[Closed] G20 Protest death - Ian Tomlinson - have we done this yet?

I must admit that that appears pretty clear cut.
Will this be the Met's Rodney King?

to the MET I am sure its clear cut, he backed into their batons and threw himself to the ground.

case closed.

What has happened seems very clear cut. Lets see what a court decides....
.
I do want to know, why he was there anyway, why he did not walk away from the police etc. If it was me, next to a big protest, having already been harassed by the police earlier (as he reportedly was), I would have left the area, and moved out the way rapidly when asked. Strolling in front of them at slow speed does not seem a good response. (this question in no-way detracts from what appears to have been inflicted on him BTW)

So, a deliberate act of aggression has possibly contributed to the death of someone who was clearly not braking any laws.

What's the legal standpoint on that one?

Any amount of money anyone cares to wager that NO policemen will be prosecuted, charged, or in any way held accountable despite, (and I'm guessing here) an initial criminal trial, a commission/inquest of some sort under some peer of the realm, and another private trial bought by relatives, which will find the Met guilty of some feeble lack of duty of care offense..?

the police do not appear to have told any actual lies

How about, that demonstrators wouldn't allow medics through - sure that isn't a lie ? From that video it would appear that only the demonstrators helped the poor guy, even though he wasn't one of them. The police stood inches away doing nothing.

I agree, that was scary scary stuff. I've never seen masked police before, wtf is all that about - the need to hide their faces ? And if you look in the slow motion bit at the force being used by the copper against a man slowly walking with his hands in his pockets - it's quite frankly unbelievable 😯

And I've never seen more than the odd dog at a demo either. Those coppers looked like nothing more than thugs itching for a fight.

Whether that video was actually of Ian Tomlinson or not is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. It clearly shows thugs assaulting an innocent man - whoever he was.

**** that, that's made me make up my mind to [i]definitely[/i] go on the next demo, whenever that is - time to reclaim our streets from thugs and not let the fukkers get away with it, I fear 🙁

I'm getting a bit sick of living in a police state... time to emigrate I think before it all kicks off in a big way.

The masks are fire proof balaclavas same as the rest of the underwear. From what that video shows it does look like someone lost their cool. I don't see how he needed to be shoved like that, even though he looked as though he was being a bit of an awkward bugger.

that is not good but and it seems impossible to defend the hitting of a man walking away from doing something perfectly legal with his hands in his pockets .... about as un threatening as can be really.
All sure FA will come as a result of this shamefull act
Whether it contributed to his death I am unqualified to comment.
EDIT : Is it a shove or a baton hit or a bit of both?

Filthy; so you'd abandon your country?

Filthy; so you'd abandon your country?

Damn right I've been thinking about it for the past few years, tbh its the weather aswell, I'd like to live somewhere that has proper seasons. Quite fancy the idea of living in the NZ alps, open a little bike shop while the wife runs a cafe.

Or maybe I'm just trying to get out of paying my student loans back 😉

The masks are fire proof balaclavas same as the rest of the underwear.

So how come they weren't wearing full riot gear then ? I've been at the scene of some pretty hairy riots but I've never seen coppers cover their faces like that - although obviously in the case of the ones in full riot gear their faces aren't easily seen.

BTW Filthy, despite this incident, British police are still amongst the very best in the world.
In fact uniquely renowned for their very [i]British[/i] "Softly Softly" approach to policing.

.

Well at least they [i]used to be[/i]

🙁

The way in which I see it, is that the Police Officer lost their cool at a man who clearly seems to be taking the piss by walking far too slow when being asked to move on. Pushing him over may seem harsh but I wouldn't like to be a PC, having to deal with all the scum who go round damaging property etc for what they say is a good cause. I would have liked to see the water cannons used and have a zero tolerance on any civil disorder. Protests can be peaceful and should be. Damaging property an attacking the police only detracts from the message the good protesters where trying to get accross. Its a shame a man died but to blame it all on the police isn't realistic. He could have walked away quicker...

all the scum ......to blame it all on the police isn't realistic. He could have walked away quicker...

Thank you for pointing that out to me 2hottie and restoring my faith in the police - I knew that there was probably something which I had missed.

That's a relief .....

Well, what a refreshing, open-minded and intelligent post form 2hottie.

Restores my faith in our democracy.

zero tolerance on any civil disorder.(.....)He could have walked away quicker...

Protests can be peaceful and should be

Maybe (quite likely) they used too much force to push him over, but its pretty clear they didn't mean to kill him.

