Rapper Stormzy Joins Protest for Unarmed Man Fatally Shot by Police in London
British rapper Stormzy spoke to protesters demanding justice for Chris Kaba, a man who was fatally shot by police on September 5, during a demonstration in London on September 10.
Videos posted by Miranda Grell on Saturday show protesters holding Black Lives Matter signs while marching through central London to the Metropolitan Police headquarters. Protesters were heard chanting “No justice, no peace” and “No racist police.”
Speakers on a stage led chants of “Who killed Chris Kaba?,” “Police killed Chris Kaba,” and “Say his name: Chris Kaba.”
In another clip, British rapper Stormzy took to the stage and encouraged the crowd to “have stamina” and do whatever they can to raise awareness and support Chris Kaba’s family. “What [police have] done is they’ve killed someone, they’ve killed someone. It’s not… we can’t, like sugarcoat it. They’ve killed someone. That’s murder. That’s murder. I just encourage everyone who’s here today just have the stamina to keep going on this journey because the family needs you. There’s people [undistinguishable], as much as we feel the pain we don’t feel nothing like what these people are feeling.”
The march came as Kaba’s family demanded that the officer who fired the fatal shot be “immediately suspended” from his job while the incident is investigated, according to The Guardian.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since launched a homicide investigation into Kaba’s death. Credit: Miranda Grell via Storyful
Video Transcript
- When do we want it?
- Now.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No justice.
- No racist.
- Police.
- No racist.
- Police.
- What do we want?
- Justice.
- When do we want it?
- Now.
- What do we want?
- Justice.
- When do we want it?
- Now.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- Now.
- What do we want?
- Justice.
- When do we want it?
- Now.
- What do we want?
- Justice.
- When do we want it?
- Now.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- Everyone--
- If we don't get no justice--
- They don't get no peace.
- If we don't get no justice--
- They don't get no peace.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No justice.
- No peace.
- No racist--
- Police.
- No racist--
- Police.
- Who killed Chris Kaba?
- Police killed Chris Kaba.
- Who killed Chris Kaba?
- Police killed Chris Kaba.
- Who killed Chris Kaba?
- Police killed Chris Kaba.
- Say his name.
- Chris Kaba.
- Say his name.
- Chris Kaba.
- Say his name.
- Chris Kaba.
STORMZY: I was very hesitant to come up here because I know a lot of the time even with my name and how the British media is, they trying to turn these things into, like, some other thing and use my name in a way, like, oh. And try to make this about me. There's nothing-- it's nothing about me. It's about us. It's about the family. It's about everyone grieving.
Chris has a mother, he has a family. He has brothers, he has friends, people who have [INAUDIBLE], who, for them this is unbearable. So the only reason I'm up here is because I understand that. Do you know what I mean? If we've been given any sort of voice, then I think we should use it. Because I guess I know [INAUDIBLE] my music.
And someone said something before [INAUDIBLE]. And I just want to reiterate on that now. Everyone here today, I just encourage everyone to have stamina. And I know it's probably-- it's a very difficult thing to say and it's not even nice because no one should have the stamina to go on a journey like this, the stamina to get justice, or stamina to go get answers. But when these people do these things, they get away because what happens is we do this once and we get tired. We tweet and we get tired. We do it for a week. We do it for two weeks. We do it for a month.
And they know we get tired. They know that. They know that. It starts once, we might come back one more time. But I just encourage everyone, in whatever capacity, do whatever you can do to help them, whatever you can do-- whether it's coming to this march for these amazing people here, or through supporting this family directly. Do whatever you can.
But also, just have the stamina to keep going because what they've done is they've killed someone. They've killed someone [INAUDIBLE]. [INAUDIBLE] We can't sugarcoat it. They've killed someone. That's murder. That's murder. So I just encourage everyone, everyone who's here today, just have the stamina to keep going on this journey because the family needs you desperately. There's people in real life, as much as we feel the pain, we don't feel nothing of what these people are feeling.
Let's just help them and let's be there for them. It could have been your brother, it could have been your uncle, could have been your nephew, it could have been some one close to you, [INAUDIBLE]. So I just encourage everyone, we're here together. If we love each other, our people, let's all do our part. God bless.
[APPLAUSE]
