A south-east London woman is on trial for allegedly obstructing a police vehicle carrying suspects after a protest against the transport of asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge. Indea Barbe-Wilson, 31, of Robert Keen Close, Peckham, appeared at Stratford Magistrates’ Court, where she testified about her actions on May 2.
I wanted to stop them from being moved to Bibby Stockholm,” Barbe-Wilson told the court. She said she arrived at the scene about five minutes before her arrest, unaware that the coach had already been moved and arrests had been made. She joined other protesters in chants of “This is what community looks like.”
[block_2]Barbe-Wilson emphasised that her actions were not anti-police. “If I had known that the coach had not been there and if I had known there had already been arrests, I wouldn’t have sat down,” she said.
Superintendent Matt Cox testified that when police arrived, people were initially surrounding the coach, which was in a bus lane. The company contracted by Border Force decided not to move the asylum seekers due to concerns about negative publicity. Police then discovered that one of the coach’s tyres had been deflated and tried to place themselves between the protesters and the coach.
[block_4]Prosecutor Timothy Fulford described the scene as chaotic, with about 60 protesters surrounding three police carriers containing suspects. The group was “three layers deep and fortified with push bikes and hire bikes abandoned in the road,” Fulford said.
Superintendent Cox said the road became blocked quickly, with officers facing significant resistance as they attempted to remove protesters. He noted that the welfare of the suspects was a concern, as their needs were unknown.
Chief Inspector Vicky Causbrook testified about the impact on the community, mentioning “several hundred” people watching the protest who couldn’t catch buses or go about their daily lives. A nearby school was also hesitant to release students due to the noise and risk from the protest.
Body-worn camera footage from Pc Ian Rawsthorne showed the moment Cink was arrested. He was sitting with his arms linked with others and was eventually carried horizontally to the police carrier. Rawsthorne described Cink’s resistance as non-aggressive but uncooperative.
Footage of Barbe-Wilson’s arrest showed her linking arms with other protesters before being handcuffed and taken to the police carrier.
The trial continues.
