‘We will all stand together’ – taking stock in Woolwich

It’s an unusual image – a photo of a white soldier in mufti, his hair freshly shaved, in the window of a mainly African Caribbean barbers shop in Woolwich. One of their loyal customers.

Inside, local hero Julius Francis, now 48, the heavyweight boxer who once fought Mike Tyson. Now a mentor to the Woolwich youth and man about town.

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He’s shocked at what he saw unveil on his doorstep yesterday afternoon. Disgusted. Disappointed.

There was a time not so long ago when the army barracks in Woolwich stood somewhat apart from their local community.

For years the military was not a career black and brown Britons much cared for.

But all the local businesses see now is the colour of the squaddies’ money.

Francis says he used to train on the barracks. And the soldiers, they come and go just like any other locals.

I grew up a short bus ride away.

It’s well before my time, but the Woolwich barracks have been attacked before. Notably the soldiers’ local boozer, The Kings Arms – next to Mr Francis’  favourite barber shop – which was bombed in 1974 by the IRA.

The grenade killed two people – a gunner and a civilian.

There used to be a big Irish community in Woolwich and Plumstead.  Recent years have seen an influx of south Asian, African and Caribbean immigrants.

And the fear of Republican terrorism is a faded memory – what transpired yesterday many people initially mistook for a drug deal gone wrong.

Sean Webb saw the horrific scenes unfold from his 17th floor balcony. He’s in the Kings Arms, trying without success to try and put yesterday’s events into context.

“No-one should have to see what I saw”, he told me.

He’s wearing a Help for Heroes wristband.

There is a school of thought – not often espoused in the UK, but common to those who oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, that anyone in uniform is a legitimate military target.

Add that to what we heard from Michael Adebolajo as he asked people to film him yesterday afternoon, bloodied machete  in hand. 

A young British man who we believe was of Christian Nigerian parentage, who grew up and studied in the UK, and then at some point them converted to Islam.

We heard a warped and quasi religious justification for this grisly gruesome murder – lest we forget just yards from the front gates of a primary school.

And so the people of Woolwich find themselves considering this – the victim was wearing a Help For Heroes t-shirt.  Under a jacket. As far as we know, there was nothing else that identified him as a military man.

Was he targeted in particular or was he just the first person they came across?

Julius speaks for many in Woolwich.

“It could have been me – or you – or anyone else wearing that shirt,” he observes.

And as we talk, a group of mums with pushchairs walk into the shop and ask the proprietor to remove the photo of the squad from the window.

The mums are worried that someone unsavoury will recognise the soldier, and he will be put at risk. It may not be relevant, but it is an observation nonetheless. The mums are all white.

There are seven or eight people in the shop. Most of them are African Caribbean. Two of them are white.

The people in the shop are unequivocal. They won’t take the snap of their customer down.

“Because if we do”, the owner explains, “we let the bad guys win. So we will keep the photo – and we will all stand together”.

Follow Keme Nzerem on Twitter: @nzerem_c4