‘Stand together’: Rashan Charles family call for calm at vigil at Stoke Newington police station

'Understandable anger': protestors at today's vigil

‘Understandable anger’: protestors at today’s vigil. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

At this afternoon’s vigil for Rashan Charles and Edson Da Costa at Stoke Newington police station, the family of Charles appealed for calm following a night of violence on the streets of Dalston.

The vigil took place Friday night’s violent disorder in which riot police were pelted with fireworks and glass bottles.

A spokesperson for the Charles family said they understood the community’s anger, however they called for “dignified” protest.

Earlier the family also released a statement, stating: “We appreciate all support but hostile actions or other events that may risk detracting from our current co-operative engagement and the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Metropolitan Police is unwelcome”.

Hackney South MP Meg Hillier also appealed for calm, saying on Twitter: “Understandable anger but please heed the family wishes. Protest peacefully. No more tragedy on top of this sad death of a young man.”

Meanwhile, the shadow home secretary and Hackney North MP Diane Abbott attended and spoke at the vigil, saying: “I thought it important to come here today to publicly showed my support as member of the community, as a mother and as your Member of Parliament”.

Charles died after being arrest by a police officer in a shop in Dalston last Saturday, 22 July. Video footage appears to show him swallowing a package before being violently restrained.

Five weeks earlier, 25 year-old Edson Da Costa from East Ham died after being detained by police using force and CS spray. He had swallowed “a number of packages” before his death, according to investigators.

Unanswered questions about the circumstances of both deaths have led to street protests.