Institutional racism is not melting like the snow in spring under the impact of the McPherson report. One of the very many incidents of it was reported in
The Times
of 22 April setting out the tale of harrassment of Winston Silcott supporter, Delroy Lindo. Mr Lindo, a 39-year old father of three,
“says he has been harassed by the police since he began supporting Silcott, who was convicted of murdering PC Blakelock in the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985 but was cleared on appeal eight years ago.”
Furious at being deprived of their prey, the police have subjected Delroy Lindo to persistent arrests
“in a brutal campaign of victimisation for publicly supporting his childhood friend.”
In the last 3 years, Mr Lindo has been stopped 11 times and has had to go to court on 6 occasions.
“Among the nine offences of which he has been acquitted are breach of the peace, threatening behaviour, assault, criminal damage, obstruction and having an illegible car number plate. His wife, Sonia, 37, has been cleared of breaching the peace.”
The offence of which he was acquitted in the week of 19 April was dangerous driving.
Mr Lindo has now issued a writ against the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Condon, alleging malicious prosecution, assault and false imprisonment. Scotland Yard says it will defend it, but
The Times’
opinion is that there may be an out-of court settlement.
In the meantime Winston Silcott remains behind bars, despite his acquittal of the Broadwater Farm killing, for the murder of Anthony Smith, a boxer (despite overwhelming evidence that Silcott acted in self-defence), as does Satpal Ram, years after his original sentence has been served. Both of them are victims of a system that refuses to allow people to resist the injustices of the system of criminal law, which black people are disproportionately the victims of. The British imperialists consider the Yugoslav state to be oppressive because it `ethnically cleanses’ a tiny clique of terrorists and saboteurs financed by imperialism, having little popular support, who seek to damage the lives and property of Yugoslav people in their bid to set up an `independent’ client state of imperialism in Kosovo. What would the Yugoslavs have to say about the British criminal `justice’ system which keeps in prison for years and years people the authorities know to be innocent, simply on the pretext that many years previously they were wrongly convicted? Or on the pretext that while in prison they continue to protest their innocence instead of `repenting’ for what they have not done! Such `humanitarianism’ is indeed a fine example for President Milosevic!
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.