Family of Rashan Charles appeal for calm after violent protests

The family of Rashan Charles who died after being apprehended by police has appealed for 'dignified' protests in the wake of his death.

The 20-year-old was chased and restrained by police in a shop in Dalston, east London, in the early hours of Saturday morning (23 July).

CCTV footage showed a police officer pursuing him in a Yours Locally store on Kingsland Road. Another plain-clothed man intervenes and helps the officer tackle the man to the floor.

According to police Charles became ill after swallowing an object. Police and paramedics provided first aid and he was taken to Royal London hospital where he died an hour later.

As the video circulated on social media, the hashtag #JusticeForRash was quickly trending and protesters took to the streets of Hackney to express their outrage at the incident.

In the aftermath of violent clashes between police and protesters Stafford Scott, a spokesman for Mr Charles's family said the family have appealed for calm.

"We understand your frustration, we understand your anger - don't feel that the family doesn't feel the anger and the frustration too," he said. "But what the family knows is taking it to the streets doesn't give you justice. Burning down your own homes, burning down your neighbourhood is not going to give you justice."

Video footage of the unrest showed demonstrators – some of them wearing masks – throwing bottles and fireworks at riot police as they sought to quell the disturbance.

Protesters also barricaded part of Kingsland Road with wheelie bins, mattresses and rubbish to prevent vehicles passing through. Some of the items were set alight.

At one point, a lorry drove through the blockade, hitting the wheelie bins lined in its path. Footage posted on social media showed protesters jump on board and try to smash the lorry driver's side window.

A man could also be seen clambering onto the vehicle's roof as it continued to drive along the road. Windows were smashed in several Kingsland Road shops, Press Association reported, while some restaurants in the area pulled down their metal shutters, trapping customers inside.

The disturbance was said to have subsided by around 10.45pm.

Mr Scott, who runs race advocacy group Tottenham Rights, said that the video was sufficient evidence of the alleged police assault.

"We get no empathy, we get no sympathy. But this case is different - for once we've got the evidence. For once we're not relying on the IPCC or the police to gather the evidence. The world has seen it and will feel it if we don't get justice."

Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott reiterated the family's appeal for peaceful protests but added that questions must be answered.

"The anger and upset at the death of Rashan Charles is understandable. But Rashan's family have explicitly spoken out against hostile actions. We must respect their wishes and any protests must be peaceful."

She said: "Violence is not the answer... I will stand by the parents in their fight for the truth. Most of us will have seen the video and there are questions to be answered."

Responding to the protests the Met Police warned that anyone using Mr Charles's death "as an excuse to commit crime" would be "dealt with robustly".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has launched an investigation into the incident BBC News reports.