#KingsCross3 hashtag - Bluesky

1 year ago

In September 2023, Selma Taha, Executive Director of Southall Black Sisters (SBS), and her two friends Divina Riggon and Danae Thomas, were subjected to a horrific verbal and physical racist assault while travelling on the London Underground. The assailant, a white woman, made monkey sounds, and hurled vile racist slurs, including “Black bitches” and “slaves”, at them. The verbal abuse escalated into physical abuse, with the assailant pulling out clumps of Selma and Danae’s hair, and biting Selma so viciously it necessitated tetanus and hepatitis shots and a bout of antibiotics. An off-duty Met police officer was present in the tube carriage the entire time, but failed to intervene to de-escalate the incident. Even after the train arrived at King’s Cross station, Selma, Divina, and Danae – the #KingsCross3 – had to challenge the inactivity and apathy of the off-duty officer to treat the matter seriously and arrest the assailant. A few months on, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made the shocking decision to charge the #KingsCross3. All three were charged with common assault by beating. Divina and Danae were additionally charged with public order offences, including one for racial aggravation, in relation to alleged conduct towards a white British Transport Police (BTP) officer on the platform at King’s Cross after disembarking from the tube. In contrast, the white assailant merely received and has accepted a caution for one instance of racially aggravated conduct. No action is to be taken against her for the assault or the other instances of racist abuse.

The trial, and the threat of irreparable damage to their livelihoods and reputations, hung over the #KingsCross3’s heads for almost a year. In the interim, the CPS also made unusual applications for special measures for screens and reporting restrictions for the anonymity of the police officers involved. The CPS finally dropped the public order offence charges a week before the trial, and the charge of common assault by beating on the first day. It cited the lack of evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction as the sole reason. Though the charges against the #KingsCross3 being dropped is surely a victory, it is far from justice. The criminalisation of three Black women for merely resisting and calling out racist abuse indicates the deeply pervasive institutional racism and misogyny in the criminal justice system, and reinforces our persistent call for structural reform. The #KingsCross3 are now demanding a public apology from the Met police, BTP, and the CPS, and answers as to why the racist charges were brought against them in the first place. They are also contemplating civil legal action. Join us in calling on the Met Police, BTP, and the CPS to: Issue a public apology to the #KingsCross3 and provide them with answers as to why the racist charges were brought against them in the first place.

This #16DaysOfActivism, join us in our #FightForChange by supporting the #KingsCross3 in calling for a public apology and answers from the Met police, BTP, and the CPS in relation to the racist charges imposed on them for resisting and calling out racist abuse. 1/3