Police Accused of Brutality Following 'Raid' On Youth Charity 4Front Project
The founder of award-winning youth charity the 4Front Project has accused the police of brutality following what has been described as a raid on its office in north west London on Friday afternoon.
Four people aged between 14 and 25 were arrested at around 2pm but all were later released, the Met has confirmed.
According to the 4Front Project’s Temi Mwale, who was recently named an influential activist in British Vogue’s September issue, officers arrested a 14-year-old boy on their premises.
The situation escalated when staff asked why he was being arrested and for more information to pass on to his parents. Officers refused to engage, Mwale said.
Eyewitnesses have said that officers proceeded to “drag kids into vans with no good reason”.
URGENT
A police unit have just raided the @4FrontProject office in North West London, and started making arrests. Team members and the Graeme Park Estate community are at Colindale Police Station demanding immediate release. Huge police line. If you can, head over there now.
1/— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) August 7, 2020
Filming outside of Colindale police station in Brent, where the charity is based, Mwale said: “We’ve been assaulted so many times here today. We have two members of my staff team that have been arrested.
“We have several young people who have also been arrested. This is what we’re dealing with and I’ve told them we want it to be deescalated and yet they’ve refused.
“This community is sick and tired of the way we’re being treated and now we need your support. We’re meant to be out there tomorrow, Tottenham police station, but instead we’re out here at Colindale police station right now.”
The protest in Tottenham on Saturday has been organised to mark the ninth anniversary of the 2011 riots, which were sparked by the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in Tottenham on August 4 2011.
In the video posted on Instagram, Mwale...