I just hope that after the protests they acted properly and there wasn't a cover up etc..

Protests can be peaceful and should be.

Why?

The state has the monopoly on violence. It enforces this, inter alia, through the acitons of its police force. Sometimes, the people have speak the same language.

I'm with BD (and, sadly, increaingly with Filthy) on this: it's the ultimate abuse of power, and so the most frightening.

Yeah, what you and me missed RudeBoy, is that the bloke was taking the p1ss.

Everyone knows that when you're confronted by riot police you should look at them face to face in an aggressive confrontational manner and preferably, screaming abuse.

To quietly and causally walk away from them, hands in pockets, in a nonchalant manner, is clearly taking the p1ss. And you deserve to die.

Say what you will, I don't like the G20 protests or the protesters for that matter. Police get too much crap for what is a VERY tough job, I admit there not all perfect however it seems everyone has a dislike to them for some reason or another. Id like to see a society without them, o yeah that was crap to. In terms of freedom of speach, you can have all you want as no one will listern anyway. So why waste your time protesting.

Yeah you're right 2hottie, "everyone has a dislike to them" ..... including me. That's why I wrote, quote :

[i]"despite this incident, British police are still amongst the very best in the world.
In fact uniquely renowned for their very British "Softly Softly" approach to policing."[/i]

Oh dear...

2hottie - you are comparing apples and oranges.

You cannont, on one hand, write off the G20 protests on a principle wide basis, but then develop support for the police on an individual basis.

Id like to see a society without them, o yeah that was crap to.

The anarchists of Spain seemed to do a pretty good job of collective order. Sadly, that well known upholder of freedom, Franco, put paid to that.

In terms of freedom of speach, you can have all you want as no one will listern anyway. So why waste your time protesting

Because then you'll have no freedom of speech, perhaps, and then you'll have no freedom?

Thankfully, there are those with slightly more sophistictaed views, which uphold these rights you apparently despise, so that you can carry on despising them. I rarely insult people on here, but stupidity - and worse still ignorance - doesn't help your cause.

Police covering their faces with riot fire proof protective gear. They will be easily identifiable by their shoulder numbers.
2 hottie ... agree, good on you.

Bangs head against wall. OP, you are a typical Guardian (groaner) reader

2 hottie ... agree, good on you.

He could have walked away quicker...

I'm sickened that anyone can defend this point of view - truly scary.

Here you are accusing me of stupidity and ignorance when I have only voiced an alternative point of view. The entirity of this string is based on a snippet of video of a much larger and longer running incident. Unless you were there either as the Police or as a protestor in that moment and directly preceeding it you cannot comment on whether excessive force was used and if Mr Tomlinson wasn't really all that innocent. It is extremely conveniant for the media to show Police in this manner attacking a seemingly defenceless man who was doing nothing more than walk down the street with his hands in his pockets. They don't comment on the four or five bobbies who try to push him out of the way first using less force do they! He would have been very aware if the Police by this point.

I may have opinions that you don't agree with but to base your opinions solely on a small piece from a media group - who's sole aim is to sell papers, then surely that it far more ignorant than I!

have to agree that the guy looked like he was trying to be awkward. if i'd already been harrassed by the police, and if i were in the no-mans land between the police and the protestors, i'd not stick around.
its no excuse though. it was pretty harsh of the police.

however, i don't believe in the slightest that there was any intention of the policeman to kill the guy. there must be less than a 1 in a million chance of someone who has fallen/been knocked over dieing.

the police had a job to do there, which was, i assume, controlling a protest/riot/whatever it was. that guy just seemed to be getting in their way and causing an obstruction.

i'm sure someone'll get on their high-horse about what i just said... meh.
😉

RudeBoy - Member
Filthy; so you'd abandon your country?

+1

It's not the country I grew up in any more...

You'd have to be very brave indeed (and clever) to make a difference now.

And when you flame me, also suggest [i]how[/i] one could make a difference!

The police were fairly quick with a news release condemning the actions of the protesters in this incident - & gave the impression that they were simply trying to help him

'It's not the country....'
I've witnessed police brutality on every demonstration I've been on since Grosvenor Square in 1969. It's always been like that, it's what they're trained to do.

all the scum ......to blame it all on the police isn't realistic. He could have walked away quicker...

Does that mean if someone is ambling in my way in the street I can give them a good shove in the back and it's all ok???

