THE lawyer representing the family of a man who died in police custody has said he hopes “thousands” of people will turn out at the end of the inquiry into his death.
Sheku Bayoh, 31, died in handcuffs and sustained multiple injuries after officers responded to calls from the public about a man brandishing a knife and behaving erratically on a Sunday morning in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May 2015.
His family believe race played a part in his death.
A public inquiry, chaired by Lord Bracadale, was set up to assess the circumstances of Bayoh’s death and determine if race was a factor.
Speaking at a rally against racism organised by the STUC on Saturday alongside Bayoh’s sister Kadi Johnston, Aamer Anwar called for those who aim to fight racism to show their support for the family outside the inquiry’s base in Edinburgh’s Festival Square when hearings come to an end, similar to the trade union organised vigil which took place this week.
Hearings are likely to continue into 2024, Lord Bracadale told the inquiry this week.
The lawyer said he had previously taken part in a demonstration at the same place against far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen that attracted between four and five thousand.
“Festival Square was brilliant on Tuesday with the trade unionists there,” Anwar said.
“We want thousands in that square when it comes to the end of this inquiry,” he told those in attendance.
Johnston also stressed the importance of public support, saying: “We the family need your support to continue to raise awareness as we fight for justice, so please join us next week as the inquiry goes on in Festival Square in Edinburgh.”
Anwar also urged Scots to channel the efforts of hundreds of people in Glasgow who turned out to halt a Home Office deportation in the city’s Kenmure Street.
A spontaneous action sprung up in the city last May, with hundreds of people descending on a UK Government van which was trying to detain two men.
Lakhvir Singh and Sumit Sehdev were released from Border Force detention after crowds swarmed around the van in which they were held, preventing it from leaving.
Demonstrators blocked the vehicle for several hours, with one even lying underneath its axles, before police released the pair on public safety grounds.
Anwar said: “We need to harness the spirit of Kenmure Street – those moments when a community in Glasgow came together and said ‘these are our neighbours, let them go’.
“The day that we beat [former home secretary Priti Patel], the day that we gave confidence to other cities and towns to stand up and say ‘not in our name’.”
