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As we discussed on Monday, allegations have been made that Ian Tomlinson, a bystander at the G20 protests last week, was ‘assaulted’ by police shortly before his death. Now The Guardian has obtained and published video footage, recorded by a fund manager from New York, which reveals the moment of the alleged ‘assault’.
The footage shows Mr Tomlinson, a 47-year old newspaper-seller who was not taking part in the protests, walking along Royal Exchange Passage (an area outside the police cordon at the time) towards Cornhill. He is approached from behind by a group of police officers, one of whom pushes him hard in the back. He falls forward and hits the ground heavily. He is then shown sitting on the ground remonstrating with the police, before being helped to his feet by (presumably) a protester and walking away. Moments after this footage was shot, Mr Tomlinson collapsed and died.
The Guardian plans to hand a ‘dossier’ of evidence, including this video, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who are investigating the circumstances of Mr Tomlinson’s death.
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People (including police) need to realize that just about everything that you do in public is probably being digitally recorded by SOMEONE. You just can't get away with this sort of thing in this day and age.
Angela
That's really upsetting news. I despise the way the London police seem to fall immediately into lies, lies and denail whenever something like this happens (and by 'something like this' I mean the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes).
It certainly lends credence to the consensus that the policing was 'too heavy' at best and 'violent and thuggish' at worst.
It's time for the Met to be dispanded - does anyone have any confidence in them anymore?
We need new, smaller, London police forces and a new, national force to handle terrorism and similar - but both should have far greater oversight.
They have abused our trust and it is time for us to withdraw it.
AngelaE8654 - yes I know, there is a plan in consultation at present for cameras to be placed in bollards to offer a waist height view, not just as a point and shoot style as current cameras are but a full 360 degree view.
These cameras are to be placed in current street furnature rather than on the end of long poles as at present. All digital, all day/night cameras able to see a clear 570, or better, line image at 0.001 lux - like a candle at a km type lighting !!
How incredibly sad.
It's pretty tragic how it's taken the death of an innocent man to turn people away from the line "well those soap dodgers got what was coming to them" to actually recognising that police have been manhandling demonstrations for a long, long time now.
I hope that some good can come of this.
I always assumed the increased used of cameras in London would be a bane to citizen rights but as long as equal access is permitted to them, it will keep the government & police force honest too.