Rapper Dave demands headteacher is sacked as school is engulfed by race row

By William On Feb 10, 2023

The rapper Dave – better known for his hit Starlight – has demanded the resignation of the principal of a school where a racist attack broke out outside the campus.

The 24-year-old musician criticized director Richard Beeson, who has already been criticized for not stepping in more quickly.

Gruesome video footage of the fight outside Ashford’s Thomas Knyvett College has been shared online showing a group of people punching and kicking the victim, who is Black, as she lies on the ground.

Adult voices can be heard during the altercation, apparently encouraging the fight and giving instructions on how to hurt the teenager.

Rapper Dave told his 850,000 Twitter followers: ‘So this Principal RICHARD BEESON at Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford is going to walk in and watch a mob ATTACK that black kid and they think he can run? WE NEED YOU OUT OF THAT JOB ASAP.

‘Don’t do this weird Thomas Knyvett because we will wait outside your university grounds until all the staff members in this video are fired. DO THE RIGHT THING BEFORE WE FORCE YOU.’

The violent images show a group of young people attacking a teenager in the middle of the street on Monday afternoon

Dozens turned out for a demonstration in front of the school on Wednesday, led by activists from the Forever Family protest group, dressed in uniforms and bulletproof vests.

Rapper Dave, best known for his hit Starlight, has demanded the director’s resignation.

Strands of the victim’s hair are visible on the ground at the end of the fight, when the school’s teachers come out onto the sidewalk.

Since then, many have criticized staff, and particularly the director, for failing to intervene more quickly, with a petition calling for him to ‘get to the book’ receiving over 80,000 signatures.

A relative of the girl told the Mirror: ‘No one from school brought it to us. We had to go to her and take her home. She was allowed to go to a friend’s house of hers and then from her friend’s house she used her friend’s phone to call us.

‘When I asked [Mr Beeson] In a meeting I said ‘do you know what hurt me the most about that video? He was asking who’s going to stop him.

Raspect Fyahbinghi speaks outside Thomas Knyvett College during yesterday’s protest

Police have arrested five people and are searching for a sixth after the altercation outside a Surrey school.

“Eventually I told him, ‘when you went into the shot, you went in and even allowed one more shot.'”

Dozens turned out for a demonstration in front of the school on Wednesday, led by activists from the Forever Family protest group, dressed in uniforms and bulletproof vests.

The organization aims to ‘mobilise, organize and centralize our community initiatives to empower and support organizations with similar goals’.

It comes after a 39-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, a 10-year-old girl and a 43-year-old man have been arrested for the attack.

A sixth suspect is wanted, a 15-year-old girl. The police confirmed that she knew they were looking for her.

A police officer talks to a protester outside Thomas Knyvett College in Surrey.

A statement on the school’s website today reads: ‘There was a serious assault on Monday 6 February 2023 at the junction of Salcombe Road and Stanwell Road near Thomas Knyvett College, shortly after the end of the school day.

Forever Family: British protest group in military-style uniforms, body armor, walkie-talkies and drills resembling the Black Panther movement in the ‘battle against racism’

A protest outside the school yesterday was led by the activist group Forever Family.

Members of the group are sometimes seen at demonstrations, usually related to racial issues, wearing uniforms, body armor and holding walkie-talkies.

The organization aims to ‘mobilise, organize and centralize our community initiatives to empower and support organizations with similar goals’.

A promotional video shared by the group, whose members have previously been described as resembling America’s Black Panther revolutionary activists of the 1960s, claims they are “united in the battle against racism, inequality and injustice”.

It is unclear how the group is funded, but they have been described as a ‘black-owned business’ that accepts donations from the public.

Their ‘company values’ are listed as ‘integrity, transparency and accountability’, suggesting that they have a business or military focus on their work.

The police were called, and have made several arrests in connection with this incident, and their investigation is ongoing.

“Foremost in our thoughts has been the well-being and care of the victim, but The Howard Partnership Trust, of which Thomas Knyvett College is a part, is aware that this incident has caused tension within the wider community.

“We are taking this situation very seriously and we are working with all the agencies involved. We need to ask for calm and patience while vital work to establish the facts is carried out.

“To this end, in the interest of the safety of all concerned, we have made the decision to close school early today.”

MailOnline reached out to the school and Mr Beeson for further comment.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: “We are aware that this incident will have caused concern among Thomas Knyvett College students, parents and staff, as well as the wider community.”

“We would like to assure you that an investigation is ongoing, five arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are working closely with Thomas Knyvett College as we investigate this matter.”

The spokesperson asked that people refrain from sharing videos of the gruesome fight on social media and instead sent links to the police.

“We are also aware that several videos of this harrowing incident are circulating on social media.

“We ask that you do not share any video or images of this incident, but rather submit them via the link below so that they may be considered as evidence in this investigation.”

Inspector Maxine Cilia, Spelthorne’s municipal commander, said she was surprised to see such a violent altercation near a school.

“I was shocked to see some of the video footage of this fight and the level of youth violence outside one of our local schools.

A crowd listens to Forever Family activist Raspect Fyahbingh during the protest.

Police have asked people not to share videos of the fight online and asked witnesses to come forward. There will be additional patrols in the area in the coming days.

“All schoolchildren should feel safe in the local community and not be subjected to any kind of violence when they leave school premises,” he said.

Inspector Cilia added that there would be additional patrols in the area in the coming days.

Surrey Police are now investigating this incident and collecting further evidence with the full cooperation of the school. There will be additional patrols in this local area for peace of mind and to allow local people to speak to officers.’

Police are also appealing to any eyewitnesses or anyone with CCTV, dashcam, helmet cam footage or any images and video on their mobile phones to get in touch.

They added that anyone driving or walking in the area around Salcombe Road on Monday between 2pm and 3pm who has seen or heard anything that may help the investigation should contact them.