From riot to revolution

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Justice for Mark Duggan now...

Fight against police violence and racism t

he Tottenham riot on Saturday evening was a response to the killing of Mark Duggan, to police brutality and to racism. It was not about “mindless thuggery” or “outside elements”. It was about the way people are treated by the police, the authorities and the system—and especially about the way black people are treated, Around 200 of Mark’s family and friends marched on Saturday from Broadwater Farm to protest outside the police station about Mark’s death. He had been shot twice in the head by police and killed on Thursday evening. Yet nobody had even been suspended. There were whole families with young children protesting. As they gathered on the steps of the police station they were promised that a senior police officer would answer their questions. But typically this didn’t happen. When a young woman went to speak to the

tottenham public meeting Justice for Mark Duggan, no to police violence and racism

From Riot to Revolution Speakers include:

lGary Mcfarlane local community activist lEyewitnesses to Saturday’s uprising

This Wednesday, 10 August 7pm, North London Community House, 22 Moorefield Rd, N17 6PY

How long for justice? Blair Peach, killed by police on antifascist demonstration, 1979 lColin Roach, died in Stoke Newington police station, 1983 lCynthia Jarrett killed by police in Tottenham, 1985 lRoger Sylvester from Tottenham died after police 'restraint', 1999 lMikey Powell, died in custody of West Midlands Police, 2003 lSean Rigg died in Brixton police station, 2008..and hundreds more...and no policeman is blamed! police, she was knocked to the ground. Anger at the police exploded. It was entirely right to rage against the police. Many hundreds of people took part. They reflected the local population—all ages, black and white, Asian, as well as some Hassidic Jews.

Blame

Those, like David Lammy MP, who simply condemn those who took to the streets, should remember Tottenham’s history of racism and resistance. We remember the killing of Cynthia Jarrett that started the Broadwater Farm fightback against police harassment under the Sus laws in 1985. We remember the stitch-up that imprisoned Winston Silcott for 18 years. We remember the years that Roger Sylvester’s family went through, failing to get an answer as to why their son had been killed after eight policemen

jumped on him outside his house in 1999. Those are the worst cases. But harassment is an everyday event. All the talk of the police “reconnecting” with the community means nothing. If you want a symbol for Tottenham it would be a white policeman searching a young black man for no reason. All of this is made far, far worse by the drive from politicians, bosses and bankers to make working people, young people and the unemployed pay for the economic crisis.

Uprising

Tottenham has the highest unemployment rate in London, with 54 people chasing every job vacancy. Eight out of 13 youth centres are closing. The uprising in Tottenham is part of a wider revolt across the world— from the streets of Egypt to Spain and to Greece and to South Africa. The student revolt and the strikes we’ve seen in Britain recently are a welcome sign that a fightback has begun here too. And Tottenham is part of that. Riots can shake the system, but we need more—a revolutionary movement capable of tapping a wider power of resistance to counter the ruling class. We need to use all our strength to unite the fights against racism, the police, the rich, the Tories and capitalism. That’s the way to get rid of this rotten government, to confront racism and to begin the battle for a better world.

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