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Police threatened G20 activists with Tasers
Justin Davenport, Martin Bentham and Kiran Randhawa20 Apr 2009
SCOTLAND Yard today admitted that Territorial Support Group officers pointed Taser stun guns in a raid on protesters connected with the G20
demonstration.
Two new videos show the protesters were lying on the ground with their hands in the air when police burst into the squat in east London.
The footage shows one officer pointing the 50,000-volt weapon at a group sitting on the floor of the Earl Street squat in Bishopsgate.
The videos have raised questions over whether the use of the Taser contravened police guidelines.
These state the weapon should only be drawn or fired when there is a risk of serious violence, for instance when a dangerous suspect is armed with a knife.
Scotland Yard said Tasers were not fired during the raid but were issued because of intelligence that they faced a serious threat.
Metropolitan Police Authority member Jenny Jones said she was concerned about the deployment of Tasers saying: “I would like to know if they went through all the correct procedures.”
Today the Met confirmed TSG officers led the raid on the squat.
A spokeswoman said: “A risk assessment was carried out to cover a dynamic entry into unknown properties and the nature of the intelligence police had relating to who may be inside. As a result Taser was authorised to be taken on the operation.”
Hannah McClure, 21, who was at the squat, said: “We sat on the floor with our hands up showing our peaceful intentions. Dozens of riot police entered. I remember seeing one officer with a Taser gun. He pointed it at us and yelled at us to lie face down and with arms stretched out. Very direct and abusive language was used.
“I heard one guy received more abuse because he was filming. They took the guy away and later I heard him yell, Help, I need a medic'.
“I lay on the ground for around 30 minutes and was then handcuffed, searched and detained on the suspicion of violent behaviour. I was left psychologically and emotionally drained, shocked at the tactics used by police. I feel legal action should be taken for this unnecessary and violent raid.”
Dom Marsh, 26, another demonstrator in the squat, said: “It was terrifying. They rushed in and one was carrying this Taser. He faced the room with his legs apart and was pointing it at people. We were all really shocked. One of the people next to me was filming it. He got hit with a baton. Anyone who was not lying on their front got hit.”
In a separate development today, one of Parliament's most senior MPs said police should be made to display their names as well as numbers to make them more easily accountable. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, also said this would “humanise” officers and improve relations with the public.
“We have to think about humanising the police and make them more accountable and that means showing their names, which are much easier for the public to remember.”
Mr Vaz's call came as MPs prepared to launch a new inquiry into the policing of public protests and a separate probe into the handling of cases by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The first inquiry will begin tomorrow when the IPCC's chairman Nick Hardwick and the new Chief Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor appear before the committee to face questioning about the G20 protests.
It is expected to be followed by further hearings if MPs agree more witnesses should give testimony on the police's controversial “kettling” tactic and alleged brutality by some officers.
The second inquiry into the operation and effectiveness of the IPCC will take place later this year, although Mr Hardwick will also be challenged about this during tomorrow's hearing.
Mr Vaz added he wanted to see a Parliamentary statement or debate on the G20 protests, but said the home affairs select committee hearings would help fill the void by allowing MPs to discuss police tactics.
“There have been calls for a public debate on this and Denis O'Connor has been asked to conduct a review by the Met, but Parliament should not be left out of this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the joint Human Rights Committee, which published a critical report into public order policing, is considering re-opening its inquiry in the wake of the G20 protests.
Reader views (23)
Blimey, imagine the fuss if he had actually fired the thing!
- Paul, London, 21/04/2009 09:40
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How long before Nu-Labour set up a Ministry Of Truth for 're-education'?
- George, London, 21/04/2009 09:30
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I am amazed at some of the comments here - from people who support a police state where anyone can be arrested on suspicion of anything the police care to trump up and where being somewhere the police think you shouldn't be, even if you are in fact going about your own business and legally entitled to be there, like Mr Tomlinson, (or Jean Charles de Menezes come to that) can result in assault by unaccountable policemen who have removed their id to conceal their own identity. Since when have the police assumed that assumed that every protest is a riot and every protestor potentially violent and fair game for police brutality?.
- Mrs Jackson, London England, 21/04/2009 09:10
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How anyone can find that police were wrong to threaten G20 protestors with Tasers or violence beats me. Anyone going to a G20 protest, wherever in the world it is held is fair game in my book. Everyone with more than two brain cells to rub together knows that the G20 round of talks is one of the greatest magnets to lowlife anarchists. Lowlifes who have no respect for anything, least of all themselves, and whose soul aim in life is to cause damage and injury to anyone or anything they can. Anyone attending a protest like the G20 deserves everything they get. Police do your job and go the force, maintain the peace whatever it takes.
- Len, Perth, Australia, 21/04/2009 08:00
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Perhaps we should enshrine in law the beating of nonconformists, we would of course have to select which groups, the ones I do not agree with, or the ones you dislike.
- Wills, Soton, 21/04/2009 07:39
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too bad they didn't use them....the protesters need to go get a job and get off welfare.....but then once a bum always a bum.........
- Captain Canada, Canada, 20/04/2009 23:15
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Rogan and David Davies - you are the ones foaming at the mouth here!
- Thomas, Brighton, 20/04/2009 22:42
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It's amazing how people don't read the article. They already know what happened. The article stated clearly that the people being threatened with tasers, and beaten with sticks, were sitting on the floor with their hands in the air, and one was filming with a video camera. But people like Rogan just skip over all that and decide they must have been throwing bottles because he already knows the police were justified and makes up whatever evidence will make that true... If the police knew what they were doing was justified, why do they go after the guys with the cameras?
