Revealed: Forever Family black rights group which organised protests outside race row school is Black Panther-type organisation born from 2020 statues furore whose body armour-wearing members include shot activist Sasha Johnson

• Forever Family blames a family of travellers in Ashford, Surrey, for racist attack
• Girl, 15, was beaten by group of white children who tore braids from her head 

The combat vest wearing black rights group behind protests outside the school where a 15-year-old girl was beaten up by white children was founded during the BLM protests in 2020 when statues linked to slavery were torn down across Britain.

Forever Family – whose mantra is ‘you touch one, you touch all’ – blames a group of travellers in Ashford, Surrey, for the attack. 

Its members, most of them from London, wear paramilitary outfits reminiscent of Black Panther revolutionary activists of 1960s America as well as body armour and walkie-talkies.

Anti-racism activists have spent two days outside Thomas Knyvett College and the home of the family they hold responsible for the beating – branding it the ‘lions’ den’.

Horrific video footage of the fight was shared online and shows a gang of children hitting, kicking and tearing nine braids from the victim’s head before teachers eventually arrived to break up the fight. 

Forever Family’s founder is rapper Khari McKenzie, 29, who performs under the stage name Raspect. So Solid Crew, an early UK garage collective, regularly post about the cause. Founder Dwayne ‘Megaman’ Vincent is a vocal supporter. Rapper Dave has backed their protests after the Ashford attack and called for teachers to be sacked.

A high-profile member was BLM activist Sasha Johnson, who was shot in the head when four masked men stormed into a party in Peckham, south-east London, in May 2021. She survived her ‘catastrophic’ head injuries, but now struggles to say more than a few words and requires constant medical care.

Rapper Raspect, real name Khari McKenzie,  speaks outside Thomas Knyvett College during protests about the victim of the beating, they call ‘Lil Sis’

Family Forever members, pictured in 2020, resemble the Black Panther revolutionary activists of 1960s America

Violent footage shows a group of young girls attacking a teenager in the middle of the street on Monday afternoon

The group first entered the public consciousness when demonstrators – many with masks – marched through London demanding Britain make amends for generations of African slavery in August 2020. 

Furious protesters stage rally near to homes of group behind ‘racist attack’ on black girl, 15, outside school – as rapper Dave leads calls to sack teachers for ‘not stepping in’ 

In the preceding weeks a statue of slave trader Edward Colston had been torn down during an anti-racism protest in Bristol.  More statues were then toppled across the UK as thousands of BLM supporters demonstrated across the UK, sparked by the murder of George Floyd in the US. 

Mr McKenzie, who became politically active in 2011 after the shooting of Mark Duggan by police, says he has been ‘blocked’ from broadcasting live on Instagram and YouTube since the protests began on Wednesday.

Horrific video footage of the fight was shared online and shows a gang of children hitting, kicking and tearing nine braids from the unnamed victim’s head. One woman was filmed coaching the young mob to ‘kick her in the face’, ‘get her’ and ‘down her’ before teachers arrived to break up the fight.

Mr McKenzie, who became politically active in 2011 after the shooting of Mark Duggan by police, says he has been ‘blocked’ from broadcasting live on Instagram and YouTube since the protests began on Wednesday.

He said: ‘Family, Everything’s trying to stop me. They have blocked me from going live on my Instagram and YouTube. They are threatening to shut down both accounts’.

The rapper also said people can support them with PayPal donations. 

Mr McKenzie, 29, and Rachelle Emanuel, 28, founded Forever Family as a limited company in June 2020. 

But MailOnline can also reveal that Forever Family – founded as a limited company in June 2020 – was shut down last November. 

The business was forcibly dissolved in November 2022 after a ‘compulsory strike-off’ was thrust on them. The sanction is imposed by Companies House, usually as a consequence of a persistent failure to file annual accounts and other documents. 

Dozens attended a demonstration outside the school on Wednesday, led by activists from the protest group Forever Family, dressed in uniforms and body armour

BLM activist Sasha Johnson, who was later shot in the head at a party, right, supported Forever Family

Their first major peaceful protest was in August 2020.

It began in Clapham Common and saw a number of small action groups come together to bring Brixton to a standstill, but it was the little known Forever Family group that made the most striking impact.

The organisation – whose social media accounts are mostly set to private – aims to centralise community groups in a bid to support like-minded organisations. They also support Black Pound Day – an initiative designed to encourage Britons to buy from black-owned businesses.

A promotional video shared by the group – whose members resemble the Black Panther revolutionary activists of 1960s America – states that said they are ‘united in the battle against racism, inequality and injustice’.  

At least one marcher wore a balaclava, while others carried black flags and walkie-talkies. 

It is unclear how the group are funded, but they have been described as a ‘Black-owned business’ that accepts donations from the public. Leaders have Patreon accounts where people can make donations.

Their ‘company values’ are listed as ‘integrity, transparency and accountability’ – suggesting they have a business or military approach to their work.

Forever Family have uniforms, body armour, walkie-talkies and do military-style drills

One of the protesters was wearing a balaclava. He was marching with a group of people wearing FF Force vests

Multiple videos show the group assembled in rows and following orders in a military-style drill.

The demonstrators can be seen raising their fists in the air – an action synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Another clip shows rows of male group members shouting ‘lionesses’ before saluting. 

In that video, the men part ways, making way for female protesters who line up at the front as onlookers cheer.

A group of Forever Family demonstrators are also seen marching down the street behind a band of drummers. They walk along in unified rows marching in time with each other while chanting ‘we’re Forever Family’ and ‘we will set the people free’.

A woman with a megaphone yells ‘I don’t know what you’ve been told’ and ‘Family is taking back our turf’ – which the crowd repeats after her.

Other clips showed demonstrators wearing their vests branded with ‘Forever Family Force’ and chanting ‘we are Forever Family’. 

In a video shared to social media, the group said their purpose was to ‘mobilise, organise and centralise community initiatives to empower and support organisations with similar objectives’.

Another social media announcement said Forever Family are ‘united in building a self sufficient and stable community’ and will create ‘a hub and avenues for funding, business start-ups, grants and investing’.

In a video shared to social media (pictured), the group said their purpose was to ‘mobilise, organise and centralise community initiatives to empower and support organisations with similar objectives’

Their ‘company values’ are listed as ‘integrity, transparency and accountability’ – suggesting they have a business or military approach to their work

They said: ‘We believe in putting back in using all our experience and resources to deliver results.

‘We value the safety of our senior and junior generation. Their voices will be the motivation in what we stand for.’

A video shared to their Facebook page states: ‘We are Forever Family united in building a self-sufficient and stable community.’

It states its purpose is: ‘Creating a hub  and avenues for funding, business startups, grants and investing.

‘We believe in putting back in using all our experience and resources to deliver results.’

This video adds further company values, stating: ‘We value the safety of our senior and junior generation. Their voices will be the motivation in what we stand for.’

Ahead of Black Pound Day – an initiative designed to encourage Britons to buy from black-owned businesses – the group wrote: ‘Black Pound Day (BPD) is a solution to supporting the long-term economic growth of UK Black-owned Business. 

‘Forever Family are proud to connect with Black business owners and support them over the long-term.’

The group’s own Instagram page reads: ‘The spending power of the UK Black community has been valued at £300 Billion.

‘Its time to reinvest the wealth and circulate this within the community, by supporting Black owned business.’ 

Black Pound Day currently happens one day per month, the post says, and aims to support ‘the long-term economic growth of UK Black Owned Business’. 

‘Forever Family support this initiative,’ it adds.

As the march made its way through London, So Solid Crew’s Instagram account shared videos of participants winding their way along the road. 

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