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| © PA Wire |
The crowd incident that happened at the Asake concert at the O2 Academy Brixton venue was tragic and has led to the death of one person while others are critically injured in hospital. Following the incident there are various claims about what exactly happened and who is to blame. It is right that the events of the night should be investigated and explanations given for how things went so wrong. In doing that we must not forget that this has been a tragedy that has led to the death and serious injury of people. However, there are questions that must be asked and people who should be held to account.
Some people have blamed the Metropolitan Police for triggering the stampede that occurred. They have been accused of holding the crowd outside the venue in the freezing cold and then using force to repel some individuals. There are reasonable grounds for questioning whether the police risk assessment of the situation was sufficient or well informed. And it is unclear whether any attempts were made by the police to communicate with or appeal to the crowd. These are issues which an investigation should look into and hopefully resolve. However, it does appear that the police were called to the venue in response to an already developing crowd control problem. The indication being that trouble was already brewing before the police arrived and somebody recognised that and called for assistance. There was also video of people fighting inside the venue during the concert and this couldn’t have been the fault of the police. Whatever the inadequacies of the police response were it is clear that they did not create the situation and were probably were swept up in it like so many other people who might have legitimately been at the venue that night.
It is possible that the concert promoter might have oversold tickets for the concert but there is no evidence at this point to suggest that was the case. If it happens that people with valid tickets had difficulty getting into the venue then questions must be asked about whether the organisation for the show might have contributed to the chaos that ensued. It may turn out that the concert promoter could not have anticipated the numbers of people without tickets who showed up to the venue; and ended being overwhelmed by the crowd violence.
It seems that a lot of people without tickets might have gone to the venue and then tried to force their way in. There are rumours that fake tickets were being sold outside the venue on the day of the concert. This might have led to numerous people not accounted for trying to gain access to concert that was already sold out. This would have led to dangerous overcrowding and a surge at the entrance. There is video of some people shouting to break down the doors to the venue. It is hard to imagine people with legitimate tickets trying to access the concert by force. Assuming there were people in the freezing cold who were desperate to get inside the venue it shouldn’t have led to a crush at the door. It should have been their responsibility to be prepared for the conditions and dress warm. It is also not uncommon to have to wait in turn to gain entrance at a sold out concert. That shouldn’t lead to such impatience that people would rush the door.
As shocking as the actions and consequences of that night may be it is not exactly a surprise. While this is not behaviour typical of most Nigerians we do see too many individuals behaving in ways that are reckless, hurtful and damaging to others. There is a tendency for some people to too readily resort to violence, abuse and criminality whenever they feel they are frustrated or desperate to get ahead. Not enough is done in the community to condemn and combat this behaviour. Too many people see it as a necessity of survival or commission of victimless crimes. There has to be more that can be done to highlight the fact that trolling others, violent conflict and being abusive should not be normalised in our community. What happened cannot be described as typical behaviour by Nigerians or Black people. It was unusual but it is behaviour amongst some individuals that is becoming all too prevalent. What we saw at the concert was what happens when a small group of these individuals come together in one place and the havoc they can cause. This may not be a popular view but there are a lot of demonstrations of abusive behaviour online and in person that seem to constantly permeate how people in the community interact with each other, and people from other groups. Continued efforts have to be made to condemn attitudes and actions that give rise to domestic violence, misogyny, trolling, physical violence and verbal abuse. It’s important to bear in mind that behaviour doesn’t just occur in a vacuum. It can be instinctive but it can also be learned and modelled.
It is very unlikely that the people responsible for the chaos, stampede and subsequent death and injuries from it will ever be brought to justice. We do know who they are though. We see their posts and comments on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Even though these people may not be brought forward to answer for their actions in a legal forum we can only hope that the people close to them do something to hold them to account for their irresponsible actions and the suffering they have wrought.
