Do watch Channel 4s Dispatches program about public order training in the wake of Tomlinson and the G20. I thought it was a very good programme. I have written a lot about my feelings towards all this, if you have missed my great wisdom click the police tag below.
There are some good blog reviews at
The Tone of Our Oppression
Random Blowe
Ramblings of a Scottish Student
and Paul Lewis in the Guardian
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Showing posts with label Ian Tomlinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ian Tomlinson. Show all posts
October 30, 2009
October 17, 2009
April 22, 2009
IF YOU WANT PEOPLE HIT...
You''ll have to hit 'em yourself say Police in The Sun (Who owe me money):
Riot cops ‘to go soft on demo’
RIOT squad cops will refuse to enforce the law at a Budget day demo in London today.
Police in the Met’s Territorial Support Group, stung by criticism over the G20 demo, will take a “softly, softly” stance...
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Riot cops ‘to go soft on demo’
RIOT squad cops will refuse to enforce the law at a Budget day demo in London today.
Police in the Met’s Territorial Support Group, stung by criticism over the G20 demo, will take a “softly, softly” stance...
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April 20, 2009
In defence of the Police..
I have met some really good cops on demos who I could cut the bullshit with and talk to as human beings. This has really meant a lot to me over the years. I have family members who work for the Police. I have seen Police very recently, and over the last year on at least three occasions put themselves out to rescue friends of mine who had developed problems mentally. I am really glad they were there and they left without waiting for thanks.
I can't stress how important it has been for me over the years to look through the uniform, nor how often I have met the human there. We are very lucky in this country and I am sure we can sort this all out still.
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I can't stress how important it has been for me over the years to look through the uniform, nor how often I have met the human there. We are very lucky in this country and I am sure we can sort this all out still.
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Give me your number and I'll get back to you...
Cop Ignores ID request on camera in The Sun (Who owe me money)
...The CCA claimed they had been flooded with allegations of brutality, including a baton-charge of a peaceful protest camp. Their report, being sent to MPs, said: “The failure to wear identification should be treated as a serious disciplinary matter. It is vital that police officers in riot gear have their ID on their fronts and backs at all times in extra large font so it is clearly visible.” ...The Star
...Sir Ken said that the public response to footage showing several officers making unprovoked attacks, including against Ian Tomlinson, who later died of internal bleeding, had suffered from "a lack of perspective and a lack of objectivity"....The Telegraph
Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, is said to be "furious" that officers have been on duty with their identification numbers concealed. Telegraph
Should read: Sir Paul Stephenson is said to have been "furious" that officers have been on duty for years and years and years with their identification numbers concealed . If he doesn't know this, why is he in charge of the Police?
...Mr Malthouse said: “The policy of the Met Police is very clear. The public have the right to be able to identify any uniformed police officer and so badges should be worn at all times. We support the Commissioner's decision to hold officers to account when they purposely conceal their identity.”
The Home Office also criticised officers who fail to wear their epaulettes, insisting the “public has a right to be able to identify” them.A Home Office spokesman said: “We welcome the Commissioner's statement that all uniformed police officers should be identifiable at all times by their shoulder identification numbers, and wholly agree that the public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officers while performing their duties.”
A Yard spokesman said: “Where provided, epaulettes with identifying letters and numerals or insignia of rank must be worn and must be correct and visible at all times. “It is the responsibility of all police officers, and their supervisors, to ensure this policy is followed.”....(Evening Standard)
If I was the Police I would put Barry back in charge. Has he upset someone high up? Last I heard he had been moved to serious violent crime. He is a wasted asset.
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...The CCA claimed they had been flooded with allegations of brutality, including a baton-charge of a peaceful protest camp. Their report, being sent to MPs, said: “The failure to wear identification should be treated as a serious disciplinary matter. It is vital that police officers in riot gear have their ID on their fronts and backs at all times in extra large font so it is clearly visible.” ...The Star
...Sir Ken said that the public response to footage showing several officers making unprovoked attacks, including against Ian Tomlinson, who later died of internal bleeding, had suffered from "a lack of perspective and a lack of objectivity"....The Telegraph
Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, is said to be "furious" that officers have been on duty with their identification numbers concealed. Telegraph
Should read: Sir Paul Stephenson is said to have been "furious" that officers have been on duty for years and years and years with their identification numbers concealed . If he doesn't know this, why is he in charge of the Police?
