the police,”
she told the crowd. “We know what it feels like to know that a member of your
family has been murdered in cold blood. That is why we stand in solidarity with
the community in Ferguson ,
who are very, very brave people.”
Other speakers included Marcia Rigg, sister of Sean Rigg, a
musician who died in 2008 after being arrested and restrained by police in south
London .
“People across the world understand the frustration and
anger that people in Ferguson
are feeling when their loved ones are murdered,” she said. “What are they
supposed to do? We try to go peacefully, just ask for the truth, but all we
keep getting is lies.”
The demonstration was supported by Labour MP Diane Abbott,
who said in a statement that the family of Michael Brown had not just lost a
loved one but, following the grand jury’s decision, “they no doubt feel the
strongest sense of injustice, which can only make their pain worse”.
“Just as in Britain ,
the black community in the US
has a fraught history with the police. It is one of the reasons I have always
been against the arming of police,” Abbott said.
“And just this weekend a 12-year-old boy has been shot dead
by police in the US
as he played with a fake gun in a park. And time and time again, no one is held
accountable. When yet another unarmed young black man is killed and it is
‘lawful’, it can be no surprise that black people are questioning how much
value these same laws place on their lives,” she added.
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