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Here is the video
You decide whether this was excessive use of force by the shopkeeper/owner, or totally unjustified.
Would he have done the same if this was a white woman?
==
A 45-year-old man has been interviewed under caution by the Met Police after a video was circulated of a woman being restrained by a male shopkeeper.
Hundreds of people gathered to protest outside Peckham Hair and Cosmetics, in Rye Lane, on Tuesday where the woman had been accused of theft.
Chants of "you touch one, you touch all" were heard and signs held saying "keep your hands off black women".
The shopkeeper told the BBC the footage had been viewed "out of context".
He said the footage on social media was "cropped" and did not show the whole incident in full. The shop remains closed and shuttered.
A 31-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault on Tuesday and later released on bail.
People in Peckham were asked to remain calm after the video was circulated on social media.
The footage, which has been viewed more than a million times, appears to show a black woman inside the shop being grabbed by a much larger Asian man on Monday.
The woman struggled and hit the man with a shopping basket, which broke.
The man then held her by her arms and neck.
Speaking to the BBC after Monday's incident but before Tuesday afternoon's protest, the shopkeeper said the woman had become aggressive when she was refused a refund on products she had previously bought at the store.
"We do not give refunds, we exchange items or give a credit note. So she grabbed some stuff [three packs of hair with a total value of £24] from the shelf and tried to leave. She was leaving and I was stopping her.
"I was stopping her. She slapped me in the face and grabbed a shopping basket and hit me on the head. I don't know when my hand goes around her neck. I was keeping her neutralised. I did not hit her.
"The video was cropped. People are acting at the half truth".
Edilenny Dotel, who filmed the viral video while she was shopping in the store, said she had begun filming because she felt what was happening was "not fair".
"I felt horrible when I saw that in front of me," she told BBC London.
"[The man] saw me recording the video and I'm saying that I'm gonna call the police a few times.
"I'm a young girl. I was like 'imagine if that happened to me. I'm not gonna be okay with that. I would like to someone to share that on social media'."
The incident drew hundreds of participants at the organised protest on Tuesday. People stood chanting in the street, occasionally sitting in the road and temporarily halting buses and traffic.
The shop was closed up and there were about 15 police officers standing nearby.
Some protesters kicked the shuttered storefront while others actively worked to calm feelings down.
The recurring sentiment from those gathered was that it was not the first time tensions had risen between the black community and some local shops.
Rye Lane Traders Association said it worked with the local community to make the area a "safe and pleasant place to visit and shop".
It said it could not comment further "at this time" because of the "ongoing police matter".
Marlon Kameka, a 40-year-old artist and youth worker who attended the protest, told BBC London: "There's a hierarchy in this country and, unfortunately, black women are always at the bottom of the hierarchy.
"I'm fed up with being on the street because I've seen a video of a black woman being abused by a man.
"The sad fact is, whenever I open social media, I should be prepared to see some kind of abuses being inflicted on a black person.
"I'm here not to speak up for myself, but to speak up for the black women and the black children who are coming up after us. We can't be scared to raise our voice because of what might happen."
Simone Goodys, who joined the protest, said that she was shocked and angry when she saw the viral video.
"It made me feel scared, and I was shocked as well because I come in this shop all the time," she said.
"This shop is targeted at black women. They sell all stuff for black women. We're the ones who come here and buy their stuff, but they don't respect us.
"They have no right to treat people like that."
After the protest, hand-written messages covered the shop's metal shutters.
One sign read "protect black women", while others contained strongly worded and offensive messages.
The Metropolitan Police and the London mayor have both said they understand why Londoners might be concerned about the footage, but urged people to remain calm.
Det Ch Supt Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, said: "I would like to thank local people for their patience as we work to establish the full circumstances around the allegations made.
"We continue to examine various clips of footage that depict small sections of the wider incident and are working to establish what offences were committed and by whom.
"My officers will be patrolling Rye Lane today to provide reassurance to the community."
He added: "I know that this incident will cause concern and I urge anyone who is worried to speak with their local policing team or with officers on patrol."
