Ghanaian-British artist Fuse ODG has reportedly been a victim of racial profiling and police brutality in an incident in the United Kingdom on Feb 28, 2023.The T.I.N.A singer was violently handcuffed and dragged out of his car by UK police in Brixton over the alleged smell of cannabis in a video which has since gone viral online.In the said video which he shared on his Instagram account, Fuse ODG can be seen and heard resisting the officers but was eventually overpowered. He was accompanied by a business partner at the time.The artist has also described the incident as an act of racial profiling by UK law enforcers.
In the video, Fuse ODG can be heard questioning the officers and asking if they had a warrant.
The officers claimed they handcuffed him to prevent him from harming himself by potentially grabbing and swallowing drugs.
Subsequently, the officers searched the car and found no drugs, which led to Fuse ODG and his friends being allowed to go.
The artist shared the details of the event on his social media platforms, expressing his exhaustion from witnessing similar videos and the embarrassment he felt.
Fuse ODG mentioned that the incident occurred on February 28, 2023. He revealed that he spent six hours in the emergency room due to the tightness of the handcuffs and experienced neck and back pain in the following weeks.
He emphasized that incidents like this are unfortunately common for many people growing up in the UK, even after the George Floyd case.
“The sad reality is that as a black man living in this system, it doesn’t matter how much money you make or the positive impact that you have on the world, they still only see you as one thing,” a portion of his post read
Fuse ODG acknowledged the prevalence of videos showing police officers mistreating black children in the UK and mentioned that he often receives requests for help from victims.
“In the past months, we have seen so many videos of police officers beating up and even kneeling on our black children in the UK. I know because a lot of the time they come to me for help,” the singer pointed out.
Further revealing that “This isn’t the first time this has happened to me or @mrhackett1. At one point, it was almost a weekly occurance. The difference is that at this stage in life, we are now in the position to have the resources at our disposal to deal with these issues differently. We have filed a formal complaint with the @metpolice_uk and we are very grateful to @tundeokewale of @UrbanLawyers who has come to stand in the gap for us.
While Fuse ODG and his business partner have filed a formal complaint with the Metropolitan Police in the UK, they expressed skepticism about receiving justice from the system. They highlighted the importance of maintaining confidence, identity, and dignity in the face of such incidents.
