Blackpool protest rally planned on the Comedy Carpet for dogs Marshall and Millions killed by Met Police

Marshall and Millions, two Staffordshire bull terriers, were gunned down in the capital earlier this month by Metropolitan Police officers after reports that the pair had mauled a woman moments earlier.

Their owner, homeless man Louie Turnbull, 46, who was tasered and arrested, has appeared in court charged with being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control. But protests and vigils are being held across the country in support of the dogs, calling for the police officers who killed them to face justice.

Where will the vigil for Marshall and Millions be held in Blackpool?

The Blackpool protest will be held on the Comedy Carpet on Sunday, June 4, at 1pm. The event is supported by Visit Blackpool and will be attended by animal lovers from the area.

A poster for the protest which is currently circulating on Facebook read: “Enough is Enough – Marshall and Millions Army. RIP Marshall and Millions. Murdered by the police with no justification at all. We deserve better. Police brutality is not justice. It is a betrayal of the very values that law enforcement is supposed to uphold – fairness, equality and respect for dignity” – The People.

Petition reaches a million signatures

The Met Police said its Directorate of Professional Standards conducted a thorough review of the incident, including all of the available body worn footage, and was satisfied there were no concerns around officer conduct.

A petition calling for justice for Marshall and Millions has also been set up, with more than 1,172,028 people calling for action.

Sadie Geoghegan-Dann, who started the petition, wrote: "The Metropolitan Police are attempting to justify the barbaric killing of two dogs in Tower Hamlets, London, on the afternoon of Sunday 7th May, 2023.

"In a statement, the Met Police claim the 'aggressive behaviour of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them'. And yet, concrete video evidence all over social media shows these dogs to be under control and on leads with their owner. Yes, these dogs are barking and reacting to the police, but any normal dog would do the same when being approached by multiple armed, vocal people in uniform, surrounding them in such a threatening manner.

What happened?

The incident, which was caught on camera, took place on the evening of Sunday 7 May in East London.

In the footage, a man is seen holding both dogs on a lead as he walks by a canal. An officer tells the man they “need to assess your dogs and assess you” while the dogs bark. The incident escalates before both dogs are shot dead.

The Met Police said they had responded to reports of a woman being attacked by a dog in Commercial Road. While at the location they witnessed “the aggressive behaviour of two dogs” which was of “considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them”.

The incident, which took place at 5.30pm, was filmed by onlookers in surrounding buildings. A 25-year-old woman who recorded the incident and posted it on Twitter, said: "It didn't seem proportionate. It is beyond belief. It was so shocking. I didn't realise it was a proper gun until the dogs were just lying completely out on the ground.”

She said she saw the dogs bleeding and that she’d “never seen anything like that”.

“You hear of these things happening in America but not here. Whatever had happened, it's not an excuse for it to end like that,” she added. “Some of the other neighbours were shouting 'it's disgusting' and 'we're not in America'."