Rye Lane in south London’s Peckham is a lively place day and night, but yesterday evening the atmosphere was distinctly ugly. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a store to protest about a shopkeeper’s treatment of a customer, who was accused of theft. A viral video, filmed inside Peckham Hair and Cosmetics on Monday, shows why they are angry: a black woman is seen being manhandled by an Asian employee.

The circumstances of what unfolded are unclear; some reports suggest the woman was trying to return some items but was told she couldn’t and attempted to leave. Her path was blocked by the shopkeeper and a fight between the two broke out. As the woman struggles, she smashes the man with a shopping basket; he then restrains the lady, holding her by her arms and neck.

The shopkeeper insists the footage has been taken out of context: ‘We do not give refunds, we exchange items or give a credit note. So she grabbed some stuff (three packs of hair with a total value of £24) from the shelf and tried to leave. She was leaving and I was stopping her.’

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the incident and bailed. A man has also been interviewed under caution by officers. But while the police investigation into what unfolded is at an early stage, many locals in Peckham appear to have already made up their mind about what happened.

The shop remains boarded up this morning, its shutters festooned with posters condemning the store and the actions of the shopkeeper. ‘You choked her, for what?’, reads one poster. ‘Respect existence or expect resistance’, says another.

Other posters point to simmering tensions in the area: ‘It’s not just this store, it’s all of them on the strip!! Black owned only’; ‘If you have been assulted (sic) by any store in Peckham contact Raspact Rebellion’.

Protesters gathered outside the store on Rye Lane (Credit: YouTube)

Politicians, including London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, are appealing for calm. ‘I know Londoners are concerned by the recent events in a shop in Peckham. I’m in touch with the Met Police and am urgently seeking further information,’ Khan said. Local MP Harriet Harman has asked for an ‘urgent report’ from police.

Other organisations are wading in. The Runnymede Trust, which describes itself as ‘The UK’s leading independent race equality think tank’ and says it has sought to ‘Dismantl(e) systemic racism since 1968, appears to have come to a firm conclusion about what happened:

‘We’re absolutely horrified by the recent incident at Peckham Hair & Cosmetics. We must work to root out the violence against Black women which is so normalised in our society. Sending our love and solidarity to the victim; we hope she’s safe and surrounded by community.’

This morning, a police car sits outside the shop: two officers watch the gathering crowd closely. A woman with a baby strapped to her holds a placard saying: ‘Protect black women’. She told The Spectator she was there to ‘raise awareness’ about the incident and speak up for black women.

More and more signs are being plastered over the shuttered shop. The messages make it clear how hard it will be for Peckham Hair and Cosmetics to reopen. ‘Facists (sic) out now: do not buy from this store’; ‘Closing down’; ‘Shut it down’.

This shop has been a fixture of Rye Lane for many years. But this ugly incident and the resulting backlash could mean it is forced to close for good.