Leafleting against police racism at Notting Hill 2014, photo by Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Marvin Hay, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
The bank holiday weekend saw the Notting Hill Carnival. Our successful campaign work focussed on the continued unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. This follows on from the death of Michael Brown, and more specifically the militarisation of police in America and worldwide.
Our demands were simple. Stop targeting the black working class here and in the US. An immediate end to harassment and militarised response to peaceful protests. Independent inquiries into deaths at hands of police by community organisations and trade unions.
We brought our perspectives and analysis of the situation in Ferguson to the carnival revellers, making the point that it is social and economic conditions that breed racism. What was interesting was that people were drawing these conclusions independently and making the link between policing in the US, the UK and worldwide. We had people flocking to sign our petitions and make donations, even in the rain.
On Wednesday there was a protest outside the United States embassy attended by about 70 people. Unfortunately those speaking from the official platform, including Labour MP Diane Abbott, didn’t make any real demands. At times it just felt like a publicity event for Abbott and the organisers!
Our contribution to events was well received. Although the organisers didn’t allow us to address the crowd, we were able to raise our demands in discussions and build for a public meeting that was organised for the next day.
