Members of the RCG and the Focus E15 Campaign attended the Eric Garner demo called by London Black Revs on Wednesday evening.
600 Londoners, mostly young and black, came out in solidarity with victims of the US and British police force. Chanting ‘we can’t breathe’, the last words of murdered black man Eric Garner, this protest took the form of a die-in, as protesters lay in the middle of the Westfield Shopping Centre.
With security and police quickly colluding to shut the centre, protesters locked outside took to the roads, closing the roundabout opposite the Shepherds Bush Empire and holding speeches, most notably from Marcia Rigg, sister of Sean Rigg, who was killed by the British police force in 2008.
Speeches talked not only of fighting the police, but ultimately fighting against imperialism and the state.
Marching back to Westfield, protesters overpowered police to once again gain entry and disturb west London’s Christmas shopping. The protest lasted approximately 3 hours with chanting, direct action and serious confrontation with security and police.
This is an example of the type of action that must be taken in order to challenge state racism and police violence around the globe.
This was a demonstration that linked struggles, as chants of ‘London, Gaza, Ferguson, no justice no peace!’ were heard above the Christmas jingles. London’s police were out in force and seized upon a moment to corner and arrest a group of 76 protesters. We stand in solidarity with those arrested and will support any defence campaign. Fight racism! Fight Imperialism!
