Watch: Brixton remembers nail bombing that started London spree 25 years ago

A memorial service last week remembered those affected by a series of nail bombings which began in Brixton 25 years ago.

On Wednesday (April 17), council leaders, MPs and residents of Lambeth gathered at the site of the first nail bomb in Electric Avenue, marking the anniversary.

The memorial included poems and speeches from those who were there at the time. Three candles were lit to symbolise the three communities attacked and three lives lost.

Mayor of Lambeth Cllr Sarbaz Barnji, who attended the memorial, said: “It was a tragic event that affected communities across London and 25 years on we still feel that tragic event. But we are here, we have progressed a lot and we do not take anything for granted.”

What were the London nail bombings?

On April 17, 1999 the first of three nail bombs was set off by David Copeland in Brixton on Electric Avenue, next to the Iceland supermarket.

Over three consecutive weekends, two further nail bombs went off in Brick Lane on April 24 and in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho on April 30, targeting ethnic minorities and those from the gay community.

In total, 140 people were injured and, at the Soho pub bombing, Nik Moore, 31, John Light, 32 and Andrea Dykes, 27, who was pregnant at the time, were killed.

In 2000, Copeland was jailed for life.

Hate crime awareness

Every year, the charity National Hate Crime Awareness Week runs the 17-24-30 remembrance events to mark each anniversary. Director Mark Healey, who organised the memorials, said he hopes the events will educate more people about the impact of hate crime.

Mr Healey said: “I think the attacks had a devastating impact on the survivors, the families and friends, the people who lost loved ones and it is something they carry every year.

“The significance of the act of remembrance is an opportunity for the community to remember those we lost and to stand in solidarity with those that need our ongoing support, but also to educate future generations and involve people in tackling hate crime across all our communities.”

Two more memorials are set to be held on April 24 in Brick Lane and April 30 in Soho.