Singer Fuse ODG has claimed he was “racially profiled” by the Met Police after he was handcuffed by officers in south London.
The London-born Afrobeat artist, real name Nana Richard Abiona, was cuffed by four officers in Brixton on February 28.
He posted footage of the incident on Instagram, in which the officers tell him they can smell cannabis.
In the video, police question the musician and his manager Andre Hackett before eventually forcing Fuse out of the car and handcuffing him.
The singer has made a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police following the incident.
The Met says the incident is being assessed by its Directorate of Professional Standards and a voluntary referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Fuse ODG says he spent six hours in A&E because of how tight the cuffs were and has suffered from neck and back pain since.
“It's wild that this is the normal reality for too many of us growing up in this country but even wilder is that this is still the reality in a post George Floyd world," he wrote on Instagram.
He added: “In the past months, we have seen so many videos of police officers beating up and even kneeling on our black children in the UK. I know because a lot of the time they come to me for help.
“The sad reality is that as a black man living in this system, it doesn't matter how much money you make or the positive impact that you have on the world, they still only see you as one thing.
“This isn't the first time this has happened to me or @mrhackett1. At one point, it was almost a weekly occurrence.
“The difference is that at this stage in life, we are now in the position to have the resources at our disposal to deal with these issues differently. We have filed a formal complaint with the @metpolice_uk and we are very grateful to @tundeokewale of @UrbanLawyers who has come to stand in the gap for us.
“That said, we are not holding our breaths for justice from this system. The real battle is internal...the real battle is won when we don’t let them break our confidence and we maintain our identity and dignity.”
The Met Police has been contacted for comment.
