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April 08 Video shows G20 police push man to groundWhat’s happening?
An investigation into the death of a man at last week’s G20 protests has been launched by the City of London police, whose own officers were involved. Video footage published in today’s Guardian shows 47-year-old Ian Tomlinson being pushed to the ground from behind by a police officer moments before suffering a fatal heart attack. Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, was on his way home from work and had not been involved in the protests.
What are people saying?
In an official statement on the night of Tomlinson’s death, the Metropolitan police made no reference to any contact with officers. Today, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said: “The images that have now been released raise obvious concerns and it is absolutely right and proper that there is a full investigation into this matter, which the Met will fully support.” The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which examines serious incidents and allegations of misconduct, is overseeing the investigation, but has not yet launched its own inquiry.
Why should we give a damn?
Police investigations into fatal incidents came under scrutiny after the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, shot by officers in 2005. An IPCC inquiry revealed serious failings in the Met’s handling of critical information. Did the police learn anything from de Menezes? No, says Guardian columnist Duncan Campbell, who suggests their tactics for dealing with demonstrations are "dangerously wrong." Lawyers are now calling for a criminal investigation into Tomlinson’s death. “If there are allegations that the death was caused or contributed to by unlawful actions of the police, then a police investigation would not be satisfactory,” Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg Peirce, the solicitors who represented the family of de Menezes, told The Guardian. “The IPCC should clearly run its own independent investigation which could lead to a referral of the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to bring a criminal prosecution against the officers. If there is evidence of an assault, even if there is evidence to suggest there was a lawful defence to the assault, then it has got to be referred to the CPS.” Your thoughts? Comments (428)
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