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| Grenfell Tower residents storm Kensington Town Hall in angry protest over deadly fire | Grenfell Tower residents storm Kensington Town Hall in angry protest over deadly fire |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Protesters have stormed Kensington Town Hall amid mounting anger over the official response to the deadly Grenfell Tower fire. | Protesters have stormed Kensington Town Hall amid mounting anger over the official response to the deadly Grenfell Tower fire. |
| Hundreds of demonstrators chanting "justice" burst into the building, carrying a list of demands they said authorities must meet. | |
| Other large protests later emerged in other parts of London, including on Kensington High Street and Downing Street. | |
| Police later arrived at the town hall, including a number of mounted officers, prompting a chorus of booing from those gathered. | |
| Having initially entered the building, protesters were called back away from the foyer by one of the organisers, Mustafa Mansour, who urged them to remain calm. | Having initially entered the building, protesters were called back away from the foyer by one of the organisers, Mustafa Mansour, who urged them to remain calm. |
| A disturbance briefly broke out near a different exit to the building, reportedly as police tried to escort council staff out. | |
| Bystanders told The Independent that two people who emerged from the town hall were punched. | Bystanders told The Independent that two people who emerged from the town hall were punched. |
| Pictures showed demonstrators confronting a man they purportedly believed to be Robert Black, the Chief Executive of KCTMO, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation responsible for managing Grenfell Tower on behalf of the council. | |
| Scores of people remained inside the Town Hall lobby, calling for councillors to face the crowd. | |
| They shouted "we need answers" and "we need to be heard". A young women at the top of the stairs urged peaceful protest. | |
| "There's going to be no violence, but we're staying here until we get answers," she said. | |
| The crowd then chanted: "We want justice" and "You left them there to die!" | |
| The girl continued: “They are not remorseful, this is a different ball game now. They let our children burn! They burned like animals in a building.” | |
| The crowd then began to disperse from the building, but hundreds remained outside. | |
| Many had lived in the tower and lost family and friends. | |
| Siar Naqshbandi, 30, lived on the third floor of Grenfall Tower but his family lived on the 20th. | |
| “There’s been no proper help,” he told The Independent. | |
| The only help has been the emergency services and the community. We’ve not received anything.” | |
| Prime Minster Theresa May’s quiet visit to Grenfall Tower – now called ‘Ground Zero’ by the community – had caused further anger. | |
| “I didn’t know she came until I saw her on the news,” Mr Naqshbandi said. “When the Queen can walk in a crown, why can’t she [Theresa May].” | |
| A list of five demands was handed by protesters to council officials, including one that asked the authority to guarantee all those left homeless by the deadly inferno be rehoused in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. | A list of five demands was handed by protesters to council officials, including one that asked the authority to guarantee all those left homeless by the deadly inferno be rehoused in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. |
| Mr Mansour read out responses to the demands from the council, which stated those affected would be rehoused as near to the area as possible. | Mr Mansour read out responses to the demands from the council, which stated those affected would be rehoused as near to the area as possible. |
| It comes after the devastating blaze at the 24-storey Grenfall tower block in west London, which killed at least 30 people. Twelve people remain in hospital, with dozens still thought to be missing. | |
| A council spokesman initially declined to comment on the action. | A council spokesman initially declined to comment on the action. |
| A Met Police spokesman said no arrests were made. | |
| A statement said: "At around 16:35hrs on Friday, 16 June, a number of individuals entered the public area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall to protest. | |
| "After a short period of time police and security escorted them out." | |
| More follows… | More follows… |