There are plenty of other things the police could have done, including stopping him and at the worst arrest him for loitering or even obstruction of an officer. Assault was unnecessary and should be punished in a criminal case

It's always been like that

I don't agree. For a start British police never had any riot gear in 1969. Even during the Brixton riots, the police never had/owned any riot gear. Things have changed. And don't like it - this is Britain not the United States 🙁

word association.....

cat, dog

dog, police dog

police dog, police

police, ****s

I've witnessed police brutality on every demonstration

it's what they're trained to do

Of course its what they're trained to do - how else would they know what to do.
And as for brutality... would you rather the Police Officers saunter up to people in the street and in their best most politest manner tap the protestor on the shoulder and quietly ask them if they wouldn't mind awfully leaving. Followed by an explaination of how they're only doing their job and it would make them look much better to their bosses if people did what they asked.

lol the British Police really would be the laughing stock of the World!

2Hottie I could almost take you seriously had you mastered the elementary rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar, not to say imagination and independent thought.

Things have changed. And don't like it

Well Grizzlygus, when you come off your bike in the middle of the hillside and the Police and Mountain Rescue utilise cell siting to find you location to within a mile and then put on their top of the line outdoor gear, locate you, place you in a helicopter and fly you to hospital. This probably wouldn't have happened in 1969 either, but I'm damn sure you wouldn't protest against their support in this matter.

Things have changed, equipment has improved, Officers get hurt so they are given the appropriate equipment for the job in hand, much like builders have to wear hardhats and safety boots, Police Officers have helmets and flame retardent overalls and stab vests. The right tool for the right job, so to speak.

The entirity of this string is based on a snippet of video of a much larger and longer running incident. Unless you were there either as the Police or as a protestor in that moment and directly preceeding it you cannot comment on whether excessive force was used

Not sure where a reference to anarchist Zaragosa comes into your asumptions.

For me, assuming that the state (and with it its police force, natch) is entirely benign [i]is[/i] ignorant of precisely what can happen when the state exercise its ultimate abuse of power by turning on its citizens.

You are correct that we do not have the full picture on this incident, but taken in the context of the video alone and the resultant death of this man, we have to quesiton whether we onsider an individual's (potential) awkwardness to be suitable for violent treatment, which allagedly cost him his life.

My point is simple: leave out the context here, and look at the princle. Is it right that the police as a body (leaving aside individual coppers) use volence against its citizens? If yes, where is the line drawn - what threat must the citizens have to the state to justify lethal force?

In my view, awkwardness does not justify that.

By all means attack my spelling, punctuation and grammar, but you can hardly criticise me for lack of imagination and independant thought considering I'm one of the few who has actually considered this from an alternate angle. Besides I thought my post concerning an alternative way of handling a protest was rather imaginative 🙂

Wow 2hottie this just gets better - you do know that the Police and Mountain Rescue are two separate entities right?

Very much so, I'm also aware that they work together and Mountain Rescue is sometimes staffed by volunteer off duty Police Officers, my point was about advancements in technology not the finer points of responsibilty for mountain sides.

What about Grampian Police Mountain Rescue Team, Strathclyde Police Mountain Rescue Team, and Tayside Police Mountain rescue Team?

What about Grampian Police Mountain Rescue Team, Strathclyde Police Mountain Rescue Team, and Tayside Police Mountain rescue Team?

I don't know, do they beat up innocent protestors?

LOL ! that's [b]exactly[/b] what I meant 2hottie !

I wasn't referring to 'attitudes', I was referring purely to 'equipment' !

Because as everybody knows there was no riot equipment available anywhere in the world at the time of the Brixton riots - no full protective clothing, shields, face visors, etc, etc,

LOL !

Ourmaninthenorth, taking away the principle and discussing context then. Yes the Police should, and do need to use violence against citizens who are displyaing active resistance towards them. As clearly documented in law Police Officers can use reasonable force, ultimately the decision on what is reasonable does come down to the individual Officer at the time. Should a decision be made that is incorrect then the Officer will be dealt with firstly under Police Regulations and should it be decided that criminal proceedings should be taken then they will.
Even the thought that some believe that the option to use force when faced with violence and agression (be it active of passive) should be taken away scares me more than the thought of facing up to a mob of angry protestors.

Dunno, there aren't many protests up here.

violence and agression (be it active of passive)

What's passive aggression?

Passive-aggressive behavior is passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following through with expectations in interpersonal or occupational situations. It can manifest itself as learned helplessness, procrastination, stubbornness, resentment, sullenness, or deliberate/repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-aggressive_behavior

Should people get beaten up/killed for that too? Surely you must be a troll.

