It seems the mainstream media completely underestimated the impact and importance of Toyin Agbetu’s actions on 27th March 2007 when he confroted The Queen and Tony Blair at Westminster Abbey. None of them were there to document the events of him answering bail. The only media there were a few of us with cameras. TRUE COMMUNITY MEDIA in ACTION. Mainstream media were unable to twist this spontaneous event with mis-representation. Hundreds of Black/African people were out in force, and IT WAS PEACEFUL!!! That’s not sexy telly news. But it is the truth. How ironic….
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With a few exceptions, Toyin’s protest in Westminster Abbey has largely been reported as the actions of a lone mad man, but THIS VIDEO shows the support that he has amongst fellow Africanists. Toyin is greeted as a hero by a growing crowd. The nature of the support takes the police by surprise who make an eventual and futile attempt to put down crowd control barriers.
Agbetu shares his views with his supporters before heading into the police station. A number of voices are heard from the supporters before Toyin returns to update them on the charges, or lack of them.
A month after his action on 27th March, it seems the BBC has still not sent the un-televised footage to the police. This would help the Met and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to determine his exact ‘crime’ and make charges. Unable to do this the law enforcers have to send him away until 30th May 2007, 1pm. Charing Cross.
On the steps of the police station Toyin responds to a now sizeable crowd that believes he has no case to answer. Agbetu comments on the games being played by the CPS with the arrest and charging situation, and then on the bigger picture involving pressure on African, and in particular Jamaican, young people in Britain. He urges his supporters to support their young people by instituting rites-of-passage as a necessary part of their growing up and self-discovery.
DOCUMENTED BY FIRSTBORN CREATIVES FOR CHANNEL ZERO
(Text written by Rob Mitchell)
Filed under: abolition, activism, the queen, tony blair, toyin agbetu | Tagged: abolition the queen, apology debate, tony blair, toyin agbetu, westminster abbey | Leave a comment »
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