Following the police attack on Palestine protestor Waseem Yousaf last Friday, the community demonstrated outside Bethnal Green Police Station, reports Clementine Russell

The atmosphere was one of shared anger: of sadness, but not of shock. The police’s vile treatment of the public, those they are meant to serve and protect, is sadly all too familiar for the people of London. Outside Bethnal Green Police Station, protesters gathered.

Though we didn’t all know each other, everyone at the protest was brought together as a community, in solidarity with Waseem Yousef, the victim of a brutal attack by the Met Police. When speaking to Shabana, Yousef’s sister, she described how overwhelming the support from the community was, though she said she wasn’t surprised about the response, given how pro-Palestine the community of Tower Hamlets is. Shabana was the first to speak, saying, ‘It’s been an extremely distressing experience for Yousef, Yousef’s family. […] Yousef was standing there, minding his own business, fundraising. He did what he was best at doing – fundraising.’

She later called out the Met Police, urging that those involved in the attack be suspended, and the officer who instigated it to be sacked. Police stationed around the building were stoic and stern-looking, somehow able to stand in defence of a system so morally corrupt. Chants were hauled at them, for example, ‘Met Police you are evil/Beating down on innocent people’. Of the speakers who knew Yousef, all had nothing but good things to say about him. His absolute kindness and selflessness were described, and his peacefulness and non-violence were highlighted. This contradicts the Police narrative that Yousef started the incident by assaulting a police officer. It was amazing to see so many people standing against Police lies and standing up for justice. However, while it was easy to get carried away by such a display of solidarity among the community, it’s important to remember why we were there. An innocent man had been beaten, arrested, and left traumatised; and, beyond this, the very thing Yousef was campaigning against; tens of thousands of people in Gaza are either dead, injured, starving or traumatised as genocide continues.