Mum says she’ll ‘give last drop of blood’ for justice
THE mother of a victim of a racist attack has said she will “give her last drop of blood” in order to get justice.
Kensington residents gathered for a second consecutive Saturday to protest the against the Duke of Wellington pub on Portobello Road where a young black man was assaulted by six white men in a racially aggravated attack.
On Sunday February 16, the Metropolitan Police reported an attack on a 20-year-old man by a group of white men. They stated that the victim was also racially abused and robbed during the incident. The family of the victim, El Harding, are angered he was not protected at his place of work and also that the pub did not call the police immediately following the incident. The family, led by El’s mother, Eunicia Harding, are calling for Duke of Wellington to give a public apology, sack the pub’s managers and review their safeguarding policies to ensure young people across the capital are kept safe.
A press conference was held by the family before the protest on Saturday evening. Ms Harding said her son has been left traumatised by the attack.
Ms Harding said: “El has experienced former PTSD through Grenfell [fire] and from a friend that died in front of him so this is like part three.
“The mental affect that it has on my son and our family is very traumatising. We want justice by any means necessary.
“We need these people caught. In 2020, if it were four to five black males attacking a white male they’d be brought to justice. It’s been two weeks and still nothing.”
The Hardings have also gathered support from local councillors who have attended the marches and met with the family. Kensington MP, Felicity Buchan also met with the family to provide support following the incident.
Former Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad was also present, and said: “This is an absolute red line for all of us.
“We’re not going back to the old days. If we can’t get people to feel safe in their work places then we’re going to lose jobs and we’ll lose respect and we won’t be able to get people to work here.
“In the borough hospitality and retail make up 24,000 jobs. Young people should want to work in the borough. People need to feel welcomed and respected in their workplace and know that it is inclusive.”
The family are yet to sit down with the pub’s management or operator Young’s, who have said they are continuing to support El and other members of staff.
A spokesperson from Young’s said: “Young’s has a strong duty of care to our people and we’re supporting the team member who suffered the attack and other members of the team at the Duke of Wellington, who have been left shocked by the distressing attack and have subsequently suffered threats through social media and within the pub itself.”
El’s family have made it clear that their main aim is not compensation, but that young people would be properly protected at their place of work. Ms Harding also expressed her upset at Duke of Wellington’s lack of empathy toward the family shown by asking “when is El returning to work” immediately after the incident.
El said he was the only member of staff on the floor the Saturday night when the incident took place. Additionally, the pub only has security on Friday nights. However, there has been security on the door on Saturday nights following the incident.
Ms Harding said: “The negligence of the pub outweighs money. My child’s life is more than money.
“A lot of people have asked about compensation but at this point all I want is justice and those thugs to be captured.”
The North Kensington community again came out to support the Harding family as more than 60 locals gathered outside of Duke of Wellington on Portobello Road.
Councillor Pat Mason said: “There are 40 different nationalities in North Kensington, everybody has a right to a safe life and good life, and walking around the streets without being attacked. If you’re going to be racist, do not come here.”
There were locals walking by the protest who were not yet privy to the incident and joined in the chants of “Duke of Wellington, shame on you,” once learning of the attack. Locals said the community was very connected and although they’ve marched for Grenfell and to save local libraries, they haven’t experienced something like this “in a long time”.
Kensington resident, Moira Samuels, who was protesting with the family, said: “It’s endemic of the general rise and normalising of racism in this country at the moment. El and his family were evacuated form their homes following Grenfell so to go through another trauma is absolutely shocking.
“This is Notting Hill Gate. We’ve got a history of fighting racism. This is not something we expect. We’re a multicultural and multiracial community.
“Duke of Wellington need to put pressure on the police to catch the thugs because we know the police are underresourced and understaffed. They probably have a long list of robberies they’re looking into.”