Forest Gate demo. posted by Richard Seymour

I wish I'd gone to this:

Mr Koyair helped lead the march, which ended with a rally in a local park. They walked 100 yards (300 ft) from the site of the raided house in Lansdown Road.

Protesters marched behind a 20ft banner which read "Newham demands justice". Police estimate between 1,500 and 2,000 people took part in the march.

...

Mr Koyair addressed the rally and told the crowd: "I just want to say thank you all for supporting our family in this very hard time."

He said: "(We) don't want this to happen to other people in this community, Muslim (or) non-Muslim."

The statement was released on behalf of community groups and Muslim organisations, and asked for an apology not only from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair but also from Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Oh sure, the BBC report sucks the excitement out of it, and the police estimate is probably bollocks (now, why would the BBC seek the advice of the police in counting the number of people on a demonstration against them?). Other press reports have said that organisers estimate 5,000 people. However, this is good:

Respect MP George Galloway called for high-level sackings in the wake of the raid.

Speaking before Minister for Pensions Reforms Stephen Timms, the local MP, he said: "If Mr Timms tells us there was no minister involved, that it was all the responsibility of the police, we must sack Sir Ian Blair.

"But if it was not the police but the government who authorised this terror raid on Lansdown Road then we must sack the other Blair."

Mr Timms was booed when he tried to speak. He said: "We need to acknowledge that the police have an extraordinarily hard job to do on behalf of all of us.

"It would be great if it were possible to do that without any mishaps at all, we all know, sadly, in reality it isn't."

The Menezes family were there - they wore Brazil shirts with Jean Charles' name on, as did Abul Koyair. These campaigns should merge. Stop Political Terror is a good idea, but it isn't broad enough at the moment - a new united front to oppose police harrassment and murder, and defend civil liberties is surely indicated.