[update 24 April 2009]
Breaking news: Ian Tomlinson head injury picture shows police culpability Yet more evidence emerged today of the murder of Ian Tomlinson at the hands of the police.
Massive bruising to the head can be seen after his head slammed to the pavement after being batoned and pushed over by a Territorial Support Group policeman, whose name we still do not know. Not sure why Sky News have 'disguised' Ian's face by blanking out the eyes.
The police have sought and been granted a third postmortem on Ian Tomlinson, the findings of which are still not known.
From Sky News
>
> Last night the London Underground Engineering Branch of the RMT
> union passed a motion affiliating to the campaign and donating £100.
> George Green's School NUT group in Tower Hamlets also backed the ca
> mpaign last night, adding to the support from union leaders Bob Crow
> (RMT) and Mark Serwotka (PCS). Emergency motions are being submitte
> d to PCS, UCU, Bectu and FBU conference
>
> We now have a model motion up on the website (www.againstpoliceviolence.org.uk
> ). Please get is passed through union branches and let us know how
> you get on.
>
> Here is a breakdown of some of the activity the campaign has planned
> over the next few days:
>
> "Lights off in London" in memory of Ian Tomlinson and all those
> who have died in police custody, this Friday (24 April) 8:30 - 9:30p
> m. This is being backed by Ken Livingstone, John McDonnell MP and Gr
> een Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson.
>
> Leafleting of Millwall v Leyton Orient, this Saturday (25 April),
> meet at 2:00pm this Saturday (25 April), on Zampa Road (SE16) at
> Millwall's ground (The Den). We will give out leaflets about the
> campaign and future activities and unfurl a banner. Bob Crow of the
> RMT will be with us.
>
> Lobby of the Metropolitan Police Authority meeting, Thursday 30
> April, assemble 9:30am at City Hall. Bring trade union banners. With
> Jenny Jones AM, Green Party.
>
> We are appealing for all supporters of the campaign to come along
> and help with the leafleting of the Millwall game, and in particular
> WE NEED A BIG MOBILISATION FOR THE LOBBY OF THE MPA MEETING on
> Thursday 30 April.
>
> Please forward these details far and wide. While our mailing list
> grows we rely on all of you to spread information round your contacts.
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Colin Smith
> United Campaign Against Police Violence
[update 22 April]
IPCC, contrary to Hardwick's statements to parliament, is now trying to stop videos appearing in the public domain. It sought, unsuccessfully, an injunction to stop Channel 4 showing an excerpt on YouTube that has since been removed.
[update 21 April]
City of London coroner says third postmortem to be carried out on body of Ian Tomlinson at request of police on Wednesday 22 April.
Commissioner Paul Stephenson told MPs today that: "“This was a successful conference, although there have been a few disturbing images that need to be investigated.”
A few 'disturbing images' - what about the killing of an innocent man?
The IPCC is has now received 185 complaints against the police and is investigating 52 incidents according to chairman Nick Hardwick.
Meanwhile, 58% of people questioned by pollsters ICM were opposed to the police use of excessive force, while right wing MP Gerald Howarth bemoans what he sees as the challenge to law and order by Tamils in Parliament Square - the direct result of what he regards as unwarranted criticism of police violence.
Tamils beaten up by cops can be forgiven for not being aware of the new softly softly 'restraint' being shown by the territorial support group bully boys.
The police blogs have been fighting a rearguard action to defend 'outnumbered' police on public order duties. Now that's unusual - cops inflating figures for demos.
They had better hope that when hundreds of thousands of us, as opposed to the 15,000 in the City on 1 April, turn out again for Gaza etc we are forgiving mood.
As a famous and seminal bunch of US rappers by the name of NWA once said: Fuck the Police.
[update 18:25 20 April]
Protesters march through London last Saturday (11 April) to demand justice for Ian Tomlinson (Pic: » Angela Stapleford)
The march of over 500 people last Saturday was the perfect launch pad for the fightback against police brutality in Britain.
The first campaign meeting on Wednesday 15 April was attended by around 60 people and included the Tomlinson family solicitor, representatives from the Riggs and Douglas families that saw loved ones die in police custody (United Friends and Families Campaign), plus representatives from the Newham Monitoring Project, Inquest, the Green Party and the Socialist Workers Party, among others.
