![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
As reported in many other places
Apr. 8th, 2009 07:24 amVideo of the police 'helping' Ian Tomlinson shortly before his death. If this is genuine (and it's a very good job if it isn't) and in the now increasingly unlikely event that the police aren't lying about having plastic bottles thrown at them as they tried to administer CPR to him - here's why. The protesters had just seen the sort of 'CPR' the police at the demo could be expected to administer, and presumably didn't want him getting any more of it.
Lib Dem MP David Howarth calls for a criminal investigation - quite right too. See also, if you haven't already, Tom Brake MP (and others) on YouTube from within the kettle. It makes me somewhat suspicious about the recent bill put through Parliament making it an offence to take pictures of officers 'likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'. Yes, no chance of that being abused.
In case it needs saying, I'm not characterising this as typical police behaviour. In my experience it's not; it's not even typical behaviour for police at a demo. That said, it is one of the known possible options; I myself saw mounted police charge peaceful protestors at an NUS demo in the late 80s, and have heard eye-witness (if often biased) reports of various other incidents.
Lib Dem MP David Howarth calls for a criminal investigation - quite right too. See also, if you haven't already, Tom Brake MP (and others) on YouTube from within the kettle. It makes me somewhat suspicious about the recent bill put through Parliament making it an offence to take pictures of officers 'likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'. Yes, no chance of that being abused.
In case it needs saying, I'm not characterising this as typical police behaviour. In my experience it's not; it's not even typical behaviour for police at a demo. That said, it is one of the known possible options; I myself saw mounted police charge peaceful protestors at an NUS demo in the late 80s, and have heard eye-witness (if often biased) reports of various other incidents.