Harriet Harman, Labour MP for Camberwell
BBC
You decide whether this was excessive use of force by the shopkeeper/owner, or totally unjustified.
Would he have done the same if this was a white woman?
==
A 45-year-old man has been interviewed under caution by the Met Police after a video was circulated of a woman being restrained by a male shopkeeper.
Hundreds of people gathered to protest outside Peckham Hair and Cosmetics, in Rye Lane, on Tuesday where the woman had been accused of theft.
Chants of "you touch one, you touch all" were heard and signs held saying "keep your hands off black women".
The shopkeeper told the BBC the footage had been viewed "out of context".
He said the footage on social media was "cropped" and did not show the whole incident in full. The shop remains closed and shuttered.
A 31-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault on Tuesday and later released on bail.
People in Peckham were asked to remain calm after the video was circulated on social media.
The footage, which has been viewed more than a million times, appears to show a black woman inside the shop being grabbed by a much larger Asian man on Monday.
The woman struggled and hit the man with a shopping basket, which broke.
The man then held her by her arms and neck.
Speaking to the BBC after Monday's incident but before Tuesday afternoon's protest, the shopkeeper said the woman had become aggressive when she was refused a refund on products she had previously bought at the store.
"We do not give refunds, we exchange items or give a credit note. So she grabbed some stuff [three packs of hair with a total value of £24] from the shelf and tried to leave. She was leaving and I was stopping her.
"I was stopping her. She slapped me in the face and grabbed a shopping basket and hit me on the head. I don't know when my hand goes around her neck. I was keeping her neutralised. I did not hit her.
"The video was cropped. People are acting at the half truth".
Edilenny Dotel, who filmed the viral video while she was shopping in the store, said she had begun filming because she felt what was happening was "not fair".
"I felt horrible when I saw that in front of me," she told BBC London.
"[The man] saw me recording the video and I'm saying that I'm gonna call the police a few times.
"I'm a young girl. I was like 'imagine if that happened to me. I'm not gonna be okay with that. I would like to someone to share that on social media'."
The incident drew hundreds of participants at the organised protest on Tuesday. People stood chanting in the street, occasionally sitting in the road and temporarily halting buses and traffic.
The shop was closed up and there were about 15 police officers standing nearby.
Some protesters kicked the shuttered storefront while others actively worked to calm feelings down.
The recurring sentiment from those gathered was that it was not the first time tensions had risen between the black community and some local shops.
Rye Lane Traders Association said it worked with the local community to make the area a "safe and pleasant place to visit and shop".
It said it could not comment further "at this time" because of the "ongoing police matter".
Marlon Kameka, a 40-year-old artist and youth worker who attended the protest, told BBC London: "There's a hierarchy in this country and, unfortunately, black women are always at the bottom of the hierarchy.
"I'm fed up with being on the street because I've seen a video of a black woman being abused by a man.
"The sad fact is, whenever I open social media, I should be prepared to see some kind of abuses being inflicted on a black person.
"I'm here not to speak up for myself, but to speak up for the black women and the black children who are coming up after us. We can't be scared to raise our voice because of what might happen."
Simone Goodys, who joined the protest, said that she was shocked and angry when she saw the viral video.
"It made me feel scared, and I was shocked as well because I come in this shop all the time," she said.
"This shop is targeted at black women. They sell all stuff for black women. We're the ones who come here and buy their stuff, but they don't respect us.
"They have no right to treat people like that."
After the protest, hand-written messages covered the shop's metal shutters.
One sign read "protect black women", while others contained strongly worded and offensive messages.
The Metropolitan Police and the London mayor have both said they understand why Londoners might be concerned about the footage, but urged people to remain calm.
Det Ch Supt Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, said: "I would like to thank local people for their patience as we work to establish the full circumstances around the allegations made.
"We continue to examine various clips of footage that depict small sections of the wider incident and are working to establish what offences were committed and by whom.
"My officers will be patrolling Rye Lane today to provide reassurance to the community."
He added: "I know that this incident will cause concern and I urge anyone who is worried to speak with their local policing team or with officers on patrol."
Harriet Harman, Labour MP for Camberwell
BBC
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