Black Lives Matter activists took over Brixton’s Windrush Square, in a show of solidarity with victims of police violence in America and across the UK, yesterday.
Around 2,000 people gathered in the heart of Brixton, holding placards proclaiming black lives matter and chanting ‘off our streets, racist police’.
Tensions have been raised by two high-profile shootings of African American men by police in two days this week, both killings were captured on video and have sparked heartbreak and international outrage.
Father-of-five Alton Sterling was selling CDs when he was killed by police in a Louisiana carpark.
Philando Castile was shot by an officer through the open window of his car in Minnesota, his dying moments broadcast live by his terrified fiancee as she sat beside him after a routine traffic stop.
Her four-year-old daughter also witnessed the shooting, his fiancee has been praised for calmly recording the aftermath before breaking down and crying ‘oh god please don’t tell me my boyfriend is dead’.
Protestors sat down in the streets blocking roads to traffic for several hours, as drummers beat time to the chants of ‘freedom!’.
#Brixton is at a standstill. The #blacklivesmatter march has decided to block all traffic. Sorry travellers pic.twitter.com/edDsGYC72h
— Mohammed Seedat (@moseeds) July 9, 2016
There is another protest planned for Oxford Circus at 10am today.
Pictures and video courtesy of Holly Manj, with thanks
