March for justice this Saturday - Join the United Families and Friends Campaign demo

United Campaign Against Police Violence is supporting the United Families and Friends Campaign march to Downing Street this weekend for justice for those who have died in custody.

Assemble at 12noon on Saturday 30th October at Trafalgar Square for a march to Downing Street.

UFFC includes members of the families of Roger Sylvester, Leon Patterson, Rocky Bennett, Alton Manning, Christopher Alder, Brian Douglas, Joy Gardner, Aseta Simms, Ricky Bishop, Paul Jemmott, Harry Stanley, Glenn Howard, Mikey Powell, Jason Mcpherson and Sean Rigg - all of whom have died in custody.

Join the event on Facebook...

What we believe
• That failure of State officials to ensure the basic right to life is made worse by the failure of the State to ever prosecute those responsible for custody deaths.

• That the failure to prosecute those responsible for deaths in custody sends the message that the State can act with impunity.


What We Demand
• Deaths in police custody must be investigated by a body that is genuinely independent of the police.

• Prison deaths must be subject to a system of properly funded investigation that is completely independent of the Prison Service.

• Officers involved in custody deaths be suspended until investigations are completed.

• Prosecutions should automatically follow 'unlawful killing' verdicts at inquests.

• Police forces are made accountable to the communities that they serve.

• Immediate Legal Aid and full disclosure of information be made to the relatives of the victims for investigations, inquests and subsequent prosecutions.

• Officers responsible for deaths should face criminal charges, even if retired.

• CCTV to be placed in the back of all police vehicles

Another blow for Greater Manchester Police’s violent tactics in Bolton

Film footage from the Bolton protest against the English Defence League (EDL) in March apparently shows police officers attacking anti-fascist demonstrators. While this is not the first such film to emerge showing the level of violence used against those attending a counter-protest called by Unite Against Fascism (UAF), it does appear to show police officers punching and batoning Alan Clough, an anti-fascist arrested on the day of the protest and later charged with public order offences. Charges have now been dropped following the release of the footage by Granada TV.

This is the latest blow to Greater Manchester Police’s campaign of intimidation against anti-racists following the demo. Only weeks ago Leeds student Dane Kelly, was cleared of using “threatening behaviour” against PC Gareth Rowe. Kelly was taken to court for swearing at a police officer, but the police were unable to find sufficient evidence to have him found guilty even of this.

For the full story, read the Manchester Evening News report (with footage).

If you would like to get involved with justice4bolton, which campaigns on behalf of those arrested on the day, visit its website.

For more information about police violence on the day of the EDL counter-protest, read a report here.

Black people are 26 times more likely than whites to face stop and search

An international report has shown that black people in Britain are 26 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people.

This flies in the face of claims by the police that "institutional racism" is a problem of the past.

US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson came to London to promote a new campaign against this abuse of power, and called the findings "astonishing".

Despite the rhetoric of change in the police force, these figures show that racial profiling is still central to policing operations on British streets.

Here is the full article in Sunday's Observer newspaper.