By Protesters march in solidarity with ‘Child Q’
Hundreds of protesters have marched through north London in support of a black pupil strip-searched at school.
The child was wrongly suspected of carrying drugs.
A report released this month found the search of the 15-year-old girl, referred to as Child Q, was unjustified and racism was “likely” to have been a factor.
Activists marched chanting “power to black girl Child Q” and carried banners saying “protect black kids”.
The Met Police have apologized.
The girl’s family is suing her school and the force.
The MET said its officers’ actions “should never have happened”.
Speaking via her lawyers, the girl said she wanted “cast-iron commitments to ensure this never happens again”.
Protesters marched from Stoke Newington Police Station to Hackney Town Hall with placards saying
They reportedly carried banners saying “no to racist police” and “hands-off our children”.
Ngozi Fulani, the founder of the charity Sistah Space which supports black heritage abuse victims, said she was “disgusted” by the incident.
“There’s something in our system that doesn’t see the humanity in black people, much less black children,” she said.
“The police-involved should be sacked.”
In 2020, the girl was taken to the school’s medical room and strip-searched while on her period by two female Met police officers searching for cannabis, while teachers remained outside.
The search by Metropolitan Police officers took place without another adult present
It was described as ‘Traumatic’ at the girl’s secondary school in Hackney in 2020.
Reports on the incident concluded it was unjustified and racism was “likely” to have been a factor.
According to the report, the impact on the pupil was “profound”.
Family members described her as changing from a “happy-go-lucky girl to a timid recluse that hardly speaks”,
The girl’s mother said her daughter had been “asked to go back into the exam” she had been sitting, with no teacher asking about her welfare.
The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said its investigation was complete and its report was being “finalized”.
It added three police constables had been served with notices last year advising them they were under investigation, for misconduct, “Their roles in either carrying out the strip-search or involvement in supervising it”.
Scotland Yard said the officers’ actions were “truly regrettable” and it “should never have happened”.
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