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Grenfell Tower fire: protesters enter Kensington town hall – latest Grenfell Tower fire: Prime minister announces £5m aid package – latest
(35 minutes later)
6.11pm BST
18:11
Lisa O'Carroll
Around 100 protestors held a minute’s silence for the victims of Grenfell outside government offices saying the victims of recent terror attacks were treated with more respect that those in the inferno.“There has been no minute’s silence for the victims of Grenfell. We want to remind politicians that people killed by politicians are equally as valuable as those killed by terrrorists,” said one speaker before the crowd fell silent for one minute.
6.09pm BST
18:09
Alexandra Topping
Chris Milson, a lawyer at Cloisters Chambers, went to the area of Grenfell Tower to volunteer today, and has been left frustrated at the lack of organisation and oversight being provided.
“There are a lot of people, with a lot of goodwill but it’s very fragmented - where the oversight need to be it just isn’t. There are so many donations, so many volunteers but not much in the way of co-ordination, which is where the council should be stepping in.”
He added: “I haven’t seen this much aid out of a war zone, but the council just hasn’t stepped in. There is too much in the way of donations. But the problem is how to get it to the right people, and what you do with the surplus. One man, I’m sure with the bestof intention, left a massive box full of milk - and now volunteers have to figure out what to do with a box of gone-off milk.”
He said he’d been told that the council was due to meet with community centres who have been attempting to help. “There is so much goodwill, but people are having to step in where the state should be. This is one of the richest borough’s in the country, but they are letting volunteer groups step in and fill the void.”
Volunteers continue to steam to the area, but there appears to be no one stationed at tube stations directing donations and volunteers to where they may be needed. “People who want to help are wandering around like nomads, there’s just this huge vacuum where leadership should be.”
He said he had a sense that anger was growing, not just among residents but volunteers and the general public. “There is a palpable sense of anger, not just from residents but in general about the society we live in. It’s kicked London in the teeth because it has brought home just how unequal the city is.”
6.05pm BST
18:05
Nicola Slawson
Mustapha Mansour, who organised the protest at Kensington and Chelsea town hall, is from the Radical Housing Network, which is a London-wide alliance of grassroots housing campaigns of which Grenfell Action Group are a member.
The BBC has reported that Mansour is also a family friend of someone who is missing.
A statement on the network’s Facebook said: “Protest at Kensington Town Hall to demand that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are held accountable for the deaths and horrific harm of Grenfell, that residents and housing movements’ demands are met, and that this atrocity can never happen again.”
The group have organised a further protest on Saturday, which hundreds have signed up to on Facebook. A further 1000 have expressed interest.
Using the event page, organisers called for people to come and show their support for tonight’s protest as well, which could mean many more join the already heated protest. The group is also posting legal advise and phone numbers for anyone attending who gets arrested.
5.58pm BST
17:58
Damien Gayle
Rochelle Thomas, from Latimer Road, just a street away from the Grenfell Tower fire, stood near the doors to the council building with a homemade poster listing the names of council officials she and others are holding responsible for the tragedy.
"These are the people responsible." Rochelle Thomas holds up a list of council officials named at the #grenfelltower fire demo pic.twitter.com/owh2EB9uJM
Tensions are running high because we have had no answers yet,” she said. “This is the third day, we don’t know where the survivors are, there are hundreds of thousands of donations and we don’t know where to take them because we don’t know where the survivors are.
The councils are telling us nothing and we don’t know if the council even care; they’ve done nothing so far.
She called on the council to help the traumatised residents affected by the fire.
We need them to rehabilitate everyone whose lost their homes, and we need to know what steps the council’s going to take for the mental health of the thousands who are affected: the people who were in the building, the people who lost their friends and the people who witnessed children being thrown from the windows.
There are people who still can’t sleep because they are having nightmares about this.
5.57pm BST
17:57
Damien Gayle
Hundreds are still gathered in the street outside Kensington and Chelsea town hall, after police managed to regain control of the lobby which had been invaded earlier by furious demonstrators. “What do we want? Justice!” protesters are chanting. “When do we want it? Now!”
The scene right now outside Kensington and Chelsea town hall #GrenfellTowerprotest pic.twitter.com/3A0bPW4qwn
Speeches continue in the square outside the building’s main entrance, as a police helicopter buzzes overhead. Many here have said they were personally affected by the fire and are now seeking answers from officials who they say did too little to prevent it, and are still doing too little to deal with its aftermath.
Earlier, hundreds pushed their way into the lobby, hammering on the glass doors and getting halfway up a staircase until their path was blocked by police.
