PRESS RELEASE – 4TH JUNE 2024 – SHEKU BAYOH PUBLIC INQUIRY – CRITICAL STAGE OF INQUIRY AS IT EXAMINES THE ROLE OF RACE
At the start of May, Kadi Johnson the sister of Sheku made a public appeal to Scottish artists, musicians, and writers to support the STUC’s vigil on Thursday 6th June outside the inquiry from 8.30am onwards and sign the statement of solidarity. A number of artists, musicians and writers have supported calls for a vigil outside the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry and we attach a copy of the names of those signed up below. The list includes the likes of comedian Frankie Boyle, writers Val McDermid, Sarah Sheridan, Brownbear-band and award winning Screenwriter Paul Laverty.
Aamer Anwar, Lawyer for the Bayoh families said “it has become increasingly clear to Sheku’s family that all three parties from Police Scotland, the Crown Office and the PIRC, that they operated in an unholy trinity of corruption, denial, incompetence and deep rooted institutional racism. The family believe this stage of the inquiry will underline how out of their depth and backward our criminal justice system still is..”
Kadi Johnson said “The last nine years has been for us a long, never-ending and painful fight for truth, justice and accountability. That Inquiry has now been meeting for over two years. It is set to conclude towards the end of this year and the report is to be published in 2025. It has been emotionally very hard, often distressing, to sit through every hearing, as I and my family have done, over these two years. The Inquiry will be at a very important stage then when the question of race is being examined”
Val McDermid said “I’d be very happy to add my name to the letter of support for Sheku Bayoh’s family. This has been a shocking stain on Scotland’s human rights reputation, which I feel even more keenly as someone who grew up in Kirkcaldy.”
List of signatories in solidarity with the family of Sheku Bayoh, added their names to the following statement:-
We, the undersigned writers, artists and musicians, would like to pay tribute to the family of Sheku Bayoh, who died in police custody in Kirkcaldy on 3 May 2015. Their courage and determination over nine long and painful years in pursuit of truth and justice regarding the circumstances of the death of their much-loved son, brother father and uncle has been an inspiration to all of us. Kadi Johnson, Sheku’s sister has said, ‘My brother Sheku is Scotland’s George Floyd’. A worldwide movement followed the killing of George Floyd. We are now at a critical stage of the Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry. People across Scotland must now show solidarity for Sheku’s family and to ensure that his name will never be forgotten. We owe it to them. His terrible loss can never be compensated for, but his death will not have been in vain if the Inquiry outcome contributes to a more racially-inclusive, fairer and safe society. Aamer Anwar, the family’s lawyer has called this, ‘the most important ant-racist battle Scotland has ever seen’. We are encouraging all supporters of the family to attend a Scotland-wide Mass Vigil outside the Public Inquiry at Capital House in Festival Square, Edinburgh, on Thursday 6th June from 8.30-10.30 am.
Name of signatories Description (e.g. writer, musician, artist, poet)
Frankie Boyle – comedian, writer
Katherine Adler – artist
Raisah Ahmed – screenwriter
Shasta Ali – poet
Rachel Amy – poet
Dave Anderson – playwright director, musician
Taj Ali – writer
Clare Archibald – multidisciplinary writer/artist
Saskia Ashdown – actor (lament for Sheku Bayoh)
Calum Baird – musician
Jennifer Bates – theatre director
David Belcher – writer
Alan Bell – photographer/visual artist
Chris Boyland -poet
Brownbear – musician
Mark Brown – author, theatre critic
Tam Dean Burn – actor
Jonathan Christie – songwriter
Clair Crawford – musician
Ashly Crossan – recording studio
Preeti Dhillon- writer
Ashleigh Elliott – music venue manager
Catrin Evans – theatre maker
Felix and the Sunsets = band
San Fran – musician
Iona Fyfe – musician
Kevin Gilday – poet/playwright
Basia Gordon- writer
Afua Hagen- journalist, broadcaster, writer
Maryam Hally – artist
Kirsten Innes – writer
Kathyrn Joseph – musician
Billy Kay- writer, broadcaster
Hannah Lavery -poet, playwright, director (Lament for Sheku Bayoh)
Paul Laverty – screenwriter
Iona Lee – writer, artist
Richard Lees – printmaker
William Letford – poet
John McAlinden – musician
Susie McCabe – comedian
Ken McCluskey – musician
Alan McCredie – photographer
Val McDermid – writer
Darren McGarvey – author, broadcaster, artist
Lorna McKinnon – singer songwriter
Donna McLean – writer
Tommy Mackay – musician
Stuart McMillan – DJ -SLAM
Jose Maria Martinelli – videographer
Gavin Mitchell – actor
Jim Monaghan – poet
Rosa Moxham – poet, artist
Model Worker- band
Nightwave – musician
Telford – DJ Sub Club
Hayley Zalassi- DJ
Stuart McMillan- DJ- SLAM & Soma
Leyla Coll O’Reilly (aka Leyla Josephine) – filmmaker/poet
Alycia Pirmohamed – poet
Chitra Ramaswamy – author/journalist
Jamie Richard-Stewart – actor/voiceover
Dave Rendle – poet
Fadek Kokumo Rocks – writer/poet
Dr Rizwan Sabir- writer
Nick Shane- songwriter
Sara Sheridan- writer
Mike Small- writer
Rachel Suttle – director
The Tenementals – Band
Rajesh Thind- director, producer, writer, director, writer
Fatima Uygun – playwright
Zoe Vendilozzi – writer
Louise Welsh – author
Norry Wilson – curator and archivist
Talat Yaqoob- writer, campaigner
The Zebecks- Band