It was agreed to name the campaign the United Campaign Against Police Violence and an open steering committee has been set up which held its first meeting on Saturday and was attended by Inquest's Helen Shaw, the NMP and the Green Party's London Policy Co-ordinator.
The campaign is now planning for a launch rally on 5 May to be followed by a national demonstration on 23 May. Shami Chakrabarti the director of Liberty has indicated she would like to speak at the meeting, as has Jeremy Corbyn and Bob Crow. More details to be announced soon.
Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union is backing the campaign as is Mark Serwotka, leader of the civil service workers' union the PCS.
This coming Saturday will see the campaign leaflet fans at Millwall football club, as Ian Tomlinson was a big fan. Bob Crow a Millwall fan will be joining the leafleters.
This Friday 24 April Ken Livingstone and the Greens on the London Assembly are backing a mass turning off of lights across London between 8.30 and 9.30 as a mark of respect for Ian and in protest at police violence.
The main action to focus on will be taking place on Thursday 30 April when the campaign is asking supporters to join them in picketing the Metropolitan Police Authority meeting at the London Assembly.
The campaign has decided not to call for a public inquiry as much of what happened to Ian is already in the public domain.
The United Campaign Against Police Violence says:
• Remember Ian Tomlinson
• No more deaths in custody
• Defend the freedom to protest
More posts to follow with details on all of the above and how you can get involved with the campaign which is still in the early stages.
[update 18:42 19 April]
Nick Hardwick says we need a national debate on policing. No, what we need from his IPCC is for it to do its job and help to bring violent and criminal police officers to account.
But isn't it remarkable what a difference a week makes as media outlets, and others, apparently fall over themselves to start focusing on police behaviour instead of demonising peaceful protesters.
In addition to our new converts in the media in the fight against police brutality, we also have Tory politicians like Boris Johnson calling for a speedy and transparent inquiry. Government and politicians are racing to catch up with a mood of outrage.
In truth the 'concern' from the establishment and wider business community is more with the damage the killing of Ian Tomlinson, and the exposure of the accompanying widespread police violence, has done to the credibility of the police among those previously supportive of the legitimacy of the police as the state's main internal guarantor of order. And all this happening as social upheaval breaks out across the world in tandem with the spreading 'great recession', although in some countries it will surely be a depression.
[update 08:38 BST 11 April]
The Guardian reports this morning that the first post mortem was carried out by a dodgy pathologist. See today' post. In a previous case he had found a woman to have died of natural causes only for the person to go to kill and mutilate two other women.
Posting from Spain this week using my iPhone so lots of typos to come.
[update 07:38 BST 10 April]
We rang the IPCC yesterday and got the same stonewalling (see below) the Guardian received when we asked if anyone had been interviewed, let alone arrested.
The northern 'terror plot' sounds like another piece of state-sponsored fiction. But hey, we shouldn't prejudge these things - leave that to the police.
But seriously, the cops haven't found anything at any of the addresses apart from photographs of the Arndale shopping centre and Birdcage night club in Manchester, according to BBC Radio 4 this morning. I suppose I better get rid of my pics of the houses of parliament.
However, despite the lack of any evidence, fabricated or otherwise, the 'plot' is being used to clampdown on student visas and to do a bit more Pakistan bashing.
[update 17:50 BST 9 April]
Fresh from our inbox - IPCC press release
[update 17:37 BST 9 April]
Ian Tomlinson's widow Julia and his son Paul. Photograph: David Mansell
Julia Tomlinson, Ian's widow.
[update 11:39 BST 9 April]
Another protest demo has been called this Saturday 11 April - Bethnal Green Police station 11am - not sure by who exactly.
Telegraph catching up with the story. They've managed to work out that there was more than one attack by police - you don't say! Paper says at least three attacks. On Monday 6 April it was known to anyone that had seen witness statements, and the first photo from the Royal Exchange, that he must have been assaulted at least twice.
