The Orkney Oot Wae Racism campaigning group will be remembering Christopher Alder on Wednesday 8th of July at 6pm in their weekly doorstep protest.

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Christopher Alder was killed on 1 April 1998, whilst in a police custody cell in Hull. He died face down on a custody suite floor, with his trousers round his ankles and his hands cuffed behind his back, while police officers made monkey imitations and references to banana boots and a hood with slits.

Five Humberside Police Officers were tried for the manslaughter of Christopher, but the case collapsed and no-one was ever held to account for his death. Christopher’s sister Janet has devoted herself, tirelessly, to seeking justice for her brother.

Who was Christopher Alder ?

“Christopher Ibikunle Alder was born in Hull and brought up in the care system with his siblings. He joined the British Army at the age of 16 where he served in the Parachute Regiment for six years. At the time of his death, he was taking a college course in computer skills.

“On April 1, 1998, Christopher was punched at a nightclub and then arrested after apparently becoming aggressive at the hospital. He later died on the floor of Queen’s Gardens police station in Hull.

“A post-mortem failed to establish the cause of Christopher’s death, but a later inquest returned a verdict of ‘unlawful killing’. Five Humberside police officers were put on trial for the manslaughter of Christopher, but the case later collapsed, and all officers were cleared.”Billie Tomlinson, The Justice Gap

“In the same year as the Government apology, Christopher’s family discovered that the body they had buried at Christopher’s funeral in 2000 was that of a 77-year-old woman, Grace Kamara who had died in 1999.”  Billie Tomlinson, The Justice Gap