This speech was delivered 19 October 2024 by a local woman of colour at a protest outside a Greater Manchester Police station in Pendlebury Salford. It was organised by Zayna Iman who has waived her anonymity and is campaigning for justice for her own rape by GMP police. Zayna Iman is in touch with and received support from us. Relatives of Jackie Berkeley were present at the protest.
We support your courage in holding Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to account for their sexual violence and racism.
Many people have accused the GMP of rape and racism, but women’s and children’s experiences are particularly hidden.
In the 1980s, we supported Jackie Berkeley, a young Black woman who was raped in a Manchester police cell by two white male officers, held down by two female officers. Though it was really a rape trial, they held it in a Magistrates court to deny her a jury. She was found guilty of wasting police time, but not jailed.
WAR gave evidence at the trial, and helped her get the best barrister, Ian MacDonald, who had been the lead barrister in the Mangrove 9 Trial. Ruth Bundey was her distinguished solicitor.
A huge movement grew – 100s of (mainly Black) people picketed and packed the court, and we picketed the High Court in London. It was devastating for Jackie Berkeley to live with that injustice. As bad as it is today, when Jackie Berkeley courageously accused police of rape, it was unheard of that the ‘angelic’ police would do anything like that. But times have changed, the antirape and antiracist movements have increasingly worked together, and each has grown. And so a lot more is spelled out about the police by women, especially in the media.
Even today, GMP get away with rape and racism. Women have fought against this brutality, and there’s a mass movement against police impunity for racism, rape, and homophobic crimes. We’ve exposed the police murders, rapes, domestic violence, strip searching women and children – particularly working-class children of colour, and the depravity of police sharing selfies with murdered Black women. But though the state is still protecting many of them, some are finally going to prison.
Police do not prioritise our protection – starting with those at senior levels. It’s not a mistake, lack of resources or training that results in two women a week being murdered by a partner or ex-partner, usually after asking police for protection. And only 1% of rapes reach conviction.
We demand that officers who commit rape are sacked and prosecuted.
We also demand an end to police abusing their powers against protesters. Whether we’re protesting rape, racism, police illegality; or for the environment, or against genocides in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan and elsewhere.
Against violence, against poverty, against police abuse. Together we can win.