BTW 2hottie, where do you get the idea that you have "independant thought" ?

As far as I can see, your opinions come straight out of The Sun .......

Policing is a tough job but let's not forget that sometimes they get it wrong.

[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cases_of_police_brutality [/url]

Should a decision be made that is incorrect then the Officer will be dealt with firstly under Police Regulations and should it be decided that criminal proceedings should be taken then they will.

No it wont, I imagine it will be swept under the carpet and no charges pressed like the one who managed to shoot an innocent man 7 times in the face. I'm guessing from your tone 2hottie that you are one of Gordons secret police, KGB, gestapo, whatever, its all been done before and I dont like seeing it happen in this country.

Opinions from the Sun lol
If you actually thought about my opinions you could probably see where my allegiance lies, and probably gives much more away about my lifestyle. Criticise me for not being quite so independant for having taken onboard a viewpoint to match my way of life, but from your posts then your opinions are just as un-indepedant as mine. There is very little independant thought truly left and instead we are all voicing our shared beliefs - fun isn't it!

Anyway, my new film rental came through the post today and I'm quite looking forward to it 😉 Nighty night xo xo

I cannot believe anyone is actually trying to defend that one policemans action, he acted like a thug and he should be charged with manslaughter.The fact is there was 8 or so of them and he was not any risk to the officers or anyone else for that matter. And as for it is not an easy job they do well they picked it as a career if its too much chuck it and do something else. And I will not even comment on he could have moved out the way quicker.

As clearly documented in law Police Officers can use reasonable force, ultimately the decision on what is reasonable does come down to the individual Officer at the time.

😀

Gotta be a troll with that.

Opinions from the Sun lol

Sh1t damnit bollox, I got it wrong .......... it's the Daily Mail, isn't it ?

2hottie - Member

The way in which I see it, is that the Police Officer lost their cool at a man who clearly seems to be taking the piss by walking far too slow when being asked to move on.

I would have liked to see the water cannons used and have a zero tolerance on any civil disorder.

Its a shame a man died but to blame it all on the police isn't realistic. He could have walked away quicker...

Munqe-chick - Member

2 hottie ... agree, good on you.

So, munqe-chick; as a serving police constable, you agree that water cannon should be used on protesters, and that police are justified for pushing over a man walking away from them? And that he is to blame for his own death?

Nice to see an intelligent point of view, from one of Her Maj's Finest. Sure you're in the right line of work? 😉

Personally, I feel that if police are acting illegally, as they often do, then it is the right of any citizen, to resist, and defend themselves. If this involves the use of justifiable violence, so be it.

I was at a demo several years ago, taking pics. As I was walking along at the side, a senior copper suddenly shoved me very roughly, and screamed at me to 'get back over there'. I turned round, and said 'don't ****ing push me, you ****'. Cue, his attempt to arrest me. Fortunately, a lawyer working for Amnesty International, as well as several other people, had witnessed his unprovoked assault on me. The lawyer advised the copper, that were he to arrest me, that she would stand up in court and give evidence against him, in any trial brought on by a complaint from me, for the assault.

The thug let go of me, and wandered off, knowing he would be screwed.

I appreciate the police have a very tough job to do, and by and large, they do it admirably. But there are occasions, as seen recently, where they abuse the powers given them by the State. Their job is to uphold Law and Order, and to protect Society. They would be mindful to always remember this. They are public servants, not the Government's private army.

Either the officer or his superiors should be held resopnsible for their actions. If I made a mistake at work and no one spotted it and someone died, then ultimately someone would be held responsible.

I'm not anti-police, in fact in some cases I think they do a very good job, however in this case it certainly appears that they have abused their power and have not been restrained as anyone in their position should be, and for this reason someone has died, therefore people should be held responsible for the manslaughter.

How even a Daily Mail reading idiot could think they are in the right in this case - from that video - is beyond me. Whatever happened before or after it. Of course it's possible that someone could be so entrenched in their anti-Guardian views as to dismiss anything circulated by them....

I am in same opinion as 2hottie that the g20 protesters are scum, but this guy was doing nothing wrong & the fact that the cop that hits him has to go round about 4 other officers to get to him & that he moves away in a hurry when he sees the cameras says a lot about the incident

Of course it's possible that someone could be so entrenched in their anti-Guardian views ...

Imagine putting a truncheon in 2hottie's hand and placing him in front of a Guardian reading protester ........... just imagine

.

