'I can't breathe...' Black lawyer 'pinned down by five court security staff ... trends now
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Lawyers have threatened to boycott a court after up to five security guards allegedly pinned down a black solicitor and ignored his pleas that he could not breathe.
Defence solicitor Dele Johnson said guards wrestled him to the ground after he refused to take off his shoes in a security search.
Mr Johnson, 37, said it was like the ordeal of George Floyd, whose murder by Minneapolis police, as he protested 'I can't breathe', sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
'I never thought I'd also be saying 'I can't breathe',' said Mr Johnson. 'I was just trying to do my job.'
The drama follows female lawyers protesting at highly invasive 'pat-down' searches at Stratford Magistrates' Court in east London.
Defence solicitor Dele Johnson (pictured) said guards wrestled him to the ground after he refused to take off his shoes in a security search
A criminal defence solicitor said a guard felt her legs under her dress 'up to my groin' in a search, while a barrister said a guard insisted on touching her inside leg – despite her asking him not to.
Now the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association (LCCSA) says lawyers may boycott the court if the guards who allegedly assaulted Mr Johnson are not suspended by private company OCS.
LCCSA president Edward Jones said it was 'appalled' at the guards' alleged behaviour.
Mr Johnson's identification card was checked when he arrived as a duty youth court solicitor last Wednesday.
After leaving the building to have a
