Interestingly I once got hit by riot police with a batten and a shield when I told them that the person they had under arrest wasn’t “struggling” he was fitting. I was told it was none of my business and when I suggested that his blue face suggested he’d be dead shortly I got hit and dragged away from the scene to a van, where I was promptly released by more professional coppers.
I have the utmost respect for the police and the work they do, working with them on a regular basis I can confirm that most of them are pretty sound, decent people. Unfortunately police tactics are often heavy handed, and once you get into an us vs them situation, people get aggresive.
I expect a lot of people got hit a bit harder than was nessercery that day. Some deserved it, some didn’t. I know some police got hit too, and though some of that might have been retaliation, most of it was probably just people trying to look hard by throwing stuff at the police.
The focus of the investigation should be less about one officer doing what hundreds have done before him, and more about the whole tactics of teh operation.
The individual officer doesn’t matter particuarly, much like the jean charled de menezes case, it doesn’t matter who puled the trigger, what matters is why did it happen.
For the family of the man who died, nothing will bring him back, but if his untimely death can make actual changes to overly aggressive police tactics then at least something has come out of all this.
Interestingly, I wonder wether his family were in support of the protests?
