Wendy Charlton, Camden and Haringey Socialist Party
A national day of action against the killing of Chris Kaba took place on 17 September including a protest in front of New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police Headquarters in central London.
Chris was killed on 5 September in south London after a single shot was fired by a police officer as police tried to stop the vehicle he was driving; an automatic number plate recognition camera indicated that this car was linked to a firearm incident in previous days. The car wasn’t registered to Chris, who was unarmed.
An atmosphere of powerful emotion could be felt among the 2,000 people attending and showing their solidarity.
Jefferson Bosela, Chris’s cousin, had called for nationwide action, and the protest was one of many happening across the UK. The family have accused the police of racism and have demanded answers: did officers know that it was Chris in the car or were they simply following a suspect vehicle? They have demanded that the suspended officer be interviewed under caution without delay and the family kept informed.
One speaker said: “Police continue to go into our communities and terrorise our people over and over again. Are we going to continue to let these things happen with no accountability?”
Protests also took place in Brighton, Oxford, Southampton, Coventry, Leamington Spa, Manchester, Taunton and Cardiff.
An inquest into Chris Kaba’s death will be held on 4 October.
Socialist Party members joined the protests and called for:
- Independent workers’ and community inquiries into police violence
- End police brutality. Demilitarisation of the police – stop the use of horses, tear gas and rubber bullets. Abolish the Territorial Support Group (TSG) and all similar paramilitary units
- Democratic control of policing by trade unions and communities, including with powers to fire and hire officers
- Build a mass movement to smash racism. Build a socialist alternative to inequality and division
