London slaves part of former Marxist/Maoist collective
Keith | 26.11.2013 21:11 | Culture | Repression | Liverpool | London
A married couple suspected of holding three women as slaves for more than 30 years are former Maoist activists Aravindan Balakrishnan and his wife Chanda, the BBC understands.
According to Marxist archives they were leading figures at the Mao Zedong Memorial Centre based in Acre Lane, Brixton, south London, in the 1970s.
It was raided by police and five people, including the pair, were held.
Mr Balakrishnan, 73, and his 67-year-old wife were arrested on Thursday. Three women were rescued from their home in Brixton a month earlier.
The couple has been linked to 13 addresses across London, the Met has confirmed. The force would not confirm or deny their names.
Police carried out house-to-house inquiries in and around Peckford Place, Brixton - where the women were rescued - over the weekend.
Officers said the women had suffered years of "physical and mental abuse".
They lived together as a "collective" after two of the women met the man through a "shared political ideology".
It is thought Mr Balakrishnan left the Communist Party in 1974 to set up splinter group, which was based at Acre Lane, Brixton. The building was used as a bookshop and political commune.
More here as there is nothing on Indymedia so far:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25084830
Walker Way
It was raided by police and five people, including the pair, were held.
Mr Balakrishnan, 73, and his 67-year-old wife were arrested on Thursday. Three women were rescued from their home in Brixton a month earlier.
The couple has been linked to 13 addresses across London, the Met has confirmed. The force would not confirm or deny their names.
Police carried out house-to-house inquiries in and around Peckford Place, Brixton - where the women were rescued - over the weekend.
Officers said the women had suffered years of "physical and mental abuse".
They lived together as a "collective" after two of the women met the man through a "shared political ideology".
It is thought Mr Balakrishnan left the Communist Party in 1974 to set up splinter group, which was based at Acre Lane, Brixton. The building was used as a bookshop and political commune.
More here as there is nothing on Indymedia so far:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25084830 Walker Way
Keith