It is thought that a demonstration that was intended to take place outside the Department for Communities and Local Government in Whitehall will now be redirected to Kensington. Some around the area are covering their faces, but others are calling for the demonstration to remain peaceful. The situation is tense.
Police appear to have regained control of council lobby from #GrenfellTower protesters pic.twitter.com/tq9o8Lusil
5.47pm BST
17:47
Amelia Gentleman
At St Clement’s church, the prime minister was greeted as she left the building and got in her car by shouts of “shame on you” and “coward, coward”. She did not speak to anyone as she left. One local said: “The tower block is more strong and stable than that woman.” There was a brief scuffle between one protester and some of the more than 30 police lined up outside the building.
Channel 5 News has footage of the incident. Warning: the video below contains swearing.
Theresa May leaves St Clements Church as angry protests charge her car @5_News pic.twitter.com/KR32XfKz3t
Updated
at 5.55pm BST
5.45pm BST
17:45
Heather Stewart
Theresa May has announced a package of measures to help the families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, including £5m of cash handouts to be distributed to residents, after the government faced growing criticism over its botched response to the disaster.
After being widely criticised for failing to meet victims face to face, the prime minister paid two visits to the scene of the deadly blaze on Friday.
She met victims at a nearby hospital, before returning to Downing Street to chair a two-hour crisis meeting of cabinet ministers, including the home secretary, Amber Rudd, and communities secretary, Sajid Javid, to agree what action should be taken.
May then returned to the area, where families affected by the blaze were gathered in a local church to speak to her. She told them the government would make £5m available, to be distributed by the local council, for affected families to pay for anything they need – including funeral costs.
The government is pledging that all residents displaced by the fire will be rehoused locally within three weeks, close enough so that children can attend the same school. And, when the public inquiry into the tragedy gets under way, May said local people would be consulted and would also be given access to free legal representation, so that their concerns can be aired.
Downing Street sources said the prime minister had been prompted to act after hearing traumatic stories from residents who fled the scene in the early hours of the morning, “with nothing apart from the clothes they stood up in”.
The two-hour cabinet committee meeting marked an escalation after the government had initially relied on junior ministers to tackle the consequences of the fire, categorising it as a “civil contingency”.
Updated
at 5.47pm BST
5.26pm BST5.26pm BST
17:2617:26
The prime minister is reportedly in a church near Grenfell Tower and a crowd have gathered outside to protest:The prime minister is reportedly in a church near Grenfell Tower and a crowd have gathered outside to protest:
Theresa May sweeps into St Clements Church close to Grenfell House without speaking to public pic.twitter.com/K1xi6obu0OTheresa May sweeps into St Clements Church close to Grenfell House without speaking to public pic.twitter.com/K1xi6obu0O
"I want her to come out her and face us. What are you doing here on Friday? I lost my home on Tuesday, people lost their lives on Tuesday." pic.twitter.com/j0mP0BN8wJ"I want her to come out her and face us. What are you doing here on Friday? I lost my home on Tuesday, people lost their lives on Tuesday." pic.twitter.com/j0mP0BN8wJ
5.17pm BST5.17pm BST
17:1717:17
Sky are reporting that there has been an arrest at the protest. Their correspondent, Enda Brady, said he was moving away from the scene for his own safety as the atmosphere was growing hostile towards the media.Sky are reporting that there has been an arrest at the protest. Their correspondent, Enda Brady, said he was moving away from the scene for his own safety as the atmosphere was growing hostile towards the media.
5.07pm BST5.07pm BST
17:0717:07
Mounted police and other officers are at the scene of the protests. Some entered the town hall, others have just been monitoring the crowd. They have been greeted by some boos.Mounted police and other officers are at the scene of the protests. Some entered the town hall, others have just been monitoring the crowd. They have been greeted by some boos.
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.07pm BSTat 5.07pm BST
4.59pm BST
16:59
Unite is to donate £100,000 to the Red Cross London fire relief appeal set up to assist people affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
The union has dozens of members living in the tower, some of whom have lost their lives. It also announced it would be providing legal assistance to the residents to ensure they are able to pursue the inquiry it says is now urgently needed.
The general secretary, Len McCluskey, said:
We must get answers as to how this happened and action to ensure that this never happens again.
Unite itself is grieving at the loss of our members who lived in that tower. We are volunteering on the ground in an effort to offer the community every assistance during this traumatic time.
We will not rest until the full truth of what has gone is uncovered and we will not be allowing the shameful cuts to legal aid to prevent that truth from being exposed. Unite is sending lawyers to the community and has set up a freephone number for anyone needing legal assistance.