...Mr Malthouse said: “The policy of the Met Police is very clear. The public have the right to be able to identify any uniformed police officer and so badges should be worn at all times. We support the Commissioner's decision to hold officers to account when they purposely conceal their identity.”
The Home Office also criticised officers who fail to wear their epaulettes, insisting the “public has a right to be able to identify” them.A Home Office spokesman said: “We welcome the Commissioner's statement that all uniformed police officers should be identifiable at all times by their shoulder identification numbers, and wholly agree that the public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officers while performing their duties.”
A Yard spokesman said: “Where provided, epaulettes with identifying letters and numerals or insignia of rank must be worn and must be correct and visible at all times. “It is the responsibility of all police officers, and their supervisors, to ensure this policy is followed.”....(Evening Standard)
If I was the Police I would put Barry back in charge. Has he upset someone high up? Last I heard he had been moved to serious violent crime. He is a wasted asset.
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April 19, 2009
etc
...Mr Hardwick also said that typical complainants of police behaviour were from middle-class backgrounds, who did not previously have a jaundiced view of the police.
"If you are Mr and Mrs Suburban who have a good view of the police and think they do a good job, and they stop you and swear at you, then you are shocked and you complain." ...
etc, etc, etc
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"If you are Mr and Mrs Suburban who have a good view of the police and think they do a good job, and they stop you and swear at you, then you are shocked and you complain." ...
etc, etc, etc
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April 17, 2009
TOMLINSON
Ian Tomlinson died of an abdominal haemorrhage and not a heart attack, a second post-mortem has shown...
...Mr Tomlinson's son Paul King said: "First we were told that there had been no contact with the police, then we were told that he died of a heart attack. Now we know that he was violently assaulted by a police officer and died from internal bleeding.
"As time goes on, we hope that the full truth about how Ian died will be made known."
He said the family hoped there would be a "prompt referral" to the Crown Prosecution Service for charge...
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...Mr Tomlinson's son Paul King said: "First we were told that there had been no contact with the police, then we were told that he died of a heart attack. Now we know that he was violently assaulted by a police officer and died from internal bleeding.
"As time goes on, we hope that the full truth about how Ian died will be made known."
He said the family hoped there would be a "prompt referral" to the Crown Prosecution Service for charge...
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April 16, 2009
You don't have to watch the news anymore!
Let Charlie watch it for you. This is fucking great.
On this one week in a thousand where I can't complain about news as it is the first time to my memory a member of the TSG has been brought to book my the media for what they do ALL THE TIME.
When I started protesting it was fairly much an accepted theology that the reason the "Mainstweam media" didn't report what the TSG were doing ALL THE TIME was because they were in colusion with them and the government. That is why Indymedia was set up.
I thought this for a while. I went to a few peaceful protests and a few which turned violent, but the violence fizzled out over the years, mainly as I have said here many times before, as a result of the FIT squad taking photographs of people and spending a lot of time trying to work out who these people were and hassling them as much as possible.
With the protesters generally getting more peaceful as a result, and the TSG still stuck in the 1980s they were really ripe for being caught out, and they were caught out badly, with the mainstream media finally turning on them. Stuff I used to see endlessly on Indymedia suddenly jumped out of the goldfish bowl. You can see it happening on one historic post from a website I was frankly bored by a long time ago.
These days I am not anti-mainstweam media. I have been trying to make stuff for TV for as long as I have been writing here. I have met good and bad journalists whilst occasionally following mad Muslims around and going to court cases. I haven't asked them, but I think the reason why the sort of stuff the TSG get up to ALL THE TIME hasn't been on TV before is because most of these journalists were as bored by all this as I was.
Rachel North has a lot of good stuff to say here
..
On this one week in a thousand where I can't complain about news as it is the first time to my memory a member of the TSG has been brought to book my the media for what they do ALL THE TIME.
When I started protesting it was fairly much an accepted theology that the reason the "Mainstweam media" didn't report what the TSG were doing ALL THE TIME was because they were in colusion with them and the government. That is why Indymedia was set up.
I thought this for a while. I went to a few peaceful protests and a few which turned violent, but the violence fizzled out over the years, mainly as I have said here many times before, as a result of the FIT squad taking photographs of people and spending a lot of time trying to work out who these people were and hassling them as much as possible.
With the protesters generally getting more peaceful as a result, and the TSG still stuck in the 1980s they were really ripe for being caught out, and they were caught out badly, with the mainstream media finally turning on them. Stuff I used to see endlessly on Indymedia suddenly jumped out of the goldfish bowl. You can see it happening on one historic post from a website I was frankly bored by a long time ago.
