Newham Monitoring Project

Following the raid under anti-terrorism laws conducted in the early hours of this morning in Lansdown Road, Forest Gate E7, that led to the shooting of one man and the arrest of another, Newham Monitoring Project (NMP) has received many calls today from members of the local communities who are alarmed and distressed by the raid and the possible impact it will have over the coming weeks. We are concerned by the lack of information that has been released about the incident this morning, as it is essential to address the genuine anxiety felt by people, particularly in an area which is predominantly Asian and includes a sizable Muslim population.

We urge the police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission to make more information available as soon as possible to quell unfounded speculation and ensure that local people receive some measure of reassurance. In the light of previous controversy over the use of armed officers in anti-terrorism operations, we feel it is vital that questions about the use of firearms are answered and that people know whether the individual who was shot was armed or not.

NMP will also be monitoring the IPCC’s response to this incident, in terms of fulfilling their obligation to begin a full investigation immediately. It is essential that the IPCC remain accountable during this process, particularly following the errors made in handling the investigation into the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

In response to the community’s demands, NMP will be monitoring the situation in the aftermath of this incident and providing information to people in east London who want to know more about the implications of the various anti-terrorism laws. NMP will be leafleting the local area, as well as mosques, providing rights cards on the anti-terror laws and details of our emergency service phone line. If people are concerned or want more information, they can contact NMP on our 24 hour free emergency service on 0800 169 3111.

A coalition of local organisations and residents from Newham’s diverse communities will be uniting to protest at the way the anti-terrorism raid in Lansdown Rd., Forest Gate, London was conducted by the police. A protest march will take place at 12 noon at Plashet Park, on Sunday 18th of June.

On June 2nd two neighbouring families had their lives devastated by a violent and massive anti-terrorism raid on their homes in Forest Gate. One of two brothers in one home was shot. Both brothers were later arrested and held under anti-terrorism laws. In the neighbouring home, a male member of that family was assaulted with a potentially lethal blow to his head by a police rifle. Other members of this family were taken to Plaistow Police Station and held for 12 hours, despite the fact that they were not under arrest. A week later the two brothers who had been arrested were released without charge. A search of both homes over a subsequent week did not yield any evidence to support the claims of ‘specific intelligence’ made by the police.

During the course of their investigations the police provided no explanation as to why local families were treated in a violent manner during the raids. There has been misinformation concerning the circumstances of the shooting of one of the two brothers originally arrested. Initially the media reported police sources saying that another family member had caused the accident in a scuffle, a further police claim was that an a police officer from the CO19 unit accidentally fired a shot because his gloves were too thick. An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation is on going, but local communities have legitimate grounds to demand answers from the police.

If there was specific intelligence that led to the raids, why were two properties raided? Why were the families subjected to such brutal police tactics? Where was the duty of care towards the residents in the surrounding area by the borough police, the critical local bodies that provided cooperation in the antiterrorism raid? Why were residents on several roads in Forest Gate placed under an enforced cordon, restricting entry and exits from their own homes, even while the police claimed that a potential chemical bomb threat posed a danger to public safety? There were children playing in cordoned streets and no one was evacuated in light of a chemical bomb threat. Whose public safety and whose rights were the police taking care of?

The police have stated yet again that they will ‘learn from their mistakes’, but local communities have heard this before after each death in custody, each act of institutional racism and after numerous complaints about excessive police force in the borough. Police violence against Newham’s black communities, asian, African and Caribbean, is not new is not new. But increasingly it is Newham’s Muslim community, who comprise over a quarter of the borough’s population, that is under particular scrutiny, under cover of draconian anti-terrorism measures. A police apology for the disruption and nuisance caused is not good enough. There are many more unanswered questions.

Newham communities do not want a recurrence of the tragedy of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent man who was killed during an anti-terrorism operation. On Sunday June 18th local communities can participate in a peaceful protest against the alarming disregard for the human rights and civil liberties of our friends, families and neighbours.

Mohammed Abdulkahar, aged 23, and Abul Koyair, aged 20 – the two brothers who were innocent victims of the armed anti-terror raid on their home, 46 Lansdown Road, Forest Gate, on Friday 2nd June 2006 - will be holding a press conference to speak about their experiences at:

11.30 am, Tuesday 13th June 2006

Church Hall
Emmanuel Church
corner of Romford Road / Upton Lane
London
E7 8BD