‘DEFEND YOURSELF, UNITY IS STRENGTH’
THE BRIXTON DEFENCE CAMPAIGN (1981-1985)
Initiation
The Brixton Defence Campaign mainly consisted of two forces: the Brixton Black Women's Group (BBWG) and Black People Against State Harassment (BASH). In its own press statement, the campaign group states that it formed to 'co-ordinate the defence of those arrested during the Brixton uprising and to support those who continue to be victimised'. The Brixton Defence Campaign also worked alongside the Brixton Legal Defence Group.
The campaign had three main aims: to fight for the full legal representation of those arrested during the uprising and advocate for the dropping of all charges, asserting that the uprising was a legitimate protest against racist policing; to achieve an effective boycott of the Scarman Inquiry and to continue to mobilise the community against police brutality and State oppression.
The Brixton Defence Campaign was made up of a broad cross section of groups and individuals to organise for the defence of the community both immediately after the uprising and in the future. The campaign was described by member Jan Mckenley as an ‘uneasy coalition’ between numerous political groups working for Black liberation at that time. The Brixton Defence Campaign faced internal struggles regarding the differing methods of achieving their goals, with the Brixton's Black Women Group recalling hostility toward them from within the campaign to have their voices heard.
Oral history excerpt of Dr Jan Mckenley (Brixton Defence Campaign member) discussing the founding of the Campaign
TRANSCRIPT
Activity
Maintaining relationships with community was central to the Brixton Defence Campaign. The group organised well attended public meetings, circulating 20,000 leaflets in and around Brixton for their 7th of June 1981 meeting at the Abeng Centre. They held bi-weekly meetings, also at the Abeng Centre, which were open to the public. At these meetings, the Brixton Defence Campaign recruited volunteers to visit defendant’s homes and observe court appearances, wanting defendants to feel supported both from the onset and throughout their trials. To sustain their work, the campaign held fundraising events and accepted public donations. Campaign bulletins state that the organisation set a target of £10,000 for itself, ‘to pay fines and legal costs of all defendants both Black and white’, which was achieved.
Publishing leaflets and bulletins were methods the campaign utilised to disseminate essential communication about on-going court cases. From the outset, the Brixton Defence Campaign distrusted the British press (from local to national) and their 'campaign of lies, slander and distortions’; believing them to be working in collaboration with the police and courts in undermining the work of Brixton's Black communities.