8th April 2009
Apparent Police Assault on Man at G20
By Mark Hanson.
The video footage, shown right, is highly disturbing. The full details are not yet known, but a number of issues are clearly evident.
The man, Ian Tomlinson, was walking away from the police with his hands in his pockets. He was neither aggressive nor abusive in this footage. It has been stated that he was not actually involved in the protests, but was walking home from work.
What is shown is apparent police brutality. The assault may or may not have contributed to his death. What is of high concern, however, is the repeated police claims that they did a good job. There have been many protestations against the police accounts and verdict, and with each passing day further evidence appears to suggest the police committed major failures.
Our prayers must be with Ian Tomlinson’s family who are understandably distraught and want answers.
Rabel supports the decision by the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) to hold an inquiry independent of the police. They have clearly stated that this is a criminal investigation. If the alleged assault and subsequent death of Mr. Tomlinson are found to be linked, it is in all probability manslaughter, and both the individual officers involved, and the police as a whole, should be called to account.
There is real danger here. The tempers of many are already hot from the police conduct. I am glad that there has not been any violence in protest of this, but the footage is shocking. In order for peace to be preserved in this nation, justice must be done, and be seen to be done. This sort of conduct cannot be allowed to go past without serious questions being raised, which should include the individual officers’ conduct, the police policies in force and the involvement of Government members in directing police policy.
There is a definition of a police state. It is when the police cease to be the defenders of freedom and protest, but become the enemy. We may have crossed that line.
Additional comment (9th April 2009):
It is very clear that the police official account of the tragic death was misinformation, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It is deeply worrying that the truth is only now being admitted after the footage was released by the Guardian. That the investigation was being carried out by City of London officers until after the footage was released is also disturbing.
But today I have seen a glimmer of light. Having had opportunity to read the Times newspaper, which is right wing and generally supportive of British Police, I was struck that the leader article was severely critical of the police. It may be that Mr. Tomlinson has become, albeit unwittingly and unwillingly, the necessary martyr that saves, for the time being, civil liberties in the UK.