....... what do you see ?

I am in same opinion as 2hottie that the g20 protesters are scum

Could you explain what exactly you don't like about the G20 protesters?

I have no axe to grind against the police. My dealings with them have been sparse and in the main, have been reasonable.

I personally think they policed the G20 reasonably well, particularly given the direction the protests could have gone if badly handled.

To me the issue is that like in any walk of life there are some bad apples. It does no-one any credit to overlook this. If the police close ranks and this doesn't get properly dealt with, they are all discredited by actions like this. Similarly if the collective 'we' overlook the fact that this was the action of one or at most a few officers, we too are discredited by that fact.

A man was playing up and being a nuisance without necessarily overstepping the line. A copper went too far in reaction. A man died, probably as a result. The copper / coppers responsible should be appropriately dealt with - including those (superiors?) whose inital response seems to have been to concoct a cover story about how the victim was prevented from getting the appropriate treatment.

It doesn't make this any more or less of a police state than it was last week, but unfortunately gives those who choose to make capital out of this incident chance to claim it with a bit more volume.

Shocking behaviour by the police but not entirely out of character. By all accounts the ipcc was about to say all was ok, until the 3 witnesses and video evidence were received at the last minute. Suddenly the new law to make it an offence video/photograph police all becomes clear.

So, munqe-chick; as a serving police constable, you agree that water cannon should be used on protesters, and that police are justified for pushing over a man walking away from them? And that he is to blame for his own death?

Nice to see an intelligent point of view, from one of Her Maj's Finest. Sure you're in the right line of work?

All too common amongst police officers these days. The standards have really slipped.

I would have liked to see the water cannons used and have a zero tolerance on any civil disorder.

Zero tolerance on any civil disorder until the day you may need to protest and do it yourself. I'm sure you'll have a witty answer along the lines "that you will never have to", but I do believe that any crystal balls you may have in your possession actually can't tell what the future will be.

And to think that our forefathers fought in WW2 to protect our freedoms, only for us to give them away, a bit at a time.

Actually, I must say that I believe Munque-chick to be an intelligent, thoughtful person, judging by comments she's made on here in the past. I do find it surprising that she appears to support the views of someone whose own views are dubious at best.

I'm sure she is someone capable of doing her job to the best of her abilities, and in accordance with the Law.

It does no-one any credit to overlook this. If the police close ranks and this doesn't get properly dealt with, they are all discredited by actions like this.

How very true.

Not only that, but it is only through showing that thuggery will not be tolerated in the police force, that the risk of such an incident re-occurring can be minimised.

If the police close ranks and there is a cover up, then it will [i]positively encourage[/i] further similar incidences.

I would be interested to know how munqe-chick would feel about other professions closing ranks. Maybe the medical profession closing ranks and covering up the incompetence of a doctor who is treating her .... or maybe her elderly parents ?

.

Some people don't seem to realise the importance of not covering up criminal activity. Sometimes grassing people up to the law is more important than so-called 'gang loyalty'.

Filthy - why do you think it would be any different in NZ ? I truly am intrugued. Do you think this country has no previous instances of police shooting and killing people - you might want to do some research first because funnily enough its a real country, with real people with real problems....you might be sorely disappointed I am afraid.

I walked past Starbucks on Cornhill today during lunch, saw the fresh flowers tied to the post, fleetingly read one of the cards and trundled back to my customer's office thinking that's a bit sad, wondering what exactly had transpired.

The footage is pretty indisputable: man fails to react to police for whatever reason, minimal-GCSE-equipped otherwise unemployable thug in fluo jacket and riot gear comes over all Judge Dredd and administers disproportionate response. Man wanders around for a bit, gets worked up thinking about what's just happened to him and passes away. Genuinely tragic.

I would comment on what'll happen in the coming days, but it's all to sadly predictable.

During the miner's strike, the local rumours up here (Co Durham at the time) were that the "riot police" were not everyday officers, but squaddies equipped with police uniforms and truncheons. I don't genuinely believe that to be the case, but I can see how footage like this can lead to that kind of belief.

Friends in various forces have said that riot training is specifically designed to work you up into a rage - to bring out primal fighting instincts. What a great way to dispel a tricky situation. 🙄

On the whole I think the police to a great job. But to try and defend the actions of this indvidual seems embarassing. I appreciate that we may not know all the evidence but could munque-chick (or any other serving officer) clarify whether they condone the officer's action within the known context of the video.