These days I am not anti-mainstweam media. I have been trying to make stuff for TV for as long as I have been writing here. I have met good and bad journalists whilst occasionally following mad Muslims around and going to court cases. I haven't asked them, but I think the reason why the sort of stuff the TSG get up to ALL THE TIME hasn't been on TV before is because most of these journalists were as bored by all this as I was.
Rachel North has a lot of good stuff to say here
..
April 15, 2009
You don't need to see his identification..
or maybe you do...
More Police hit people! shockers from the Guardian and even more shocking-
...Sir Paul also stressed all uniformed officers must wear shoulder identification numbers so they can be easily identifiable by the public...
wot? So they can be easily identified by the public, like?
Tim Ireland isn't standing for it here
Home Secretary, Boris Johnson and The MET... Not available for comment.
..
More Police hit people! shockers from the Guardian and even more shocking-
...Sir Paul also stressed all uniformed officers must wear shoulder identification numbers so they can be easily identifiable by the public...
wot? So they can be easily identified by the public, like?
Tim Ireland isn't standing for it here
Home Secretary, Boris Johnson and The MET... Not available for comment.
..
April 14, 2009
The Police Hit People on Demonstrations?
What the fuck is this about? and here on Yahoo news. How is this anything new? What is the surprise or rather why is this being presented as a suprise or something new? All these journalists have been on the same demostrations I have been on over the years.
March 2003. We get an explanation of what is going on and why from a Policeman. Seconds later someone is shouting at this Policeman "Don't hit the girl! What a big man!"
Why?
It wasn't a woman either. It was a teenage girl.
What are the media rules of engagement now? Does everyones riot footage finally get to TV? All I want is people to be honest about our side and the Police to be honest about what they are responsible for. They are a hundred times better already than Police almost everywhere else on the planet. Progress can be made if lessons learned at the Stonehenge round table talks are applied to anti-Capitalist protest.
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March 2003. We get an explanation of what is going on and why from a Policeman. Seconds later someone is shouting at this Policeman "Don't hit the girl! What a big man!"
Why?
It wasn't a woman either. It was a teenage girl.
What are the media rules of engagement now? Does everyones riot footage finally get to TV? All I want is people to be honest about our side and the Police to be honest about what they are responsible for. They are a hundred times better already than Police almost everywhere else on the planet. Progress can be made if lessons learned at the Stonehenge round table talks are applied to anti-Capitalist protest.
..
April 12, 2009
The Wolves are Out
More evidence about unidetifiable Policemen in the comments of Sheepdogs and Wolves G20 post.
Look. The Police in London have been doing this for years. I have personally witnessed a Polceman punch someone in the face and gleefully point out that he had no means of indentification. That was some years ago now but nothing has changed. The mainstream media are finally picking it up because someone died. Great. Well done. Wake up. I have family members in the Police force so don't think I don't want things to be different. I do.
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Look. The Police in London have been doing this for years. I have personally witnessed a Polceman punch someone in the face and gleefully point out that he had no means of indentification. That was some years ago now but nothing has changed. The mainstream media are finally picking it up because someone died. Great. Well done. Wake up. I have family members in the Police force so don't think I don't want things to be different. I do.
..
THIS IS IN THE TIMES
from Rod Liddle:
I wonder what the next line of disinformation will be from the Metropolitan police over the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests 10 or so days ago. That they firmly believed the deceased to be Brazilian? That they have subsequently “discovered” a stash of kiddie porn in Tomlinson’s home – a ploy they tried out before, remember, when they were in a spot of trouble having shot an entirely innocent Muslim bloke at his home in Forest Gate, London?
You have to hand it to them: for an institution which seems to be run by serial incompetents and cretins, they are at least extraordinarily creative when it comes to telling porkie pies. At dissembling, obfuscating and smearing wholly innocent people whom they have egregiously wronged, either by shooting them or, in their less vigorous moments, just knocking them about a bit...
...The first statement from the Met came on the day of Tomlinson’s death, April 1; the Met reported sadly that they had come under attack from the protesters, being pelted with bottles, while they tried to help him.
Further, an ambulance was delayed in reaching the chap because protesters had deliberately blocked the way.
And then the witness statements emerged and, more crucially – because who would believe the word of one of those lentil-eating, unwashed anarcho-syndicalist hippies? – the filmed evidence. The police didn’t try to help Tomlinson at all; instead they twice attacked him, both with bare hands and with batons. It was instead the demonstrators who tried to help the man and were prevented from doing so largely by the police. Nor was it the demonstrators who stopped the ambulance getting through, but – it has since been revealed – a police cordon. There were no bottles; just medical students trying to help who were told to clear off by the plod.
