The Mangrove Nine were a group of Black British activists who were tried for inciting a riot at a protest in 1970, against police targeting of the Mangrove Restaurant, Notting Hill, in west London.

The trial of the black activists lasted for 55 days resulted in the Mangrove Nine being acquitted on the serious charges. The trial became the first acknowledgment of this behavior motivated by racial hatred with the Metropolitan police.

Many black intellectuals and activists used the Mangrove Restaurant as a meeting place for the black community. The restaurant was constantly raided by the police on the grounds that they were looking for drugs on the premises. In response to this, the black community got together to stage a protest on August 9, 1970.

One hundred and fifty people marched to the police station, which sparked violence between the police and protestors. racial hatred under the Race Relations Act and deportation under new immigration rules, they were tried for incitement to riot. The case was initially thrown out by the presiding magistrate, who found that evidence from twelve police officers showed they equated black radicalism with criminal intent, however, later the Director of Public Prosecutions reinstated the charges and the Mangrove Nine were re-arrested in a series of dawn raids.

The members of the Mangrove nine included: Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Frank Critchlow, Rhodan Gordan, Darcus Howe, Anthony Innis, Althea Jones LeCointe, Rothwell Kentish, and Godfrey Millet.

Sixty-three candidate jurors were rejected for the trial, however, when the final selection was made, two of the twelve jurors selected were black. The trial which lasted for 55 days resulted in all of the Mangrove Nine being cleared of all charges. The judge said that both sides, showed evidence of racial hatred, a statement which the Metropolitan Police denied and wanted it to be withdrawn.

sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/nov/29/mangrove-nine-40th-anniversary