On Wednesday 27th August Stand Up To Racism organised a protest named Hands Up! Don’t Shoot! outside the US embassy in London in solidarity Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager was fatally killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri on the 9th August.

The killing has sparked underlying racial tensions in not only the US but overseas, much in the same way the acquittal of the police officers who assaulted Rodney King in 1992 sparked the underlying racial tension leading to the LA riots

The resulting civil unrest, that resulted not only from the killing but also to the police response in the aftermath, has led to racial tension in the States as well as highlighting the issues overseas.

Speakers at the protest included Diane Abbott MP, Marcia Rigg – the sister of Sean Rigg who died in police custody in 2008 in Brixton, Talha Ahmed from the Muslim Council of Great Britain, Aaron Kiely an executive of the National Union of Students, Denis Fernando of the Rainbow Coalition Against Racism, Josh Holland from Love Music Hate Racism and much more.

This video is a highlight of some of the speakers at the protest.

By Tendai