G20 Demonstrations

[ajstoneservices]

I had read the reports fro m"bystanders" but chose not to let them influence me as they were at best confused and may have been lies by those with a not to hidden agender.

The video evidence is clear, i don't read into it that he is in anyway provoking the Police, he may well be displaying his displeasure at not being able to go about his lawful business by walking away slowly.

I was once refused access to a public area in London by a Police officer i knew because a visiting dignitary (name escapes me now) meant the area had to be closed I went off unhappily and very slowly too and received only smiles at my displeasure.

 

[Shytalkz]

The video is clear for what it shows, but not for what it doesn't show and that looks suspiciously like deliberate dawdling in front of them, despite being told to hoof it...

 

[ajstoneservices]

Uhm, not sure I would come to that conclusion but to be fair I do not know what went before. I'm also not ready to accept the eye witness version of events either at this time.

I do not have a problem with Police giving someone a lawful order to move away. This man, as is clear in the video is obeying Police in that he was moving away(they weren't attempting to restrain him so he wasn't under arrests) With his back turned he is assaulted that is as clear as could be.

 

[Shytalkz]

True, I'm not condoning it, but, like most things, there is probably more to this than meets the eye.

Doesn't change the fact that it's a tragedy for him and his family, though.

 

[ajstoneservices]

Sadly there is not always more to it, like the young lady killed when a bottle was thrown into a pub. The person who through it didn't mean to kill her but she is dead all the same.

When growing up in London a set of twins I was at school with were out celebrating their eighteenth when they were caught in someone else's dispute, a brick was thrown striking one of them on the head, he died shortly after.

The Officer may well believe he acted correctly as did this young man who I have great respect for http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ting-returns-frontline-Afghanistan-medic.html

 

[Shytalkz]

Ah yes, Pte (as was) Clegg. Should never have been done for that - even allowing for the fact that he's a Para

Don't think that you can put the plod in the same boat as Cleggy though.

 

[ajstoneservices]

It was claimed that the first three shots he fired were acceptable but the fourth was "an unreasonable use of force". This shot, fired after the car had passed the soldiers, was the basis for his conviction.

I did not agree with the Clegg verdict either.

However, it shows that when the threat has past the law my judge an action has become unlawful within a split second.
The same reasoning could be applied in the Tomlinson case in that the threat(if there were one) had passed, his prior actions would not justify an unlawful act.

 

[joe-90]

If Tomlinson was guilty of a crime he should have been arrested. However, he was walking away from Police with his hands in his pockets and was subject to a cowardly attack from behind by some testosterone fueled power crazy copper who should be arrested and tried for manslaughter. There isn't an excuse for his actions - lock the nutter up.

 

[Mw Roofline]

Any protestor of any kind should be placed into some kind of giant mincer and blended to a paste.

 

[ajstoneservices]

Any protestor of any kind should be placed into some kind of giant mincer and blended to a paste.

Grudging acceptance has got us to the point where we are all being ground down.

 

[ellal]

The video is clear for what it shows, but not for what it doesn't show and that looks suspiciously like deliberate dawdling in front of them, despite being told to hoof it...

Of course a lot is still to come to light (through the deliberate plod smokescreen of course), but this is now being reported widely..

Photographer Anna Branthwaite said Mr Tomlinson was manhandled about 15 minutes earlier as he tried to cross a police cordon on his way home from work.

She told the Evening Standard he was shoved to the ground and struck twice with a baton before being picked up by the officer and pushed along the street.

Kind of brings a different light to things..

And having seen first hand (not for the first time) plod's 'kettling' techniques I can assure you this was not unique behaviour by a long chalk..

 

[Zampa]

Any protestor of any kind should be placed into some kind of giant mincer and blended to a paste.

He wasnt a protester..he was also someones husband and father...maybe if he was a friend or relation of yours your might have a different view

And so what if he was one of the soap dodgers anyway...the fact remains he was whacked on the legs first (one of their favourite tricks) then steamed into and flattened by a total coward who disappeared in flash.

He had his hands in he's pockets he wasnt being confrontational.

If it had been the other way around someone would be banged up by now

What beats me is why they are allowed to masked their faces, why??????...in case they are caught wacking poeple for nothing?...not that CCTV would have showed 'anything significant'

Its about time the heavy mob have been shown up as the bullies they are...very brave in numbers

They have been getting away with it at football matches for years..at last this might make them stop and think befroe they hit someone else for nothing..

Shameful thing is all the decent coppers out there get tarred with the same brush

 

[Norcon]

He looks like he was loitering in front of the police.
Who in their right mind would step out in front of police with dogs with their hands casually placed in their pockets and walk at a snails pace?
Those dogs looked so close at one point that they could easily have bitten him.
Was he unwell at this stage or just goading the police officers?

 

[Zampa]

So thats worthy of a smack on the legs then?...the police dont need to be goaded anyway..not that you can class city of london plod as real police anyway

 

[Goldspoon]

He looks like he was loitering in front of the police.
Who in their right mind would step out in front of police with dogs with their hands casually placed in their pockets and walk at a snails pace?
Those dogs looked so close at one point that they could easily have bitten him.
Was he unwell at this stage or just goading the police officers?

Good points. The police cannot just allow anybody who so desires preventing their line moving forward - to deal with or clear those who ARE very bent on violence and destruction. If the police ask you to clear the area then you do so swiftly and helpfully if you can. The police do not have the time to deal with those who "want to chat about it" or make little protests (sit down in the road/walk at a deliberate snail's pace). Why did he have his hands in his pockets? Who, standing one metre from the front of a line of police with batons and dogs, in a tense and dangerous situation, shuffles slowly with their hands in their pockets? We may never know why this man acted this way but it is one way to hinder the police line from moving forward and would certainly, at the least be irritating and at worst be dangerous. The police are there to move to clear or restrict the actions of the minority who want to smash property, frighten people and possibly lynch somebody in a suit or a uniform.

Having said all of the above. Surely the police could have another method in their bag of tricks of dealing with one such person that does not involve quite such a level of force.