CPS drops case against Southall Black Sisters chief executive – EALING.NEWS – The Voice of Ealing 7 towns

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has dropped its case against three women, including the chief executive of Southall Black Sisters, for assaulting a woman at King’s Cross tube station last year.

Selma Taha, executive director of Southall Black Sisters, along with Divina Riggon and Danae Thomas, say they themselves were victims of a violent racist attack in September 2023.

According to the three women, they were the victims of an attack by a woman who made monkey noises at them and called the three “black bitches” and “slaves”. It then escalated into violence when the attacker pulled hair from two of the women and also bit Ms Selma, which required a tetanus and hepatitis shot.

In a statement, Selma Taha said: “As much as I am relieved that the decision was in our favor, because it was hard fought, I continue to feel angry about the treatment that my sisters and I received.

“From being subjected to racial slurs and significant injury on public transport in the presence of an off-duty officer I would have expected more responsibility and a duty of care, to being disbelieved and criminalized by the CPS for challenging of racist abuse, The past 10 months have reaffirmed my lack of trust in the system and served as a daily reminder of the challenges we face as black, minority, and migrant victim-survivors seeking a just response from a racist institutional system. “

“As the executive director of a ‘by and for’ VAWG organization like Southall Black Sisters, at every turn I have also worried that other black women would be in my position, knowing that not all of them have the platform that i do awareness of the systemic injustice we are subjected to on a daily basis. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last few months – your strength and solidarity has kept us going.”

A spokesman for the CPS said: “We have a duty to keep all cases under continuous review and following information received in recent days we have decided that there is no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction and these charges have been discontinued.”