In front of hundreds who supported this 25th annual rally of United Families and Friends, which took place in London yesterday, Temi Mwale delivered this impressive and passionate speech. She is a community organiser, educated in law, and is the founder director of the 4Front Project, which helps empower young people to peacefully work for racial justice.
The event this year took place just a few days after police officer Martyn Blake had been cleared of the murder of Chris Kaba. Temi spoke of the media’s immediate campaign to assassinate Kaba’s character, even though Blake did not know of his past when he chose to shoot him at close range in the forehead on the night of 5th September 2022.
Temi quoted a 1998 booklet by Keir Starmer, ‘The Right To Life”, which in which he wrote:
“When citizens die at the hands of the police, or make serious allegation of torture in police custody, the reaction of the state raises very serious questions about the protection of human rights.”
Recognising that the current system is not capable of providing real justice and accountability, she called for communities to work together to build a society which can truly deliver peace and security for all.
