Adwoa Aboah Joins Grenfell Tower Activists At LFW To Demand Justice

From ELLE

Just before 1am on 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat in Grenfell Tower. Within minutes, the flames had spread to all four sides of the 23-storey block in North Kensington, West London.

Seventy-two people died.

To this today, Grenfell was one the UK's worst modern disasters. It's been almost two years since, but the devastation lives on, and those affected are tired of waiting for any semblance of closure.

And so yesterday, London Fashion Week designers took a backseat as the community-led Justice4Grenfell campaign took to the runway. On the first day of LFW, they protested the long wait for justice for victims of the Grenfell fire disaster.

Campaigners were joined by supermodel Adwoa Aboah, singer Emeli Sandé and DJ Becky Tong. They donned T-shirts emblazoned with the message '72 dead and still no arrests? How come?' at 180 The Strand.

The T-shirts were inspired by Martin McDonagh’s 2018 Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and echoed messages posted around London last year.

Aboah, who was born in west London, told the Evening Standard that she 'didn’t have to think twice' about taking part.

'It’s the first time I’ve been around any survivors. It’s been truly heartbreaking.'

She continued: 'I hope the public sees the faces, the stories, and knows that it’s still very much part of the survivors’ everyday lives. People lost their lives, loved ones and homes.'

Faisal Metalsi, who runs Grenfell Speaks, said: 'We created the T-shirts as a way to remember the 72 who died and bring it back to why, as a community, we do what we do in terms of campaigning and social justice. It’s amazing to have backing from such famous people.'

Yvette Williams, the campaign co-ordinator, explained the protest, saying the fire at Grenfell Tower is the 'unfashionable side of London' where 72 people 'needlessly lost their lives. Their deaths will not be in vain.'

'We are honoured to be part of LFW that will assist our campaign in keeping a global focus on what happened at Grenfell and to support the bereaved families in their continued fight for truth and justice.'

Show your support for the cause by sharing photos of the take over with the hashtag #Justice4Grenfell

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