What's the plan?

11 am: Vigil for Chris Kaba Jubilee Park Gardens. Together we'll light candles, listen to speeches, sing and hold a large canvas artwork honouring Chris.
12 am: we will walk to the London Eye to join the Climate Justice march as the Climate Reparations Bloc.

On Monday 5 September, Chris Kaba, an unarmed Black man, was shot and killed by a Metropolitan police officer in South London. Chris was 24 years old, and expecting a baby with his partner. We stand in solidarity with Chris’ family in their grief and struggle.

At 11 am on 12th November, the Climate Reparations Network will gather ahead of the Climate Justice march to hold a vigil for Chris Kaba.

Racist police violence and the climate crisis both have their roots in white supremacy and European colonialism. As part of Europe’s imperialist project, huge parts of the world were colonised, millions of Indigenous and Black people were killed and enslaved, and an extractive relationship was established with nature.

As a result, in 2022, Black and racialised people around the world are more likely to experience police violence. Black and racialised people are also more likely to be harmed by governments, the police and corporations for fighting against the climate crisis. And the climate crisis is disproportionately harming working-class Black, Brown, Indigenous and otherwise racialised people around the world, from London to Lahore.

For this reason, we say climate justice is racial justice, and we say Justice for Chris Kaba. We demand reparations for all communities affected by the climate crisis and all communities affected by racist police violence.

‘Chris Kaba presente’ is an adapted version of the cry ‘Marielle presente’, which Brazilian activists coined after the murder of queer Black working-class local politician, Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. ‘Chris Kaba presente’ means ‘Chris Kaba is present’, meaning that we carry his spirit with us and we will continue to fight for justice in his name.