West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: Elano on April 08, 2009, 06:42:59 AM
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Video footage showing a police officer pushing Ian Tomlinson to the ground minutes before he died during the G20 protests has provoked calls for a full investigation. Mr Tomlinson's family said that he was not part of the protest and was simply making his way home from work past the Bank of England where police were "corralling" protesters.
http://www.youtube.com/v/19h-0ejKA6I
http://timesnews.typepad.com/news/2009/04/the-g20-protests-and-ian-tomlinson-death-were-the-police-heavyhanded.html
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To me it looks like the copper didn't just nudge the poor bloke but hit him on the back of head with the baton.
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pretty harsh. at least that copper can have this dudes death on his greasy conscience.
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G20 death: 'riot police attacked him twice'
Justin Davenport, Jack Lefley and Kiran Randhawa - 08.04.09
THE man who died at the G20 protests was shoved to the floor and
hit by a police officer in two separate incidents, it was claimed this
afternoon.
Investigators are studying video footage that shows Ian Tomlinson, 47,
being struck from behind and hurled to the floor by a policeman in riot
gear minutes before he died of a heart attack.
But a witness said today that the newspaper seller had been manhandled
and “pushed and thrown” along by a police officer about 15 minutes
before as he tried to get home past security cordons near the Bank of
England.
Photographer Anna Branthwaite said Mr Tomlinson was shoved to the
ground and struck twice with a baton before being picked up by the officer
who continued to push him along the street. Ms Branthwaite said that at no
time did he confront the officer.
In the footage of the second incident Mr Tomlinson is attacked as he
stands with his hands in his pockets and his back to the officers who were
trying to clear the streets after the anti-G20 protests ended in rioting last
Wednesday. He had not been involved in the demonstrations. It is not
clear if the same officer was involved in both incidents.
As Home Secretary Jacqui Smith backed calls for an inquiry, Met chief Sir
Paul Stephenson said the video images “raise obvious concerns”. Mr
Tomlinson's widow said the family had been “torn apart” and his stepson
Paul said: “We want answers.”
One senior MP said the policeman filmed shoving Mr Tomlinson could be
charged with assault. Today the Independent Police Complaints
Commission was expected to announce it was taking over an inquiry into
Mr Tomlinson's death. Investigators will also examine Ms Branthwaite's
testimony.
The footage shows newspaper seller Mr Tomlinson being struck and
pushed from behind by one officer at a corner of Royal Exchange Passage
at about 7.30pm.
Ms Branthwaite, 36, said she saw Mr Tomlinson being pushed with such
force that he “rolled and bounced” before the same officer hit him twice
with a baton as he was on the ground.
She was halfway down the passage and several yards from where Mr
Tomlinson was videoed being shoved to the ground. In fact, she is able to
see herself in the video so she is confident there were two separate
incidents.
She said riot police and dog handlers turned up to clear the pedestrianised
street, adding: “He was rushed from behind by one officer. I saw one riot
police officer throw him to the ground and hit him twice with a baton. He
was then scrambling to get to his feet and the officer continued to push
and throw him forward.
“It seems that the police are trying to say that it was mayhem. But it
wasn't. It was just pedestrians and a few protesters. I heard a protester
shouting, Who let the dogs out?' and realised it was time to get out of
there. Riot police and dog handlers were moving down the street so I just
ran.”
Her testimony came as a package of evidence including the film and new
witness statements was being handed to the Independent Police
Complaints Commission. At present the IPCC is supervising an inquiry by
the City of London police force but it was expected to announce it was
launching its own full investigation because of the gravity of the
allegations.
Liberal Democrat justice spokesman David Howarth said the footage was
“sickening” and called for a full-scale criminal investigation. He said: “This
particular shove is very heavy — it's done with a great force. Legally that
counts as an assault. If the consequence of that is bodily harm, then it's a
more serious assault. If the consequence is grievous bodily harm, then it's
a very serious matter indeed.”
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said it was important the IPCC inquiry was
completed as soon as possible, adding: “If it identifies the need for a
criminal investigation then that also needs to be pursued.” The officer
involved is believed to be a member of the Met's Territorial Support Group
who are trained in riot control. He is seen with other officers who are dog
handlers from the City of London force.
Sir Paul said in a statement: “My thoughts are with Mr Tomlinson's family
at this time. The images that have now been released raise obvious
concerns and it is absolutely right and proper that there is a full
investigation which the Met will fully support.“
The newspaper seller was on his way home when he was caught up in the
G20 protests. The video footage shows him walking alone with his hands
in his pockets as he is approached from behind by a group of police
officers.
He seems to be walking slowly and when he does not move out of the way
one officer wearing a helmet and a balaclava partially covering his face
hits him on the legs with a baton. A second later the same officer pushes
him violently from behind causing him to fall to the ground.
Mr Tomlinson is then seen remonstrating with the police as he sits on the
ground. He is helped to his feet by two bystanders — while the police
stand by a few feet away — before he is seen walking off past the line of
police who have formed a cordon. Three minutes later he collapses in
Cornhill.
The footage was taken at about 7.30pm at Royal Exchange Passage by a
fund manager from New York who was in London on business and who
says he went to the protest out of curiosity.
On the night of the incident police claimed protesters threw bottles and
other debris towards them as they tried to help him after he had
collapsed. But protesters dispute this.