Later the police story subtly shifted, to minimise the link between the now clear and unambiguous police attacks on Tomlinson and his death, moments later, from a heart attack. But again – inconveniently – the demonstrators came forward; as Tomlinson lay dying, he had blood on his face. There, then, is the link.
Liked a drink or two, Ian Tomlinson – between you and me, bit of an alkie, really, and not in the best of health. That’s the latest information which has appeared, mysteriously, in the press. Probably gave it a bit of lip, too – and, worse still, was seen knowingly and openly wearing a shirt supportive of Millwall football club. We rest our case, etc. Unfortunate, but nobody really to blame, certainly not the copper, doing his best in difficult circumstances.
There will be more to come. But it will all be undone because surely nobody, now, would believe the police’s version of events, not even one of those independent inquiries we get every so often to mollify public opinion. Not after the fabulous rubbish which the Met has come up with so far in order to evade the blame for Tomlinson’s death – or, while we’re at it, the stuff they initially came up with when Jean Charles de Menenez was shot by them. Or the desperate scrabbling around for an excuse or a smokescreen after they had shot Mohammed Abdul Kahar, in Forest Gate, for the crime of being in possession of a provocative beard and a copy of the Koran. Child pornography and loads of money underneath his bed – got to be a wrong ’un. All, as it turned out, lies...
I wonder what the next line of disinformation will be from the Metropolitan police over the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests 10 or so days ago. That they firmly believed the deceased to be Brazilian? That they have subsequently “discovered” a stash of kiddie porn in Tomlinson’s home – a ploy they tried out before, remember, when they were in a spot of trouble having shot an entirely innocent Muslim bloke at his home in Forest Gate, London?
You have to hand it to them: for an institution which seems to be run by serial incompetents and cretins, they are at least extraordinarily creative when it comes to telling porkie pies. At dissembling, obfuscating and smearing wholly innocent people whom they have egregiously wronged, either by shooting them or, in their less vigorous moments, just knocking them about a bit...
...The first statement from the Met came on the day of Tomlinson’s death, April 1; the Met reported sadly that they had come under attack from the protesters, being pelted with bottles, while they tried to help him.
Further, an ambulance was delayed in reaching the chap because protesters had deliberately blocked the way.
And then the witness statements emerged and, more crucially – because who would believe the word of one of those lentil-eating, unwashed anarcho-syndicalist hippies? – the filmed evidence. The police didn’t try to help Tomlinson at all; instead they twice attacked him, both with bare hands and with batons. It was instead the demonstrators who tried to help the man and were prevented from doing so largely by the police. Nor was it the demonstrators who stopped the ambulance getting through, but – it has since been revealed – a police cordon. There were no bottles; just medical students trying to help who were told to clear off by the plod.
Later the police story subtly shifted, to minimise the link between the now clear and unambiguous police attacks on Tomlinson and his death, moments later, from a heart attack. But again – inconveniently – the demonstrators came forward; as Tomlinson lay dying, he had blood on his face. There, then, is the link.
Liked a drink or two, Ian Tomlinson – between you and me, bit of an alkie, really, and not in the best of health. That’s the latest information which has appeared, mysteriously, in the press. Probably gave it a bit of lip, too – and, worse still, was seen knowingly and openly wearing a shirt supportive of Millwall football club. We rest our case, etc. Unfortunate, but nobody really to blame, certainly not the copper, doing his best in difficult circumstances.
There will be more to come. But it will all be undone because surely nobody, now, would believe the police’s version of events, not even one of those independent inquiries we get every so often to mollify public opinion. Not after the fabulous rubbish which the Met has come up with so far in order to evade the blame for Tomlinson’s death – or, while we’re at it, the stuff they initially came up with when Jean Charles de Menenez was shot by them. Or the desperate scrabbling around for an excuse or a smokescreen after they had shot Mohammed Abdul Kahar, in Forest Gate, for the crime of being in possession of a provocative beard and a copy of the Koran. Child pornography and loads of money underneath his bed – got to be a wrong ’un. All, as it turned out, lies...
April 10, 2009
April 08, 2009
TOMLINSON
G20 death is a sign of systemic problems in the police (Yahoo news)
Riot Police Officer Comes Forward (Times)
UPDATE:
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