Movement for Justice by Any Means Necessary

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}}

According to the Daily Telegraph, it was set up by Tony Gard in the mid-1990s.{{cite web | title=Diehard of extreme Left Movement for Justice co-founder. The Daily Telegraph - 2017-06-21 | via=PressReader | date=2017-06-21 | url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph/20170621/282647507517062 | access-date=2020-12-07}} In 2020, the Times said that "While photographs of its protests highlight young black members, the key leaders are two white Marxists", naming Gard, a former primary school teacher now in his late 70s, and Karen Doyle.

The group first grew following the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the campaign that followed. The group went on to campaign for justice for the murders by racists and in police custody of many others including Rolan Adams, Michael Tachie-Menson,

The group took part in the demonstrations to close down the British National Party headquarters in the area and helped the Youth against Racism in Europe to build an anti-racist campaign through this. They also campaigned with the YRE and local community to fight drove the BNP off Brick Lane.

In 1993 a Kingsway student Shah Alam was nearly killed in a racist attack in Poplar, East London and they organised the Justice for Shah Alam Campaign which organised a march, public meetings, press conferences and court pickets to get the racists convicted and jailed.

After the death of Brian Douglas, they helped get Lambeth Unison (public service workers union) and Kingsway College Student Union with the campaign.

The organisation also concentrated on mass non-co-operation with the 1995 Asylum and Immigration Bill and in September 1995, published a pamphlet entitled Howard's Racist Immigration and Asylum Bill - What it is and how to fight it.{{cn|date=December 2020}} In 1995 the group orchestrated a paint attack on Brian Mawhinney, Tory MP outside Parliament at the state opening and Queen's speech, because of what they saw as his deliberate use of emotive and misrepresentative language about 'British people fearing immigrants flooding the country' which were seen by many as an incitement to racial hatred. In 1996, leading members Tony Gard and Karen Doyle, then a schoolgirl, were convicted of assault after this protest.

After the death of Oscar Okoye in 1996, the group came under attack from Lee Jasper and Brian Paddick.{{cn|date=December 2020}}

The group continued to oppose immigration, asylum legislation after Labour took power.

Its chair in the early 2000s was Alex Olowade.{{cite web | title=Brixton violence 'against racist police' | website=BBC News | date=2001-07-21 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1450042.stm | access-date=2020-12-07}} In 2001, Alex Olowade was sacked from his job with Lambeth Council after he led a campaign to expose racism in the department and he allegedly abused a manager,{{cite web | title=Race hate activist is still barred from work | website=Evening Standard | date=2004-08-17 | url=http://www.standard.co.uk/news/race-hate-activist-is-still-barred-from-work-6945739.html | access-date=2020-12-07}}{{cite web | title=Race inquiry 'sabotaged' | website=News Shopper | date=2003-05-29 | url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6245092.race-inquiry-sabotaged/ | access-date=2020-12-07}}{{cite web | last=Muir | first=Hugh | title='Managers would abuse staff in front of everyone' | website=the Guardian | date=2003-07-31 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/jul/31/localgovernment.raceintheuk1 | access-date=2020-12-07}} but a tribunal ruled he had been dismissed unfairly, although he was not reinstated.{{cite web | title=Council meeting disrupted by racism claims | website=This Is Local London | date=2003-09-15 | url=https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/412993.council-meeting-disrupted-by-racism-claims/ | access-date=2020-12-07}}

In 2001 after the police shot dead a man with a replica gun cigarette lighter in Brixton, the group organised a demonstration.[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/17/ukguns ‘Demonstration planned after police shooting’], The Guardian, 17 July 2001 (accessed 11 April 2008).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1450042.stm ‘Brixton violence 'against racist police'’], BBC News, 21 July 2001 (accessed 13 April 2008).

In 2015 MfJ organised with refugee women at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Organising with women on hunger strike inside the detention centre and with those whose release they had helped secure. The demonstrations grew greatly in size over this time.{{Cite web|url=https://theoccupiedtimes.org/?p=14044|title = The Occupied Times – Shut Down Yarl's Wood: A Call to Action}} The success drew in support from other groups such as Sisters Uncut, until a split in 2018 {{Cite web|url=https://www.sistersuncut.org/2018/03/19/yarls-wood-demonstration-a-statement-of-solidarity/|title = Sisters Uncut: Yarl's Wood Demonstration: A Statement of Solidarity}} which lead to a decline in the protests.{{Cite web|url=https://novaramedia.com/2017/11/27/surround-yarls-wood-we-must-keep-on-demanding-an-end-to-immigration-detention/|title = Surround Yarl's Wood: We Must Keep on Demanding an End to Immigration Detention}}

===Recent activities===

According to The Daily Telegraph, the group was the key organiser behind the "Day of Rage" protests following the Grenfell Tower fire.

In December 2020, the group drew attention from The Times for campaigning to stop the deportations of foreign national criminals.

Former Metropolitan Police Special Branch undercover officer Peter Francis, who as part of the secretive Special Demonstration Squad infiltrated the YRE and associated groups between 1993 and 1997, gathered information the MFJ.{{cite web | last1=Evans | first1=Rob | last2=Blight | first2=Garry | title=UK political groups spied on by undercover police – the list | website=the Guardian | date=2015-06-24 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2018/oct/15/uk-political-groups-spied-on-undercover-police-list | access-date=2020-12-07}} He claimed in a 2014 statement issued through his solicitor that he had been a founding member.[http://www.leighday.co.uk/News/2014/July-2014/Statement-on-behalf-of-Peter-Francis-following-pub ‘Statement on behalf of Peter Francis following publication of the Creedon Report’], Leigh Day website, 29 July 2014 (accessed 30 July 2014).

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.movementforjustice.co.uk/ Movement for Justice]

Category:Movements for civil rights