Whereas Dave Davies thinks that people sitting on the ground with their hands in the air _should_ be tasered, that is, if they are engaged in political activities he doesn't like. Almost makes you wish a government would take over that makes his political views illegal so they could taser him while he's sitting on the ground with his hands in the air. Except not really. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
- David, London, 20/04/2009 22:09
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"Police threatened G20 activists with Tasers" - which ones? Those who were remaining within the law, or those foaming at the mouth as they mouthed threats and obcenities, threw things and generally tried to provoke the police into reacting so they could splash fake blood over themselves and create photo opportunities for the media?
If you look closely at the descriptions I just gave NJ of London, you might just notice a difference. From everything I've seen in the non-"I-hate-everything-to-do-with-the-police-regardless-of-how-fanciful" reports, the police knew the difference too.
- Rogan, Irving, 20/04/2009 18:37
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I am only sad that they were not used.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 20/04/2009 18:18
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George, Leytonstone: Of course I don't support hooligans of any persuasion but this country used to have a reputation for fairness and justice throughout the world, including the right to protest/demonstrate. I appreciate that the police have a difficult job to do, with poor and non-existent leadership from the Home Secretary down, but by attacking innocent people as they clearly did (and do) they come across as cowards and bullies. Unfortunately, they choose the soft and easy targets while the real culprits get away with it. The point I was trying to make was that if our children and grandchildren feel strongly about an issue or an ideal in the future, the way things have happened recently means that they will be prevented from making their concerns known. Another freedom gone.
- Pat, East Kent, UK, 20/04/2009 18:07
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It was really only a matter of time until the police wanted to play with their new toys.
- Simon, London, 20/04/2009 17:26
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No one objects to the police defending themselves, but their defence must be proportional to the threat or perceived threat. What we have seen so far are attacks by police on individuals who were either not confronting them in any physical sense or whose threat level was iminimal.
If there was no immediate threat of bodily harm to the police then their attacks were assault, pure and simple.
- Kris, London, England, 20/04/2009 17:00
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Pat, East Kent UK - why you quoting noble words about persecuted minorities? Do you seriously think a bunch of unwashed druggies deserve to be in that category? If so, then presumably you want to defend the rights of football hooligans to run riot, cause damage to private property and attack the Police too?
- George Roberts, Leytonstone, 20/04/2009 16:34
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What ever happened to the principle of “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”? The way that our rights to free speech and peaceful protest have been eroded in this country by legislation such as the last two criminal justice and public order acts is shocking. But it is little wonder that successive governments have been able to ride roughshod over our civil liberties in the face of an indifferent and quiescent public if some of the comments below are anything to go by?
- Nj, London, 20/04/2009 16:22
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sorry nick nack paddy mac.thats just it.they dont do their job.its to uphold the law and protect the public.i can gurantee no arrests will stick and no prosecutions will result.so who gave them the so called info?its not to guess if the law is to be broke. how many times have you read where some body complains to the police and nothing happens. except later that person ends up dead or badly hurt.and the policfe say whay/ speak up i cant hear you.oh yes. a crime had not been commited so nothing happened. in this case as with a few others,there is only a suspicion
- Mikeee, peterborough uk, 20/04/2009 16:01
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First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Blacks and I did not speak out because I was not a Black
Then they came for the peace protesters and I did not speak out because I was not a peace protester
Then they came for me - but I was okay because I minded my own business
Then they came for my children and then my children's children and there was no-one left to speak for them.
(With apologies to Paster Niemoller)
- Pat, East Kent UK, 20/04/2009 15:58
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With all this fuss I bet the poor Police are now thinking they might as well have shot them. Shame they didn't, if you ask me, I don't want London trashed by a load of stinky hippies.
- Jane Snookes, Bromley, UK, 20/04/2009 15:56
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havinf witness the behaviour of the so called demonstrators - I am suprised the police did nto use water cannons
I agree with Nick = but what I would liek to know is what is happening to the thug that attacked and broke the police officer by the bank of England - the officer was covered in blood
so it works just one side
- London Eye, uk, 20/04/2009 15:40
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Nick,
Just because you don't share the political viewpoints of the demonstrators who you label as "leftie loonies," that doesn't deny them their democratic right to protest.
Should every potential demonstrator get in touch with your for your consent before they go out on the streets of London? Who are you to decide what protests are right or wrong? I personally don't agree with all of the messages of the Countryside Alliance demos a few years ago, but you didn't see me moaning about the "Rabid Right" as I firmly believe in the right to protest.
The vast majority of G20 demonstrators were peaceful. In my opinion there's no excuse for violence towards the police, but equally the police can not use the violent actions of a few to respond with disproportionate violence and aggression.
I would disagree with your suggestion that all of the people who were beaten by the police were running riot and charging the police - there's some very clear video footage out there of police charging at people sitting down with their hands raised.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 20/04/2009 15:35
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What did the left-wing loony protesters threaten the police with?
- Joe, Thornton Heath, UK, 20/04/2009 15:31
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Nick Nack Paddy Mac - you took the words right out of my mouth and anything else I could say on the matter would be redundant.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 20/04/2009 15:28
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If these not so peaceful demonstrators want to run riot, charge and provoke the police, then the police in turn have the right to use force to stop these leftie loonies; whether it be tasers, pepper spray, water canons, trucheons or anything thing the police have in their posession to protect themselves from the threat of being attacked from the public. The police are damned if they don't and damned if they do, and I personally fed up with the way the are constantly attacked for doing one of the hardest and unrewarded jobs in the UK.
- Nick Nack Paddy Mac, London UK, 20/04/2009 14:54
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