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Police face new claim of brutality at G20 summit
Rashid Razaq01.05.09
The Metropolitan Police were today facing another investigation of alleged brutality during the G20 protests in London last month.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now examining the case of a 22-year-old woman who claims she was assaulted by officers in the City on 1 April. The alleged incident took place in Bishopsgate, where hundreds of climate campaigners set up camp to demonstrate against global warming.
Protesters complained they were forcibly removed from the site that evening by officers wearing riot gear. A Climate Camp spokeswoman said they did not believe the new case involved one of their members. IPCC investigators are already examining three separate cases including the death of Ian Tomlinson, who collapsed after allegedly being attacked by a police officer.
Footage from the day caught the moment an officer pushed the 47-year-old newspaper vendor to the ground and hit him with his baton. A constable from the Met's territorial support group has been suspended and questioned under caution for manslaughter.
The results of a third post-mortem examination on Mr Tomlinson, carried out at the request of the officer, are yet to be made public. The IPCC is also undertaking two further inquiries following complaints from a woman activist who was allegedly slapped by an officer and a man who claims he was assaulted. The number of complaints received by the IPCC relating to the G20 protests has now risen to 256.
Reader views (23)
As a middle aged sensible person I am very offended to be called a low life anarchist or a brain dead thug. I was at the G20 protests, which is my democratic right and the vigil for Ian Tomlinson, which was an act of respect. I was absolutely appalled by the police behavior. I actually took photos of the police without their numbers thinking it may come in useful to prove the point that they were not doing their job but being used as puppets, I know not by whom but certainly not for the people, by the people.Some were not trying to maintain law and order, they were actively inciting people to break the law. It was not a job well done at all, unless you were on the side of right wing politicians and police officers who wish to make a case for stopping my right to protest. I personally will make it my duty to attend more protests as my person protest against the police action that I saw
- Mads, london, UK
Police are little more than the hired mercenaries of the rich and powerful in this day and age. They are paid for their unquestioning loyalty and are employed to wipe out any resistance to the increasingly homogenised global culture that sustains the aforementioned rich and powerful. The dissenting voice within a meritocratic system is, in my opinion the cornerstone of democracy, but commentors on this page seem to be content to vote once every 4-5 years and consider that free speech. Oh well- as far as I'm concerned, (and a lot of other 'lowlife anarchists), you are traitors to your own kind. If people cannot voice their opinions/protestations in a peaceful manner for fear of violent reprisal from uniformed thugs, then we are already living in a police state. As far as 'instigating violence and reaction from the police', (poor overpaid, at our expense blighters eh?), Rogan has obviously never witnessed their friends being kicked all over for standing on the street before. It is true that passions run high at such events and an element of the protest movement does advocate violence as a legitamite form of resistance,(I don't condone violence by the way- not until they start kicking doors in for opinions at least), but this is a vast minority with very little organisation, but plenty of alcohol, between them. It is generally the police that take an uncompromising and militant stance- as they are not permitted free thought between them.Shame-we're defending their kids too, spenc
- Spence, Newcastle, England
Anyone with more than two brain cells knows that G20 protests anywhere in the world attract the lowlife anarchists and braindead thugs whose sole aim is to injure people and damage property. So anyone going to a G20 protest deserves everything they get from fed up police who are simply trying to maintain law and order.
- Len, Perth, Australia
This is all public disorder and the Police were there to stop it! Job well done.
- David., Chertsey.UK.
People really should read (and inwardly digest) written opinons beyond the first line of text. It isn't usually there to simply fill in the spaces.
There were segments of the various crowds involved in the "peaceful protest" whose only purpose was to instigate violence and reaction from the police. That makes them culpable too. If that is inconvenient, bad luck. It is part of the shared reality of the events, like it or not.
- Rogan, Irving
Let the Police get on with their jobs, protesters must accept what happens to them and should look amongst their own to weed out the violent radicals which provoke a response they are not happy with.
- Rosie, watford
Rogan are you serious? Your comment seems to based on the premise that all those complainants assaulted by the police were provoking police.
I did not realise peaceful protest antagonises police so much. Perhaps if the police find this aspect of the job too much they should be stood down from controlling protests.
- William Bailey, wgtn
I have seen more trouble caused by drunken louts than what i seen on tv at the g20 peaceful protests, the police were cowardly in thier actions and thier superiors should be sacked, i wish you would stop posting comments that are obviously by police officers or thier relatives.Whers's the cctv? if there was a real riot the cctv footage would have been allover the news.
- Andrew, london uk
When a certain element of a crowd sets out to provoke the police into over reaction they should not be too surprised that they are successful now and then. Is it right that individual officers react inappropriately? No. Are the so-called victims blameless? Not in this lifetime, they're not!
