Greater Manchester Police have been accused of using “deeply racist” tactics after they detained dozens of people from a Caribbean carnival because they suspected them of links to “a street gang”.
The force came under fire after it issued letters to a number of people explaining that they would be refused entry to the party because they had been identified as “members of a street gang, associated with a street gang” or “perceived by others for him to be associated with a street gang”.
A chief inspector said the ban was in place “at the wishes of the organizers and the community”.
However, the approach provoked outrage from youth justice campaigners, who said it was an example of “police racism” that “disproportionately targets[ed] colored people, and especially black boys and men.”
Dr Remi Joseph-Salisbury, a member of the Northern Police Monitoring Project, said: “These letters are really worrying for a number of reasons – perhaps most fundamentally because they exclude young people from taking part in a cultural celebration based on the racist construct of the gang . .
“This construct is already highly controversial, to say the least, but it is used in particularly broad and intangible ways in this paper.”
The Northern Police Monitoring Project said a “gang” was a “deeply racist construct” that labels young people – disproportionately black boys – because of their friendships, interests or cultures.
Joseph-Salisbury said: “In a context where young black people are often stereotyped as gang members and drug dealers, to deny entry because someone might, for example, be ‘perceived by others to be associated with a street gang’ is abhorrent. and deeply harmful.”
The warnings came ahead of the Manchester Caribbean Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean culture in Alexandra Park in the city’s Moss Side area, on August 13 and 14.
Campaigners believe the letters have been issued to around 50 people, mostly young black people, although this has not been confirmed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
IN cards, an unidentified chief inspector writes: “This letter has been issued to you, on an individual basis, as it is believed that you are either: a member of a street gang; affiliated with a street gang; perceived by others as affiliated with a street gang; involved in criminal activity; arrested in [Caribbean Carnival of Manchester in] 2019/2020/2021; involved in or associated with serious youth violence.”
It adds: “You will not be allowed to enter the carnival at the will of the organizers and the community.”
Roxy Legane, from the group Kids of Color, said she was “outraged” at GMP’s approach. She said she encouraged “the racism that will be played out at that moment [carnival] entrance as people think in ‘gangs’”.
Joseph-Salisbury, a presidential fellow for ethnicity and inequalities at the University of Manchester, said “serious questions” needed to be asked of carnival organizers who, he said, appeared to be acting as “community legitimizers for policing racism”. . .
He said Caribbean carnivals had a rich history in Britain and around the world and that part of their identity was about “resistance to racism, and particularly police racism”.
He added: “These letters and the increasing involvement of the police in carnivals as sponsors undermine and erode that history.
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“We know that events like carnivals—which express black culture and attract significant numbers of black people—are stigmatized and controlled in ways that we simply don’t see for events of comparable (and larger) size where the majority of attendees are White. . These letters are the latest example of that.”
Chief Supt Rob Cousen, GMP’s Manchester City District Commander, said: “Caribbean Carnivals are a popular and well-attended celebration. Each year, Greater Manchester Police work with partner agencies, including organizers and members of the public to keep people as safe as possible. Sadly, in the past years, there have been a number of incidents of serious violence which have posed a high risk of harm to those present.
“Caribbean Carnival is a licensed event and is therefore subject to conditions of entry, agreed by all relevant parties, to prevent and reduce crime; harm; and antisocial behavior. Since 2006, letters outlining these conditions have been sent to individuals whom we have information to suggest may threaten event security. Recipients range widely in age, gender and ethnicity and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
“It is worth noting that this strategy is supported by both Manchester City Council, the licensing authority and the locality’s independent advisory group. The group is made up of members of the public representing our diverse communities who regularly provide feedback to the GMP to ensure the force provides an outstanding service while serving its core purposes.”