Thanks for the advice NZCol, I was of the mindset that "It cant be worse than here". Is it really worse than here, I doubt it, for a start you only have about 1/10 the population of the UK and from what I've heard from friends who have already emigrated they really enjoye the lifestyle out there. Now I dont expect to get away from all of lifes problems over here be it out of control youths, heavy handed police, crap weather* or whatever but I was hoping to find a bit less of it in NZ especially up in the mountains.

Anyway its just an option at the moment, I might find that dream job and lifestyle in this country.

crap weather*, ok the last few weeks have been an exception.

I still dont know why they dont have the G20 on an Oil Rig. All incidents like this solved.

or any other serving officer) clarify whether they condone the officer's action within the known context of the video.

yes, same as I said at tea time

yes, same as I said at tea time

Thanks thegreatape ..... that puts my mind at rest.

Yes - as in yes I am happy to say what I thought of that video (as per my tea time post), not yes I condone what he did.

To avoid any misunderstanding.

I believe, from what I heard the day after, that he was a local newsagent on his way home.

I suspect that he was looking intransigent because the police had taken him for a protester and wouldn't let him past (possibly also because he was a Millwall supporter!) - hence he was being slightly uncooperative.

It is a very bad day for the police.

I heard/saw plenty of reports about police bad behaviour, not to mention the "kettling" tactics which certainly involved keeping lots of middle aged,middle class peaceful protesters (clearly not hooligans) penned in for several (up to 8 ) hours.

Obviously the police denied any bad behaviour on their part, but once again they are caught out lying about what went on. Clearly there was one officer who was a thug, but look at the faces of the other 10 that saw what went on - they were all complicit. And what's worse, I'm sorry to say, is that I think they would all have stuck to the story about having to fight off protestors to help the guy who had "simply collapsed" if it hadn't been for this footage coming out.

The particular officer should be prosecuted for assault. The commanding officer in that unit should be sacked and the high command should be given a severe dressing down re' their tactics.

filthy - I wouldn;t say it is worse , definitely not. However depending on where you live etc there are social pressures and the police have a slightly chequered (recent) history. However as you correctly say there are only 4M people, 1.1M of which live in Akl so relatively there is less of 'everything'. Be that recalcitrant yoofs, boy racers, hoodlums, muggings etc. Fair enough if you ahev done your research and don;t have an expectation of it being all roses because its not.
Lifestyle is one thing but I am sure someone who lives in reasonably rural Scotland/Wales/England has a nice lifestyle, but then I also would expect that they would not have the same exposure to all the things that this thread talks about. So its swings and roundabouts really. Anyhoo your plan sounds lovely, let me know where you open your bike shop and I'll drop in 😉

filthy, the excellent film Once Were Warriors gives a different perspective on some of the social problems in NZ

I'm sure if I was going lawfully about my business using the Queens highway to return home and was unlawfully harassed or detained by police officers I would let them know they were not my favouite people.
I was disappointed to read Munque Chicks response as it was not what I would have expected from previous replies she has given on Policing matters. Shame on her.

the police officer in the footage did appear to respond strongly - right or wrong its not for me to say, ive only seen the short footage of the guy getting shoved, no-one on this forum knows the full story.

the important thing is that it appears that 99% of the police did an excellent job during the G20 protests, especially when compared with other forces across the EU. i think its a shame that this incident will damage the reputation of the police force.

it must be a tough job and people seem to be forgetting that there were protesters launching objects at the police and generally trying to provoke violence, so neither side is without blame.

and as for all the 'police state' bullsh1t, give it a rest hey? just sounds daft and detracts from the real issue.

just my 2p's worth

I am not sure I understand why what newspaper one reads has any particular bearing on this. The Guardian broke this because the chap who filmed the incident gave them the video (as I understand it). I suspect that newsagents who support Millwall are probably not typical Guardian readers, and I will be interested to see whether less "hand-wringing" newspapers reckon he got what was coming to him.

The possibility of being attacked by an armed and warranted state officer, on the spurious grounds that one's behaviour might strike him as "passive-aggressive" is sickening.

I fully understand that it is hard to be a police officer, that they do a demanding job, and that incidents of this sort are rare. That is good. To defend what appears in that video is very difficult. If there is in fact some context that justifies it, fine. But it had better be good. Otherwise, personally, I need to see that officer being dealt with, and I need the reassurance of knowing that he will not be anywhere near me, armed, masked and pumped up on adrenalin and hatred when I am trying to go about my lawful business.

😐