By james art It comes after families of people who have died in custody delivered a handwritten note to Sir Keir Starmer and said they wanted to remind the prime minister of “everyone’s right to life”.
The letter was delivered after hundreds of people marched to Downing Street from Trafalgar Square on Saturday with the Families and Friends United Campaign, which supports the families of “loved ones lost at the hands of the state”.
The family of Chris Caba, who was fatally shot by police shooter Martin Blake – who was acquitted of murder on Monday – attended the march alongside members of the Justice for Chris Caba campaign.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper unveiled a series of reforms this week, including that the identity of armed officers will be kept secret if they are prosecuted unless convicted.
Blake, 40, was on trial after he shot Mr Caba through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as the 24-year-old tried to force his way past police cars in Streatham, south-east London, on September 5, 2022.
When reporting restrictions were lifted after the case closed, it emerged that Mr Caba was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous crime gangs and was allegedly directly linked to two shootings in the six days. before being shot by police.
Our annual march to mark 25 years of fighting for justice and remembering our loved ones who died at the hands of the British police or the state or through negligence is tomorrow, Saturday 26 October. We meet at 12:00 in Trafalgar Square.
thank you @ukblm for your support pic.twitter.com/7842GZY4xE
— United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) (@UFFCampaign) October 25, 2024
Shida Kaba, Mr Kaba’s cousin, said the interior minister’s new measures on the anonymity of firearms officers were “punishment” for her cousin’s case.
Speaking to media outside Number 10, she said: “All we’ve been told is that we’re tightening the protections for staff because there can never be another staff member who goes this far, goes to court.
“So it’s almost like we’re being punished because my cousin’s case has come this far in two years. So (with) the smear campaign by the media, it’s like we’re dying a second death.
“First they took Chris and now they want us too. But I speak for my family, we will not be silenced.
“We’ll keep saying Chris’ name.”
Speaking to the PA news agency outside 10 Downing Street, Marsha Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, who died in police custody in 2008, said: “We are here to remind him now that he is Prime Minister (that ) everyone is entitled to their right to life no matter what.
“If there is a crime, they go to jail and serve their sentence. Not a death sentence. There is no justice.”
Lee Lawrence, whose mother Cherie Grose was paralyzed after being shot by police in 1985, said Saturday’s protests outside Downing Street were about “solidarity”.
He said: “(Today) is absolutely important. Today is about solidarity, and solidarity is not temporary.
“We may hear very few names in the media.
“But as you can see from the crowd outside, many people have died at the hands of the state.
“So today we all come together and show our collective voice.”
Mr Lawrence said the growing list of people dying “at the hands of the state” created a sense that “lessons are not being learnt”.
He said: “It’s sad and I just feel like lessons aren’t being learned and our voices aren’t being heard.
“The question is, what else do we need to do?”
Mr Lawrence described the outcome of Mr Blake’s trial at the Old Bailey as “another disappointing outcome”.
He said: “(It was) another disappointing result but at the same time we’re not against it.
“Getting justice is almost impossible in this country. But that won’t stop us.”
The families, who delivered a handwritten note to Sir Keir earlier, said they were left “indefinitely traumatized” after losing loved ones “at the hands of the state”.
Speaking to Number 10, they said: “Families have been traumatized indefinitely and their welfare affected at the hands of the state… this is a contentious issue and we want it resolved amicably.
“Everyone has a right to life, and so do families.
“And we are traumatized and it hurts every time we hear of another death.
“Families should never be forgotten.
Kadija George, Sheku Bayo’s cousin who died after being detained by the police in 2015, said it was important to remember the families as victims.
She said: “They need to recognize that it is the family that is being victimised.
“So often it’s portrayed in the press that the people who did the act (that) are the ones who are traumatized, the ones who have to take time off work, the ones who have to be cared for.”
“Nothing to do with families. Nothing to do with the victims.
During the march, some people held signs reading “No justice”, “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgiven” and “No to hate, no to fascism” – while others also held up images of people they say died in custody.
A spokesman for the Justice for Chris Caba campaign addressed the crowd as it marched towards Downing Street and led chants of “we believe we will win” and “the people united will never be defeated”.
An activist stressed to the crowd and press in central London that they were not there “just for the Kaba family” but for all the “grieving” families who have been “grieved at the hands of the state”.
It came after thousands of Tommy Robinson supporters also gathered in central London on Saturday for a planned protest, which the political activist will miss after being detained by police.
There was also a counter-protest organized by Stand Up to Racism, which called on supporters to “take to the streets” in a “massive anti-fascist demonstration”.