Updated
at 5.08pm BST
4.55pm BST
16:55
This video shows the council’s statement being read to protesters outside Kensington town hall:
Friend of #GrenfellTower fire victim reads out statement from Kensington council amid protest at council building https://t.co/CLEIhCldzN pic.twitter.com/JUZhdMxfZY
Updated
at 4.59pm BST
4.52pm BST
16:52
Labour has called on the government to lift the borrowing cap on housing revenue account so councils can pay for all housing to meet safety standards.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said:
The tragic fire that occurred on Grenfell Tower must never be allowed to happen again. The lessons of Camberwell, Shepherd’s Bush and Southampton have not been learned, and it is the responsibility of government to provide solutions.
The government must now as a matter of urgency lift the housing revenue account borrowing cap to free councils to undertake the urgent retrofitting work required on all existing housing stock found not to meet required safety standards.
Councils must also be given the power, as Labour’s housing manifesto pledges to do, to borrow to invest in council housing on the scale necessary to allow all those living in homes deemed to be unsafe to be properly rehoused.
Updated
at 4.58pm BST
4.48pm BST
16:48
Emotions are running high at the protest at Kensington and Chelsea town hall. They were demanding that the chief executive or council leader come out to address them but instead were given a written response by the council’s head of communications.
There were many chants of “Not 17”, a reference to the fact that they believe many more than 17 perished (the official toll has actually been raised to 30).
Updated
at 5.04pm BST
4.39pm BST
16:39
The second demand by the protesters was that funds be released by the council to help those affected in the short and long term.
The council statement said:
We are already releasing funds to look after the immediate effects of all those affected.
The protesters also requested a list of the number of people in Grenfell Tower.
The response was:
This is not a matter for the council but for the coroner, police and other emergency services.
The council’s head of communications said he would strive to get them a number of residents by the end of the day, Mustafa, who was reading the council’s responses, said.
Updated
at 4.41pm BST
4.36pm BST
16:36
A response from Kensington council’s head of communications to the five demands of the protesters is being read out by a protester named Mustafa.
There’s a lot of anger as he is reading them.
The first was demand was that people be housed in the borough.
In response, the statement says they will be housed “as locally as we can but we may need help from the closest neighbourhoods”.
4.26pm BST
16:26
Protesters enter Kensington town hall
Damien Gayle
Over at Kensington town hall, protesters have entered the building and are in the lobby chanting: “We want justice.”
Updated
at 4.32pm BST
4.21pm BST
16:21
The Sky News reporter Joe Tidy is broadcasting live from a protest that began at Grenfell Tower and is headed towards Kensington town hall, where another protest is already taking place (see below). People are chanting: “We want answers. We want justice.”
Tidy says it appears to be a spontaneous protest.
Protest. #GrenfellTower https://t.co/BqoAXzsaax
Updated
at 4.27pm BST
4.07pm BST
16:07
Damien Gayle
There is a palpable anger outside Kensington and Chelsea town hall. News cameras are focused on Lily Allen, but among local people there is discomfort with the authorities and the media.
“Why are the media lying for Theresa May?” one local woman asked. “It’s disgusting.”
Another woman said:
We’re angry, very upset. We feel we’re on our own. The firemen, they say they are angry. The only people that have been honest to us are the firemen.
Crowds are continuing to gather and a speaker called on demonstrators to remain in place until the council leaders make a statement pledging an independent investigation and rehousing for all those affected.
#GlenfellTower demonstrators gathered outside Kensington town hall pic.twitter.com/77GAjUzbyN
Updated
at 4.34pm BST
3.43pm BST
15:43
Jamie Grierson
A former British army officer who is leading the volunteer effort at Notting Hill Methodist church said the devastation caused by the fire was comparable to that he had witnessed at war.
Ian Pilcher, a former captain who served with the King’s Regiment in Northern Ireland, the Balkans and north Africa, has been helping with logistics at the church since Wednesday.
Pilcher, 50, now a private security consultant, said the church had received a couple of metric tonnes of food, drink and toiletries, as well as seven Luton vans full of clothing. From predominantly walk-in donations, the church had also received televisions, mobile phones and even vehicles, he said.
Pilcher woke to the noise of “siren after siren after siren” in the early hours of Wednesday and witnessed the blaze. He said:
In many ways it’s like being in a war because of the number of innocent people. In places like Bosnia there were many innocent people and there was a clear enemy. Here, nobody expected to die in their beds because there’s a fire.
I left the army in expectation of a peaceful life. Nobody expects this sort of thing to happen so close to home.
Pilcher said volunteers had arrived from across London and outside the capital to help.
Frmr British army captain Ian Pilcher, volunteering at Notting Hill Methodist church, says fire scenes comparable to war. pic.twitter.com/kI1l8qITva
Updated
at 3.49pm BST