If you want to punish the officers concerned, go ahead - but make sure the facts are fact and not insubstantial hysteria aroused by those setting out to do just that. At the same time, prosecute the members of the crowd that set out to provoke the incidents for public disorder and causing an affray.
- Rogan, Irving
The police have lost total public confidence. We need a open public enquiry into the violence and proceedings against the officers concerned. This excuse for thuggery in uniform has got to stop.
-and my son is a policeman and he is appalled by what he sees his fellow officers do.
- Andy Parks, London, UK
"Should've done what he was told and not reacted in a provocative manner like he did" - good grief I despair.
- Wills, Soton
the police were an utter disgrace at the g20 if they cant hack these demos they should not be there they are trained to deal with these situations not batter people with battons they were caught red handed getting stuck into joe public and we saw the devastating out come. the met police force should hang its head in shame this supposed to be state of the art force could not handle a few protesters misbehaving.i for one am ashamed of them i think some people see the world with rose tinted specs and self denial trying to justify this abomination.
- James Fennessey, glasgow
These people here saying anyone who challenges the police deserves to be beaten up, are they all coppers? god help us if they are.
- Mrs Jackson, london england
Let's face it, the majority of the so-called protesters were out for one thing and one thing only - to cause disruption to the majority of hard-working decent citizens. To call into account the police's behaviour on this day is riduculous - these people are looking for a fast buck to boost there benefit money. Sad about the dead bloke but he should've done what he was told and not reacted in a provocative manner like he did.
- Bill, Basingstoke
I am certain that the vast majority of Londoners DO support the Metropolitan Police Service, but the basis of their mandate is 'policing by consent'. There have simply been too many incidents, across a wide range of subjects, where the conduct of the police 'officers' involved has simply not been up to standard.
Where police negligence or incompetence has been exposed to the public gaze, all too often the official response has fallen into a repeated pattern;
-Denial
-Incorrect statements
-Refusal to accept responsibility
-Failure to discipline the officers involved
than a balanced, mature response to the genuine concerns of the public. As a direct result, public trust, respect and confidence in the police has been damaged and each incident has further eroded their standing in the eyes of the public.
Sir Paul Stephenson needs to be given a chance, as does John Yates. They need to be joined by more permanent appointments on the Management Board of the Met as 'Acting' and 'temporary' members can no longer be considered acceptable.
A clear statement that all officers will wear ID numbers when in uniform, and that failure to do so will be considered a disciplinary offence, was a good start. The sergeants and other senior officers who allow their men to flaunt this rule should also be disciplined.
The independent inquiry into crowd control could go a long way to assisting the police if the tactics that result are seen as fair and reasonable.
- Manny Goldstein, London, UK
Mark Lee - i'm think you'll find that the police are allowed to use reasonable force to execute their duties. Riot situations call for more forceful action to be used.
Protesters, like that daft woman who was slapped, only have themselves to blame for repeatedly goading the police into some form of retaliation.
- Jock, London
Most of the marchers and protestors at the G20 protest were illegally protesting and committing a criminal offence. Let's hope all of them are arrested. In fact these illegal demonstators were directly responsible for the death and injuries.
- Tony, london
I am sick and tired of hearing this petty whining about the Police. To see what happens when the Police are not tough one need only look at the earlier Gaza protests that took place in London (see YouTube for footage from that protest). When thousands of fanatical Islamists took to the streets, the police were forced to run, for hours they suffered abuse as missiles were throw at them and it is embarrassing to watch.
The police were simply taunted, laughed at, threatened and were impotent against these agitators. Do you want more of this? do you want lawless mobs to own the streets? Wake up, we need a strong force, who are permitted to get vey aggressive as and when needed, too many tossers out there want anarchy, I don't, Ive see anarchy and it really is not nice.
- Hugh, Birmingham, UK
Warmed over rehash of the same compensation maneuvring. It's startying to bore.
- Rogan, Irving
The police should should through all the CCTV footage and start arresting these protestors that ran riot and attacked and provoked the police. I am sick of the one way street and the side people have taken with this subject as we all know what the police have to put up with and how they are constantly scrutinized in their jobs.
- Brandon Thomas, SW7, London UK
Jajonjack - what same rule should apply? Are you suggesting that the police have the right to respond to verbal insults with physical violence and GBH?
If people are breaking the law, the police should arrest them, not kick the crap out of them like a bunch of thuggish vigilantes.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
The Police do a splendid job in this Country. Lets get someone else's police force to sort out the next G20 so the whining, compensation claiming scum can see exactly how well they were treated the time before.
- Paul, London
The police do a fantastic job, one i don't think i would have the stomach for, just recently a father couldnt claim compensation after his son was murdered by a pack of criminals. Due to the fact that he went out and confronted them, so if these people choose to go where the police are and abuse them and scream in their face surely the same rule should apply. They should not of gone there. I think you are asking to much from the police they themselves are only human and can take so much.
- Jajonjack, ilford
