400 - nil

I was going to write today about what happened last night in the Athens district of Exarchia when the MAT (Greek riot squad) tried their own version of "kettling" following a petrol bomb attack in the neighbourhood. Like their UK counterparts the police attempted to seal the area and then attacked anyone slow enough to be caught up in the cordon. As a result two students at least have been hospitalised with broken bones after being beaten by officers following their arrest, according to Greek bloggers.

According to that hotbed of anarcho - communist propaganda, The Economist 400 people have died in the last decade following contact with the police. Yet not one has ever been convicted of manslaughter, let alone murder. Is anyone placing bets against the officer who beat Tomlinson just before he died making that 401 - 0? With watchdogs like the Independent(?) Police Complaints Commission on the case it's a wonder that there has been an investigation at all.



It would be easy to write them off as toothless, but their wanton attempts at misleading the public, (CCTV? What CCTV?), surpressing video and conjuring up "favourable" evidence have shown them to be morally and legally compromised. Leaders such as Kim Il Sung , Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein could only have dreamed of such diligence by their functionaries.

Still, never mind the charade will go on, probably at the cost of millions to show that Great British Public that what they saw with their own eyes in the video did not, in fact happen, and if it did it was certainly not what it seemed and that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for why masked members of the police are quite within their rights to attack people from behind while they are walking away.

Ian Tomlinson - Google Street View debunks IPCC CCTV claims

"The chair of the police watchdog conducting a criminal inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson faced fresh criticism today after it emerged he was wrong to say there was "no CCTV footage" in the area where the alleged assault took place.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said today that Nick Hardwick had been mistaken when he said there were no security cameras around Royal Exchange Passage, the area where a policeman was shown in private video footage striking Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground."

The Guardian 14th April 2009

View Larger Map

Like many of you I found the assertion that there were no CCTV camera in the area strange considering that so many of the world's surveillance cameras are in the UK and that a capital in which the average resident's image is captured 300 times a day should have a blind spot in so strategic an area. Obviously, being an investigator for the IPCC precludes such mundane chores as actually checking what the police tell you.

After a quick search on Google Maps I found the image you see above which shows the corner of Threadneedle St and the Royal Exchange Passage where the assault on Tomlinson took place. If you zoom into the area just above the red bus and slightly to the right you will see at least one, quite possibly two CCTVs. I find it hard to believe given the seriousness of the operation to police the G20 summit that these resources were not brought into play during the day.

Even stranger that none of those investigating the death of Tomlinson and the 120 other complaints made against the police during that day bothered to actually wander the streets there or even more simply have a look on the internet.

The only good thing that has come out of this whole, sad charade is that the more the police and the IPCC try to wiggle out of their responsibilities the worse it becomes in terms of public opinion.

A video a day keeps the authorities at bay.

Ian Tomlinson - Tragedy turns into farce

Sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or cry with the latest developments in the Ian Tomlinson case. For those who do not know Tomlinson died just minutes after being assaulted by police during the G20 summit meeting in London at the beginning of the month. Since then the London Metrpolitan Police have mounted a cover up campaign that has, thankfully, been carried out with Keystone Cop efficiency. Silence, evasion, misdirection and stonewalling have characterised their approach to the case. In addition the Independent Police Complaints Commission have just added to the farce surrounding the death.

At first the police failed to mention any connection between their officers and the death of the unfortunate 47 year - old newspaper seller. Then, when footage came out on the Guardian website showing the assault they attempted to get the video pulled. If that was not enough the IPCC said that there was no CCTV coverage of the event, only to have that absurd claim (we're talking about the heart of London, home to more surveillance camera than virtually anywhere else on Earth) debunked by photographic evidence taken on the day. In addition just four of the dozen or so officers present during the attack have come forward.

With more than 120 official complaints about police violence during the summit pending the latest revelation of a police officer assaulting a woman during a vigil in honour of Ian Tomlinson is just another nail in the coffin of the police's reputation.



The attack takes place at about 3.20 mins. Notice that the officer has hidden his ID number in clear contravention of police rules. Then again; "you're not cop, you're little people".

Give a man a mask and he will show you his true self

Give a man a mask and he will show you his true self, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

It seems that the London Metropolitan Police seem a little sluggish in getting officers who witnessed the assault on Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests to come forward. Even now, more than 10 days after his death just four of the dozen or so officers present at the time have come forward to answer IPCC questions.

As a result UK based BristleKRS Blog has been collecting pictures and footage of the incident from the internet in order to find clues as to the identity of the other, shyer witnesses to the attack. As he says himself if they do not come forward voluntarily then others must drag them into the public arena.

"I hope that these pictures might help jog the memory of someone - anyone - who was in London that day. Perhaps you took a photograph of a policeman whom you think you recognise here - a photograph which is clearer, perhaps even showing a number on an epaulette or a helmet. Please do check through your pictures and compare them with these.

Or maybe you weren’t in London on the 1st of April, but you happen to recognise a relative, or an acquaintance from your local, or a neighbour. If you do, please don’t just leave it be.

If enough people - ordinary people, people like us - take the time and trouble to hold those responsible (through their action or their inaction) for the death of Ian Tomlinson, force them to come forward and be held accountable, then we might - just might - help prevent this happening again, only next time to your father, my mother, our friends, our loved ones. Don’t leave it to the IPCC."

So, if you think you can help, please go over to his blog and see the pictures and video he has already found.

The police are appealing for witnesses to the death of Ian Tomlinson to come forward

The police are appealing for witnesses to the death of Ian Tomlinson to come forward, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Original photo from Tanya N