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Grenfell Tower fire: May announces £5m of payments to residents – latest Grenfell Tower fire: May announces £5m of payments to residents – latest
(35 minutes later)
7.22pm BST
19:22
Damien Gayle
Protesters walking through the upmarket parts of Notting Hill are calling for the area’s wealthy residents to join their demonstration.
“We all have kids who go to the same schools,” a man says through a PA. “How can this happen in the richest borough in London?”
The demonstration numbers maybe a thousand now, stopping traffic on Holland Park avenue. The mass chant is: “Justice. Now.”
#grenfelltower protesters march down Holland Park avenue pic.twitter.com/x4U5vCpEKi
A chief concern among demonstrators is what they see as the continued downplaying of the death toll in the media. They feel that authorities are trying to manage the impact of the tragedy by withholding its scale from the public.
7.19pm BST
19:19
Lisa O'Carroll
Chris Imafidon, a local resident, who came to the Marsham St protest holding a charred panel of insulation from Grenfell branded the council a disgrace.“They have no reacted. They have not come down to the residents, they have not come to churches and asked how did you pass Wednesday night, the day after the fire.”
This man who lives near Grenfell arrived with a panel of insulation from the building. "The council has not reacted" pic.twitter.com/zQDaYmQ4EP
Several speakers drew roars from the crowds as they called for “May to go”.
“We are being treated like rubbish. Our people are being murdered,” one speaker said.
Another local resident, a teacher, said one of the children in her school had died and insisted survivors would not be uprooted from the locality.
“For a long time in Kensington our communities have been fighting gentrification.
“We will not have the continuation of ethnic cleansing and social cleansing across our borough.
“We deserve to live in the same Borough as David Cameron, Michael Gove, Abramovich and Davis Beckham,” she said.
Updated
at 7.25pm BST
7.17pm BST
19:17
A Tory councillor responsible for housing on Solihull council appears to have just tweeted something extraordinary at my colleague Martin Belam about the Kensington town hall protest.
Martin tweeted a photograph from the protest and Ken Hawkins responded: “Lets get ourselves a hangin!” and compared them to a lynch mob.
This appears to be @Conservatives councillor responsible for housing on Solihull council comparing #GrenfellTower community to a lynch mob pic.twitter.com/soDZ4vCN40
7.07pm BST
19:07
Mustafa Almansur, who organised the protest at Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall, believes a family friend and her children were killed in the blaze.
Rania Ibrahim, who is a friend of Almansur’s wife, messaged friends and live-streamed a video to Facebook from her 23rd-floor flat as the fire rose through the tower. When her battery ran out, the video cut, and she and her two children have not been heard from since.
Speaking as crowds remained gathered at the entrance of the building, Almansur said the protests would continue.
The reason for the protest is so far in the last three days the general public have done everything from raising money to actually going out there on the streets, helping people, finding the victims of the tragedy, going to the community centres, the churches and the mosques with donations and in cash.
“To this day the council has failed to do anything in public, they have not made a public statement or any public comment. The statement they made today was just a fluffy statement, open ended promises with no concrete numbers of what they are going to be able to do for the people.
Almansur said protesters had been “unsatisfied” by the council’s responses to their questions, but insisted that they had not sought a confrontation with police.
The people didn’t storm the building, they walked into the building after I read out the statement, unhappy with what they heard. So they said let’s go into the building and get the senior executives to come down, but the police were inside the building already not allowing anybody to go up the stairs. The people stood there and they were speaking in the microphone making their demands be known.
6.55pm BST
18:55
Lisa O'Carroll
At the Downing Street protest, Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said fire standards had deteriorated because of years of cuts.“I heard people saying we need to learn the lessons from Grenfell Tower. These are not new lessons. We learned these lessons 40 years ago and we have to ask why these lessons were not learned.”
Updated
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6.53pm BST
18:53
Back at St Clement’s Church, May was also the subject of people’s anger. A woman, wiping away tears after May’s visit, said: “Everyone has lost everything and no one is doing nothing. This is our town.”
Another man, who did not give his name, said: “What did she bring, what useful things did she bring? The tower block is more strong and stable than that woman’s government.”
Updated
at 7.05pm BST
6.49pm BST6.49pm BST
18:4918:49
Lisa O'CarrollLisa O'Carroll
Weyman Bennett, one of the organizers called for May to go. He warned it was going to be “a long hot summer” and the working class would come together to oust herThe crowd of about 500 people are now marching from the department of communities on Marsham Street to Downing Street.Promising the anger would swell the crowds on the protest he told marchers: “By the time we get to Downing Street, we will know if we are then going to join the others in Kensington town hall or if they will come to Downing Street.” Weyman Bennett, one of the protest organisers, called for May to go. He said it was going to be “a long hot summer” and the working class would come together to oust her.The crowd of about 500 people are now marching from the Department of Communities on Marsham Street to Downing Street.Promising the anger would swell the crowds on the protest he told marchers: “By the time we get to Downing Street, we will know if we are then going to join the others in Kensington town hall or if they will come to Downing Street.”
Updated
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6.42pm BST6.42pm BST
18:4218:42
My colleague Damien Gayle is reporting that protesters have now left the hall and are marching back to the tower to join the other protest there.My colleague Damien Gayle is reporting that protesters have now left the hall and are marching back to the tower to join the other protest there.