Telegraph does have this from Ian's friend Barry Smith:
[re-posted 11:35 9 April] from 'Police and IPCC manipulated Tomlinson family in cover-up attempt'
Reading the Guardian this morning is heartening as it confirms the suspicions of this blog from the very start: the police put out a lie to cover their tracks and then manipulated the family to keep the lie on the road. Here's that big lie again:
'Guidance' given to journalists last Thursday (2 April) by the City Of London police steered the media into the 'pre-existing condition' line:
Requests by the Guardian to speak to the family were refused. On Friday the Guardian got hold of the first photograph. The police were not shown the pic but according to the Guardian were aware of allegations of an 'altercation' - anyone doing a search on the web at the time would have come across countless witness statements to this effect, and worse. But the the family were not told about any of this by the police who were shielding them, although a statement was put out which seemed as if it had been written by the police themselves complaining about journalists and bloggers and the need to wait for the outcome of the IPCC 's 'assessing' . How convenient.
On Saturday we got the post mortem results. "Independent approaches to the coroner were met with a refusal to comment." You better believe it. I had a conversation with the coroner's officer and made the point that the delay might impair the usefulness of the medical examination for finding out the cause of death. No comment. Why the delay? No comment.
During a memorial service for Ian attended by the family, the Guardian managed to make contact. The police liaison officer told the Guardian not to contact the family again for '48 hours'. The IPCC added to the cover-up attempts by telling the media there was 'nothing in the story' about allegations of a police assault on Mr Tomlinson.
On Tuesday night the IPCC asked the Guardian to remove the fund manager's video (who seems to have shown more investigative impulse than the combined ranks of the British media and IPCC - with the exception of the Guardian), but thankfully the Guardian refused its request.
"When I close my eyes, I can't stop the video playing in my head. How he slams to the floor. How the officers don't go to his help. It is disgusting."
Julia Tomlinson, Ian's widow.
[posted 08:09 9/4/09]
Ian's family are hoping to start an appeal in his memory. Busy day for the cops. Policeman that assaulted Ian Tomlinson is being questioned today by the IPCC. Mr Bob Quick, who proved to be a bit slow on the job, even for a copper (I always find them amazingly incoherent on TV), has now resigned from his counter-terrorism role.
Heard on the broadcast media last night (8th) that City of London police are no longer investigating for the IPCC as a number of their officers may have been involved in incident with Ian Tomlinson. Also, a second post mortem has been ordered and the IPCC is now holding an independent inquiry. Need to get a handle on who exactly the 'independent' investigators are. Channel 4 produced another video showing different angle of the attack on Ian.
From the Guardian
Breaking news: Ian Tomlinson head injury picture shows police culpability Yet more evidence emerged today of the murder of Ian Tomlinson at the hands of the police.
Massive bruising to the head can be seen after his head slammed to the pavement after being batoned and pushed over by a Territorial Support Group policeman, whose name we still do not know. Not sure why Sky News have 'disguised' Ian's face by blanking out the eyes.
The police have sought and been granted a third postmortem on Ian Tomlinson, the findings of which are still not known.
From Sky News
Newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson, who was shoved onto the pavement by a policeman during the G20 protests, suffered a head injury before he died.
Close-up of the injury to Mr Tomlinson's head
A photograph obtained by Sky News suggests strongly that the injury was the result of the alleged assault by the officer, who has been suspended and questioned on suspicion of manslaughter.
Show your repsects for Ian Tomlinson tonight.
Light Out at 8:30pm for one hour.
Called by the United Campaign Against Police Violence
>
> Last night the London Underground Engineering Branch of the RMT
> union passed a motion affiliating to the campaign and donating £100.
> George Green's School NUT group in Tower Hamlets also backed the ca
> mpaign last night, adding to the support from union leaders Bob Crow
> (RMT) and Mark Serwotka (PCS). Emergency motions are being submitte
> d to PCS, UCU, Bectu and FBU conference
>
> We now have a model motion up on the website (www.againstpoliceviolence.org.uk
> ). Please get is passed through union branches and let us know how
> you get on.
>
> Here is a breakdown of some of the activity the campaign has planned
> over the next few days:
>
> "Lights off in London" in memory of Ian Tomlinson and all those
> who have died in police custody, this Friday (24 April) 8:30 - 9:30p
> m. This is being backed by Ken Livingstone, John McDonnell MP and Gr
> een Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson.
>
> Leafleting of Millwall v Leyton Orient, this Saturday (25 April),
> meet at 2:00pm this Saturday (25 April), on Zampa Road (SE16) at
> Millwall's ground (The Den). We will give out leaflets about the
> campaign and future activities and unfurl a banner. Bob Crow of the
> RMT will be with us.