A Met spokesman said it could not comment while the IPCC inquiry was
ongoing. Scotland Yard refused to say today whether they had identified
the officer seen on video pushing Mr Tomlinson to the ground, or whether
he had come forward to identify himself.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23673618-details/G20+death:+'riot+police+attacked+him+twice'/article.do
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Disgusting. If it was a civilian who did this to a cop, he'd be given the death sentence. Hopefully this gets brought to justice. I guess this is the brightside to everyone having cameras nowadays. The official report said that there was "mayhem" and that was justification for the cop's actions. Well that's obviously BS, so hopefully this works out.
Very sorry for that man and his family.
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Disgusting. If it was a civilian who did this to a cop, he'd be given the death sentence.
so fuckin true >:(
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What's the problem? How many times where the police supposed to tell him to move to the side before they got physical?
You can hear them screaming at him to move and he's still walking around like he owns the street. All he had to do was just step to the side and let the police past and nothing would of happened. But he's acting like he doesn't see them and doesn't fell the police dogs right on his heels. His "I don't give a fuck" attitude is the reason why he was pushed into the concrete, before he was knocked over the police gave him three soft nudges and asked him to move and he ignored them so they gave him a hard one to "wake" him up. Besides, common sense would tell most people not to step in front of police with attack dogs and full riot gear on. 8)
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What's the problem? How many times where the police supposed to tell him to move to the side before they got physical?
You can hear them screaming at him to move and he's still walking around like he owns the street. All he had to do was just step to the side and let the police past and nothing would of happened. But he's acting like he doesn't see them and doesn't fell the police dogs right on his heels. His "I don't give a fuck" attitude is the reason why he was pushed into the concrete, before he was knocked over the police gave him three soft nudges and asked him to move and he ignored them so they gave him a hard one to "wake" him up. Besides, common sense would tell most people not to step in front of police with attack dogs and full riot gear on. 8)
Do the cops own the street? The guy wasn't even a part of the protest, he was walking home. He wasn't threatening them, wasn't acting violently. He was walking down the street w/ his hands in his pocket minding his own business. Defending the cop here is insane.
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What's the problem? How many times where the police supposed to tell him to move to the side before they got physical?
You can hear them screaming at him to move and he's still walking around like he owns the street. All he had to do was just step to the side and let the police past and nothing would of happened. But he's acting like he doesn't see them and doesn't fell the police dogs right on his heels. His "I don't give a fuck" attitude is the reason why he was pushed into the concrete, before he was knocked over the police gave him three soft nudges and asked him to move and he ignored them so they gave him a hard one to "wake" him up. Besides, common sense would tell most people not to step in front of police with attack dogs and full riot gear on. 8)
:loco:
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In addition they didn't just push him, he was struck by them and initially they attempted to cover it up, if it wasn't for the public's cameras, it wouldn't have been even caught. it just so happened that the most heavily surveiled city in the entire world did not have any CCTV that captured the events that unfolded.
Manslaughter is manslaughter, now the underlying problem is this, the police force do not need to instruct their officers to behave like this but when the officers do, and don't get punished for it in exactly the same way anyone outside the police force would, then it sends out a message out that if you are a cop, you are above the law.
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i totally agree with what u said virtuoso,this is a fuckin sad and depressive situation
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Hopefully something good can come of this, namely the officers will get theirs (prosecuted) and this will serve as a reminder that people are going to catch and expose the police when it's the police behave in a lawless manner.
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What's the problem? How many times where the police supposed to tell him to move to the side before they got physical?
You can hear them screaming at him to move and he's still walking around like he owns the street. All he had to do was just step to the side and let the police past and nothing would of happened. But he's acting like he doesn't see them and doesn't fell the police dogs right on his heels. His "I don't give a fuck" attitude is the reason why he was pushed into the concrete, before he was knocked over the police gave him three soft nudges and asked him to move and he ignored them so they gave him a hard one to "wake" him up. Besides, common sense would tell most people not to step in front of police with attack dogs and full riot gear on. 8)
Do the cops own the street? The guy wasn't even a part of the protest, he was walking home. He wasn't threatening them, wasn't acting violently. He was walking down the street w/ his hands in his pocket minding his own business. Defending the cop here is insane.
No they don't but they do have right of way. It's like when your driving a car and an abulance comes up behind you, your supposed to move out of the way so that they can do their job. Watch the very beginning of the video before the hard shove, the cops gave the guy three slight shoulder nudges and asked him to get out of the way and he refused to move and that's why he go shoved. He should of gotten out of the way, just because the guy died doesn't mean that the guy was right to act the way he did.
Just look at the situation from this perspective....
If your grandma or mom was being attacked on the street and you called police for assitance and you saw some idiot blocking them from saving your family member you wouldn't want them to just walk behind the guy until he felt like moving. You would want them to do exactly what they did in the video to get to your family member and rescue them.
Sure the guy had a "right" to be on the street but some battles are better left unfought. He should of used some common courtesy and common sense and got his ass out the way.
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like i said before, and then when the shoot outs happen
for example oakland where they get shot, its bad but when it happens to us, nah were at fault
nah fuck tha gov't
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Video footage showing a police officer pushing Ian Tomlinson to the ground minutes before he died during the G20 protests has provoked calls for a full investigation. Mr Tomlinson's family said that he was not part of the protest and was simply making his way home from work past the Bank of England where police were "corralling" protesters.
http://www.youtube.com/v/19h-0ejKA6I
http://timesnews.typepad.com/news/2009/04/the-g20-protests-and-ian-tomlinson-death-were-the-police-heavyhanded.html
fuck the police
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I'd love to give some of these power hungry piggies a taste of their own medicine.
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Most of cops are assholes all over the world