Vigil marks Menezes anniversary

BBC

The first anniversary of the death of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes has been marked at the Tube station where he was shot by police.

A family vigil at Stockwell, in south London, incorporated a minute’s silence and the laying of flowers.

Mr Menezes was shot the day after a series of attempted bombings in London.

Prosecutors said on Monday that no officers would be charged over the shooting, which happened when police mistook him for a suicide bomber.

However, the Metropolitan Police are to be prosecuted under health and safety laws in connection with the death of the 27-year-old electrician, who was shot seven times in the head.

His family attacked that decision as “unbelievable” and “ridiculous”.

Mr de Menezes’ four cousins - Alex and Alessandro Pereira, Patricia Armani and Vivienne Figueiredo - attended the remembrance.

The four stood with their heads bowed in front of a tableau of pictures, poems and newspaper cuttings, for a minute’s silence.

The family vigil, which began at 0930 BST, was due to be followed by a public meeting of relatives and supporters, but that was cancelled because of the Middle East conflict.

Fitting tribute

Family spokesman and Justice4Jean campaign organiser Asad Rehman said some of the Brazilian electrician’s family would also be attending the Stop The War Coalition march in London.

“They felt great empathy and asked for people to take up the course for peace,” he said.

“That’s a fitting tribute to Jean. He would have been on that protest and we feel people should go on that protest.”

Mr Rehman added: “This is a day of remembrance and a day of great sorrow for the family.

“It seems like yesterday Jean was with them and then taken away from them.

“It’s been a difficult year for them.

“They’re no closer to the truth of knowing why Jean died, that’s very, very upsetting for them.”

‘No impunity’

Among those showing their support for the Menezes family was Mohammed Abdul Kahar, who was shot in the chest during an anti-terrorism raid by police at his house in Forest Gate, London, in June.

He was later released without charge.

He said earlier that he was very upset no police officer was to be prosecuted over the death of Mr Menezes.

“Every day I see my mum and my family going through pain. They’re having counselling every day, and myself as well,” Mr Kahar said.

“And I can’t imagine how his mum’s feeling.”

Ahead of Saturday’s vigil, Mr Rehman said there should be no “impunity” for police officers.

“We do believe that individual officers do have to account for their actions,” he said.

“It’s very, very important that there is an opportunity for the evidence to be tested, for a jury to hear it, and to be able to give a verdict.”

Two days after the shooting, Met head Sir Ian Blair said: “This is a tragedy.

“The Metropolitan Police accepts full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets.”

‘Insufficient evidence’

Two reports by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into the Stockwell shooting have yet to be published.

The Crown Prosecution Service said there was “insufficient evidence” to prosecute any individual over the death of the electrician.

On 22 July 2005, a surveillance team had been monitoring a block of flats in Tulse Hill, south London, where Mr Menezes lived, in the belief that a man wanted in connection with the previous day’s attempted suicide bombings in London resided there.

When Mr Menezes emerged from the flats, he was wrongly identified as the suspect and followed to Stockwell, where he was shot as he boarded a Tube train.