The Mangrove Nine by Stafi Samaki
The first part of Steven McQueen series “Small Axe” looks at the story of the police harassment of the Mangrove restaurant in the late 1960s in west London. Mangrove is a story long overdue! The Mangrove Nine trial is an important part of Black British history and political moment that saw the Met Police and the Home Office attempt to discredit the leadership of the growing British Black power movement. Be sure to catch it on BBC iPlayer and continue to watch the series on BBC One every Sunday at 9 pm until December 6th.
The Mangrove was an all-night restaurant that opened in 1968 in Notting Hill. It was run by Trinidadian-born entrepreneur Frank Crichlow, and it quickly became a hub for the area's black community.
It was repeatedly targeted by the local council and raided by the police between 1969 and 1970, on the suspicion that the restaurant was a drugs den. Drugs were never found in the establishment and Crichlow’s anti-drugs stance was well known in the community. The repeated harassment of The Mangrove prompted a peaceful protest on 9 August 1970 where 150 protesters marched to the local police station in a demonstration against racial harassment by the police, which was stormed by 500 police officers.
Nine protesters were arrested and became known as the Mangrove Nine. The nine were Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Frank Critchlow, Rhodan Gordon, Darcus Howe, Anthony Innis, Althea Lecointe Jones, Rothwell Kentish, and Godfrey Millett.
The charges ranged from assaulting a policeman, to incitement to riot or having an offensive weapon. The high profile trial of the nine lasted for 55 days, finishing in December 1971.
The Mangrove Nine were able to prove their innocence and were all acquitted of the main charge: incitement to riot, with the assistance of Ian MacDonald, who was an anti-discrimination and anti-racism lawyer for the trial. However, four members of the group were given suspended sentences for lesser offences.
The case was still a huge victory in the fight against racial discrimination. It brought needed attention to the key issue of racial prejudice in the Metropolitan Police at that time.
The Mangrove still faced harassment from the police, eight years after the trial and closed their doors for good in 1992.
Useful Links:
Mangrove Nine: When Black power took on the British establishment | The Justice Gap
PDF of Newspaper Article about Mangrove Nine from 1971 | Banm Archive
The Mangrove Nine: Echoes of Black Lives Matter from 50 years ago | BBC
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove Proves That Britain’s Racism Hasn’t Changed In 50 Years | Refinery29
MANGROVE NINE TRIAL 1971 | Magna Carta
Ian Macdonald QC 1939-2019 | Race Archive
Event: How the Mangrove Nine Won | Global Women Strike
Celebrating the Mangrove: The London restaurant which defined Caribbean Britain | Channel 4
The Mangrove - defending a beacon of resistance in Notting Hill | Socialist Worker
Sources:
Baksi, C. (2020). Landmarks in law: when the Mangrove Nine beat the British state. The Guardian. [online] 10 Nov. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/nov/10/landmarks-in-law-when-the-mangrove-nine-beat-the-british-state [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
Blackett, L. (2020). Watch Letitia Wright & John Boyega In The Latest “Small Axe” Trailer. [online] Bustle. Available at: https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/the-second-small-axe-trailer-has-arrived [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
Child, D. (2020). Who were the Mangrove Nine? A look back at the Notting Hill protests. [online] www.standard.co.uk. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mangrove-nine-notting-hill-protests-anniversary-a4532976.html [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
George Padmore Institute (2020a). Mangrove Nine | George Padmore Institute. [online] Georgepadmoreinstitute.org. Available at: https://www.georgepadmoreinstitute.org/Mangrove%20Nine [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
Pien, D. (2018). Mangrove Nine Trial (1970-1972) •. [online] Black Past. Available at: https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/mangrove-nine-trial-1970-1972/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
Socialist Worker (2020b). Frank Crichlow— taking an inspiring stand against the establishment. [online] Socialist Worker. Available at: https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/50718/Frank+Crichlow++taking+an+inspiring+stand+against+the+establishment [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
Socialist Worker (2020c). Mangrove—a powerful, and long overdue, tale of a struggle for justice. [online] Socialist Worker (Britain). Available at: https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/50916/Mangrove+a+powerful%2C+and+long+overdue%2C+tale+of+a+struggle+for+justice [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].
The National Archives (2015). Rights, resistance and racism: the story of the Mangrove Nine. The National Archives blog. [online] 21 Oct. Available at: https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/rights-resistance-racism-story-mangrove-nine/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2020].