Protesters now heading back to the #GrenfellTower pic.twitter.com/gFqlaOlCIGProtesters now heading back to the #GrenfellTower pic.twitter.com/gFqlaOlCIG
UpdatedUpdated
at 6.44pm BSTat 6.44pm BST
6.40pm BST6.40pm BST
18:4018:40
Lisa O'CarrollLisa O'Carroll
An angry member of the public calls on people to march on Downing St tonight. “Theresa May is not fit to be PM,” he says.An angry member of the public calls on people to march on Downing St tonight. “Theresa May is not fit to be PM,” he says.
He said he grew up in a council flat. “Council housing used to be safe, affordable. We could put out children to bed and know they would get up in the morning.”He said he grew up in a council flat. “Council housing used to be safe, affordable. We could put out children to bed and know they would get up in the morning.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 6.45pm BSTat 6.45pm BST
6.34pm BST6.34pm BST
18:3418:34
Damien GayleDamien Gayle
Carolyne Hill, 39, from Brixton, said she came to the Kensington demo to “make a stand for my fellow Londoners”.Carolyne Hill, 39, from Brixton, said she came to the Kensington demo to “make a stand for my fellow Londoners”.
"This is the result of our government and councils not caring about the people." Carolyne Hill from Brixton on the #GrefellTowerFire pic.twitter.com/uv4mnwM44T"This is the result of our government and councils not caring about the people." Carolyne Hill from Brixton on the #GrefellTowerFire pic.twitter.com/uv4mnwM44T
She said: “I believe that the council is supposed to protect its people. This council committed basic gross negligence in providing basic human rights in their fire safety – people died in their homes.She said: “I believe that the council is supposed to protect its people. This council committed basic gross negligence in providing basic human rights in their fire safety – people died in their homes.
“The council is following legislation made by the government, the government has made cuts in every single borough. This is the result of our government, our councils not caring about their people.“The council is following legislation made by the government, the government has made cuts in every single borough. This is the result of our government, our councils not caring about their people.
“They’ve put profit over people now for far too long. This is the result.”“They’ve put profit over people now for far too long. This is the result.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 6.45pm BSTat 6.45pm BST
6.32pm BST6.32pm BST
18:3218:32
Victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster will be asked how the public inquiry into the fire should be carried out, Theresa May has announced.Victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster will be asked how the public inquiry into the fire should be carried out, Theresa May has announced.
Survivors and the families of those who died in the devastating blaze will also be given state funding for legal representation at the probe, the prime minister told residents during a visit to a nearby church.Survivors and the families of those who died in the devastating blaze will also be given state funding for legal representation at the probe, the prime minister told residents during a visit to a nearby church.
The package of measures to help the families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire will include £5m of cash donations to be distributed to residents, after the government faced growing criticism over its botched response to the disaster.The package of measures to help the families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire will include £5m of cash donations to be distributed to residents, after the government faced growing criticism over its botched response to the disaster.
My colleagues Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot have more on that here:My colleagues Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot have more on that here:
UpdatedUpdated
at 6.46pm BSTat 6.46pm BST
6.23pm BST6.23pm BST
18:2318:23
Amelia GentlemanAmelia Gentleman
Local residents were disappointed that the prime minister did not speak to them after her visit to the St Clement’s church, and her swift departure led to shouts of “shame on you” and “coward” from a large crowd of people who had waited outside the church to hear her say something.Local residents were disappointed that the prime minister did not speak to them after her visit to the St Clement’s church, and her swift departure led to shouts of “shame on you” and “coward” from a large crowd of people who had waited outside the church to hear her say something.
Simon McDonald, who works doing youth training with an organisation called Inspired Possibilities, and who grew up in the area, had come to volunteer his services. He was disappointed that the prime minister didn’t stop and talk to affected families outside the building. “We were looking for her to say that she is here with the community,” he said. “She just needed to say a few words of comfort.”Simon McDonald, who works doing youth training with an organisation called Inspired Possibilities, and who grew up in the area, had come to volunteer his services. He was disappointed that the prime minister didn’t stop and talk to affected families outside the building. “We were looking for her to say that she is here with the community,” he said. “She just needed to say a few words of comfort.”
Paul Dhillon, who works near the block and who was there on the night the fire happened, was cynical about her decision to visit. “She’s just doing damage limitation, because she screwed up her polls,” he said.Paul Dhillon, who works near the block and who was there on the night the fire happened, was cynical about her decision to visit. “She’s just doing damage limitation, because she screwed up her polls,” he said.
Layla, who lives in the block beneath the tower, and who waited in vain to see Theresa May, said she didn’t think that there was anything the prime minister could have said to locals that would have made them feel better. “What could she have said? We’ve got so much pain and hurt. We saw it and we live on it.”Layla, who lives in the block beneath the tower, and who waited in vain to see Theresa May, said she didn’t think that there was anything the prime minister could have said to locals that would have made them feel better. “What could she have said? We’ve got so much pain and hurt. We saw it and we live on it.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 6.47pm BSTat 6.47pm BST
6.11pm BST
18:11
Lisa O'Carroll
Around 100 protesters held a minute’s silence for the victims of Grenfell Tower outside government offices, saying the victims of recent terror attacks were treated with more respect than 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 terrorists,” said one speaker before the crowd fell silent for one minute.
Updated
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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
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5.26pm BST
17:26
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/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
5.17pm BST
17:17
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.
5.07pm BST
17:07
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.
Updated
at 5.07pm BST