By Dominic Webb and Evie Breese
Anti-SPAC Nation campaigners ramped up the pressure on the controversial church with second protest demonstration held in Croydon.
A group of approximately 25 protestors marched up Croydon High Street North End handing out leaflets and talking to members of the public about the dangers of SPAC Nation and telling their stories.
The protest ended inside the Whitgift Centre where campaigners, headed by TKay ‘Madmax’ Mukuna, heard a number of speeches.
Police were called to the previous rally on November 16, when protestors from the “Let the Youngers Go” campaign clashed with members of the SPAC Nation church near East Croydon train station.
The controversial church has been hit by numerous allegations of fraud, breaking charity regulations, and safeguarding abuses, and they are currently facing investigations by both the Metropolitan Police and Charities Commission.
Speaking to Eastlondonlines, Mukuna said the group wanted to “keep up the pressure” on the church.
“More (allegations) are coming out every day, more people are feeling comfortable enough to speak out and get out” he said.
However, Mukuna said that there are still some people who are so dependent on the church they are unable to leave.
Twenty-two-year-old Vilanda Nagyte was introduced to SPAC Nation by the father of her daughter. In her opinion, the media and general public are missing the “severity” of mental control exerted over member
“These people are really getting cut off from their families, they’re depressed inside. It’s the people that have given their whole lives, they are the only ones that are still there.”
Nagyte worked as an assistant to one of the pastors for a year, yet she never received any pay.
During this time, she lived at one of the organisation’s “trap houses”- safehouses run by the church for young people looking to escape gangs.
“They promised me a lot of things like money and a job, and I didn’t get any of that,” she said..
“I started seeing that they were corrupt, that they weren’t doing things by God… Plus they started saying they would take away my daughter and I wasn’t ok with that.”
Nagyte continues to support the “Let the Youngers Go” movement to encourage other people to leave the church.
Mukuna hopes to set up a charity to help ex-SPAC Nation members rebuild their lives. The response to his campaign has been hugely positive: “A lot of people have contacted me saying they can pay [the victims] debts, and with job offers,” he said.
The protest also heard from Reverend Olive Barnor, from Olive Tree Praise Church, who was there in support of the protest and to offer guidance to ex-Church members.
She told the protestors: “The Church has let you down… I am so upset because you could have been any of my children. You could have ended up in the wrong place, you could have been exploited.”
