Stephen Lawrence's parents 'disgusted' by racist attack on his memorial

Vandals hurling bricks yesterday broke the glass front of a £10 million youth centre built to commemorate him.

The attack, just a week after the centre opened, caused over £100,000 damage.

Doreen Lawrence said: "This was a deliberate racist attack on me, Stephen and my family.

"I'm completely knocked sideways. These people are trying to send a message saying 'We're still here.'"

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The centre in Deptford is designed to help disadvantaged young people.

Stephen's father Neville said: "It's disgusting that people can be so vicious and unable to learn."

The centre was unveiled by Mrs Lawrence with London Mayor Ken Livingstone last Thursday in memory of her student son, stabbed to death by a racist gang 15 years ago.

Scotland Yard is treating the vandalism as racially motivated.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's hate crimes unit are investigating CCTV footage and DNA tests are being carried out on the bricks.

Mr Livingstone said he was also disgusted by the vandalism - carried out 11 years to the day after a jury at Stephen's inquest found he had been killed in a "completely unprovoked racist attack by five white youths".

The centre stands a few miles from the bus stop in Eltham where 18-year-old Stephen died in April 1993.

A memorial plaque at the murder scene has also been repeatedly vandalised and daubed in racist graffiti.

One theory is that the attack was a message of defiance from supporters of the five suspects blamed for Stephen's murder, who are still being investigated by police.

Following a forensic breakthrough revealed by the Mail last November, hopes are rising that the killers may soon brought to justice.

A Met Police spokesman said officers were called at 5.45am following reports that six large windows had been broken.

He added: "The incident is being treated as racial. That follows an allegation by a member of the public. The incident is being investigated by our hate crime unit at Lewisham CID."

Karin Woodley, chief executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, said it was the fourth time the building had been attacked, with the incidents starting last October.

But she said the latest attack was by far the worst, adding: "It is a very sad day for the trust as a whole and for Stephen's family."

On behalf of the family, she said: "They are devastated but this won't hinder the work of the charity."

Miss Woodley said that Mrs Lawrence, a member of the centre's senior management team, was too upset to comment.

"She feels great sadness like we all do but this has also reinforced her determination," Miss Woodley added.

Lawrence family lawyer Imran Khan said: "I think this is awful and just shows there are still people out there who have a problem with racism and with those who value diversity."

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said: "It is despicable that some twisted person would want to vandalise the centre."

The centre offers courses aimed at disadvantaged young people aged 14 to 25.

These include science, technology, engineering and maths, design, architecture and computer skills.

Stephen had wanted to become an architect before his life was cut short.

The Macpherson report into the murder case found the inquiry had been hampered by institutional racism in the police.