Anti-knife protestors block Westminster bridge

#OperationShutdown — Extinction Rebellion are dominating the headlines, but they’re not the only ones taking to London’s streets this week.

It’s been quite a week for protests in London, with Extinction Rebellion blocking Waterloo bridge, disrupting tube services, and holding court in the middle of Oxford Circus. But they weren’t the only ones taking the streets yesterday.

Just along the river, anti-knife crime demonstrators were also calling for action, blocking off Westminster Bridge to raise awareness of growing violence in the capital. The protest – dubbed #OperationShutdown – was urging the government to look into the root causes of the bloodshed; asking for an investigation into the effectiveness of school exclusions, as well as an examination of the UK’s prison sentencing and rehabilitation systems.

“I have witnessed murder since I was nine years old,” one of the organisers, Lucy Martindale, told Huck. “Growing up in Brixton, in a deprived area full of crime, I lost more and more friends with each year. I’m just totally sick of losing people to knife crime.”

Protestors were also critical of recent government funding cuts for community projects. Stefan Brown, who has spent the last eight years running anti-violence group Stop Our Kids Being Killed On The Street, highlighted it as one of the most damaging political decisions to emerge from the austerity era. “You’re closing down youth centres, all these places that kids go,” he said. “Kids are hanging out on the street, doesn’t mean they’re a gang, it means they’ve got nowhere to go.”

“There are children dropping dead every day – it’s not a black thing, it’s not a white thing, it’s all of us,” added rapper and activist Kaya H Osbourne. “It’s a class thing. If you’re not making a certain amount of money and you’re not living in an affluent area, that’s the reality.”

Photographer Theo McInnes headed down to Westminster Bridge on Wednesday to join the protest.

Follow Theo McInnes on Instagram.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.