THE United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) will be marching to Downing Street today for their 27th Annual Memorial Remembrance Procession.
The UFFC said: ‘We assemble to remember our loved ones, demand accountability, and break the silence surrounding the alarming rise of deaths in state custody across the UK.
‘For nearly three decades, our coalition of bereaved families has led this solemn procession. Our collective pressure has historically forced major changes – from the rollout of body-worn video cameras to the enactment of Mental Health Units Use of Force Act (Seni’s Law).
‘Yet, despite these hard-won reforms, state violence persists, and families continue to face a wall of silence.
27 Years of Tragic Delays: Slow Justice is No Justice
‘This year’s procession takes place against a backdrop of deep political frustration. It took Prime Minister Keir Starmer 21 weeks and 5 days to respond to a letter hand-delivered by our families.
‘The response we finally received, penned by Minister of State for Justice Lord Timpson, offered mere platitudes.
‘While Timpson praised our efforts to ensure bereaved voices are heard, the government entirely ignored our explicit call for a direct meeting.
‘While the state references the proposed Hillsborough Law Bill, reforms on “seriously improper acts”, and promises of legal aid funding for inquests, we are left asking: When will these laws actually be implemented? and: What about our unresolved cases?
The Fight Continues
‘Many UFFC families, such as Celia Stubbs (partner of Blair Peach, killed by police in 1979), have been campaigning for nearly half a century with agonisingly little acknowledgment.
‘These families have also been spied on by the state. Much like the survivors of the Hillsborough disaster and the Post Office scandal, our families are forced to expend years of energy, emotional trauma, and funds just to demand basic truth.
‘Justice delayed is justice denied.
‘Join us on 31st October to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the families, break the cycle of state impunity, and demand immediate action from the government.’
The march will also mark four years since the death of Chris Kaba who was shot dead in Streatham by a Metropolitan police officer.
The Justice For Chris Kaba campaign stated: ‘On 5th September 2022, Chris Kaba was shot and killed by Metropolitan Police firearms officer Martyn Blake.
‘Chris was 24 years old and unarmed. He was a son, brother, cousin, friend and father-to-be.
‘Four years later, Chris’s family are still fighting for truth, accountability and justice. We have not given up. We are still organising.
‘Martyn Blake was charged with Chris’s murder and acquitted in October 2024, but that was not the end of the case.
‘The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) prepared a separate case arguing that Blake should face a gross misconduct hearing over his use of force.
‘That hearing will now never happen. After years of pressure from policing and changes to the police accountability system, the IOPC dropped the case in August 2026.
‘Chris’ inquest is still to come. The fight for justice continues.’
A statement earlier this year from the family of former professional footballer Dalian Atkinson, who died of a heart attack after being repeatedly tasered and assaulted, said: ‘Dalian Atkinson was a 48-year-old former professional footballer, celebrated for his standout career with Aston Villa, who died after being excessively Tasered and kicked in the head by West Mercia Police officers outside his father’s home in Telford on 15th August 2016.
‘At the time of his death, Dalian was suffering from end-stage kidney failure and undergoing severe psychological distress.
‘His killing resulted in a historic criminal conviction, shattering decades of systemic judicial immunity for UK police officers involved in custodial fatalities.
‘In the early hours of the morning, police responded to a disturbance call at Meadow Road, where Dalian was experiencing an acute mental health crisis, acting erratically, and exhibiting delusions.
‘Encountering the unarmed former striker, PC Benjamin Monk discharged his Taser three times. On the final deployment, Monk overrode the standard safety defaults to continuously shock Dalian for 33 seconds – more than six times the regular limit.
‘As Dalian lay incapacitated and unresponsive on the ground, Monk kicked him at least twice in the head with such extreme force that the imprints of his bootlaces were left bruised onto Dalian’s forehead.
‘Dalian went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after.
‘The tragedy triggered extensive national scrutiny, with campaigners highlighting the lethal intersection of racial bias, mental health crises, and aggressive police reliance on Taser weapons.
‘Following a complex investigation by the IOPC, the Crown Prosecution Service took the rare step of bringing criminal charges.
‘At Birmingham Crown Court in June 2021, a jury found PC Benjamin Monk guilty of manslaughter. Monk was sentenced to eight years in prison, marking the first time in over 30 years – and the first time in modern British history involving a Black victim – that a UK police officer was convicted of manslaughter for a death in the line of duty.
‘Further legal proceedings concluded in September 2022, when a second officer at the scene, PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, was acquitted of criminal assault charges after a retrial.
‘Despite the criminal acquittal, a subsequent independent disciplinary tribunal in March 2023 found Bettley-Smith guilty of gross misconduct for repeatedly striking Dalian with her police baton while he lay dying on the ground.’
The UFFC added: ‘The institutional process drew fierce criticism from the Atkinson family, who expressed profound concern over systemic failures in post-incident management and the defensive operational culture that initially sought to minimise the horrific level of state violence used.’
