Toyin Agbetu

Who is Toyin Agbetu?

Toyin Agbetu is a British African social rights activist and founder of the Pan-African group Ligali. Agbetu emerged on the international stage on March 27, 2007, during a Westminster Abbey church service held to recognize the 200th anniversary of the abolition of Great Britain's involvement in the slave trade. Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance at the commemorative event, which marked the British government's 1807 decision to end the Atlantic Slave Trade, although slavery in British colonies would continue until 1834.

In a dramatic display, Agbetu slipped past security guards at the 2007 service and strode into the open area in front of the church altar, standing three metres away from the queen and shouting that the service was an insult to those of African heritage, and which he called in subsequent interviews a self-congratulatory exercise for those who promote oppression and those who continued to prevent the social and intellectual freedom of oppressed peoples. As quoted in major media, he yelled at the queen: "’You should be ashamed. We should not be here. This is an insult to us. I want all the Christians who are Africans to walk out of here with me!’". He was later wrestled to the floor by security guards and removed from the church. Subsequently, a storm of media interest erupted, much of it negative. Undaunted, Agbetu continues to strive for a Pan-African voice for the oppressed.