Yesterday brought the news that the police officer accused of murdering Chris Kaba in 2022 had been acquitted. Racial justice groups have long criticised the Met police over the matter and on Monday evening, protestors once again took to the streets outside the Old Bailey to demand justice for the 24-year-old. But protestations about the case were rather premature, not least because the full detail on Kaba’s run-ins with the police only became public today – and now politicians and activists alike have been left rather embarrassed by the revelations…
Kaba’s criminal history has been released today – and it rather changes the narrative. It turns out that the 24-year-old was alleged to be a key member of a London gang, receiving his first crime conviction at the age of 13 and serving spells in prison up until April 2022. CCTV footage reveals he even shot a man on a nightclub floor – before chasing his victim down the street as he fired more bullets. Good heavens. So who has ended up looking rather silly for commenting on the case without fully possessing the facts?
Runnymede Trust
The taxpayer-funded racial justice group – which receives money from the Arts and Humanities Research Council – has certainly not held back on its anger about the Chris Kaba incident, but the organisation’s social media posts after Blake’s not guilty verdict on Monday were rather, er, premature to say the least. Fuming about the police officer being cleared of murder, Runnymede took to Twitter to call for ‘real justice’ for families affected by ‘racist state violence’, raging:
This lack of police accountability perpetuates cycles of violence and impunity. Our thoughts and solidarity are with Chris’ loved ones and wider community.
The heated post was quickly fact-checked, with a community note adding that: ‘The police officer was subjected to a full independent investigation from both the IOPC and CPS who prosecuted him for murder. A criminal trial at the Old Bailey found Martyn Blake not guilty by a jury of his peers.’ That’s them told…
Black Lives Matter UK
And of course BLM UK had one or two things to say about the Kaba matter – with the organisation urging supporters to gather outside London’s Old Bailey on Monday night to protest the judge’s ruling on police officer Blake.
‘NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE,’ the activist group raged online, ‘Join our urgent call for accountability.’
Going even further, BLM UK took to Twitter on Monday night with a fiery statement that claimed:
THE POLICE KILLED CHRIS KABA!…Chris Kaba’s family join a long line of other families whose loved ones have been killed by the police and still wait for some accountability.
The police may have been acquitted of murder by the courts but we find them guilty of systemic racism and violence. We believe and organise for police and prison abolition to bring about the lasting change that Chris’ loved ones and many more deserve.
Oh dear. That’s aged well…
Sadiq Khan
The London mayor is no stranger to virtue-signalling, and Sadiq Khan was quick to describe the killing of Kaba as a ‘young life cut short’, adding in 2022 that he understood ‘the grave concerns and impact of Chris’s death on black Londoners across our city and the anger, pain and fear it has caused – as well as the desire for justice and change’. Yet even after Blake was found not guilty for murdering the gang member, Khan has this week insisted: ‘There’s clearly still a wider lack of trust in the police, particularly within the black community, that needs to be addressed’, pledging he plans to ‘hold the Metropolitan Police to account to ensure any lessons are learnt’. Er, right. Today’s news certainly illustrates the perils of speaking too soon…
Jeremy Corbyn
The former Labour leader was characteristically quick to take to social media at the time of the police incident. Opting to post a picture of himself on a march for Kaba, Corbyn added the caption: ‘We cannot live the pain felt by his family, but we can support them in demanding #JusticeForChrisKaba.’ Crikey. The now-independent MP has been curiously quiet on the matter since more recent details about Kaba have come to light. Will Corbyn now admit he was overhasty on this one? Don’t hold your breath…
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
The Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill has spent much time in recent years lamenting the events that led to Kaba’s death – yet like many of the lefty lot, was a little too quick to point the finger at the police. In September last year, Ribeiro-Addy described how ‘campaigners march for justice and an end to racism in policing’ in Kaba’s name, adding: ‘No family should have to go through what the Kaba family have endured. The CPS must deliver a decision without further delay.’
Yet in light of Kaba’s newly released criminal record, Ribeiro-Addy has, er, toned down her rhetoric a little: ‘Whilst police officers undeniably have a difficult job and work under exceptional pressures, this trial shows that nobody is above the law. When anyone loses their life after contact with the police, it is vital that this is properly investigated.’ Talk about rowing back, eh?
Comments