>
> Lobby of the Metropolitan Police Authority meeting, Thursday 30
> April, assemble 9:30am at City Hall. Bring trade union banners. With
> Jenny Jones AM, Green Party.
>
> We are appealing for all supporters of the campaign to come along
> and help with the leafleting of the Millwall game, and in particular
> WE NEED A BIG MOBILISATION FOR THE LOBBY OF THE MPA MEETING on
> Thursday 30 April.
>
> Please forward these details far and wide. While our mailing list
> grows we rely on all of you to spread information round your contacts.
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Colin Smith
> United Campaign Against Police Violence
[update 22 April]
IPCC, contrary to Hardwick's statements to parliament, is now trying to stop videos appearing in the public domain. It sought, unsuccessfully, an injunction to stop Channel 4 showing an excerpt on YouTube that has since been removed.
Abolish the IPCC now. Well done to the Guardian for broadcasting the
full footage on it's site:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/22/new-ian-tomlinson-g20-video
[update 21 April]
City of London coroner says third postmortem to be carried out on body of Ian Tomlinson at request of police on Wednesday 22 April.
Commissioner Paul Stephenson told MPs today that: "“This was a successful conference, although there have been a few disturbing images that need to be investigated.”
A few 'disturbing images' - what about the killing of an innocent man?
The IPCC is has now received 185 complaints against the police and is investigating 52 incidents according to chairman Nick Hardwick.
Meanwhile, 58% of people questioned by pollsters ICM were opposed to the police use of excessive force, while right wing MP Gerald Howarth bemoans what he sees as the challenge to law and order by Tamils in Parliament Square - the direct result of what he regards as unwarranted criticism of police violence.
Tamils beaten up by cops can be forgiven for not being aware of the new softly softly 'restraint' being shown by the territorial support group bully boys.
The police blogs have been fighting a rearguard action to defend 'outnumbered' police on public order duties. Now that's unusual - cops inflating figures for demos.
They had better hope that when hundreds of thousands of us, as opposed to the 15,000 in the City on 1 April, turn out again for Gaza etc we are forgiving mood.
As a famous and seminal bunch of US rappers by the name of NWA once said: Fuck the Police.
[update 18:25 20 April]
Protesters march through London last Saturday (11 April) to demand justice for Ian Tomlinson (Pic: » Angela Stapleford)The march of over 500 people last Saturday was the perfect launch pad for the fightback against police brutality in Britain.
The first campaign meeting on Wednesday 15 April was attended by around 60 people and included the Tomlinson family solicitor, representatives from the Riggs and Douglas families that saw loved ones die in police custody (United Friends and Families Campaign), plus representatives from the Newham Monitoring Project, Inquest, the Green Party and the Socialist Workers Party, among others.
It was agreed to name the campaign the United Campaign Against Police Violence and an open steering committee has been set up which held its first meeting on Saturday and was attended by Inquest's Helen Shaw, the NMP and the Green Party's London Policy Co-ordinator.
The campaign is now planning for a launch rally on 5 May to be followed by a national demonstration on 23 May. Shami Chakrabarti the director of Liberty has indicated she would like to speak at the meeting, as has Jeremy Corbyn and Bob Crow. More details to be announced soon.
Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union is backing the campaign as is Mark Serwotka, leader of the civil service workers' union the PCS.
This coming Saturday will see the campaign leaflet fans at Millwall football club, as Ian Tomlinson was a big fan. Bob Crow a Millwall fan will be joining the leafleters.
This Friday 24 April Ken Livingstone and the Greens on the London Assembly are backing a mass turning off of lights across London between 8.30 and 9.30 as a mark of respect for Ian and in protest at police violence.
The main action to focus on will be taking place on Thursday 30 April when the campaign is asking supporters to join them in picketing the Metropolitan Police Authority meeting at the London Assembly.
The campaign has decided not to call for a public inquiry as much of what happened to Ian is already in the public domain.
The United Campaign Against Police Violence says:
• Remember Ian Tomlinson
• No more deaths in custody
• Defend the freedom to protest
More posts to follow with details on all of the above and how you can get involved with the campaign which is still in the early stages.
[update 18:42 19 April]
Nick Hardwick says we need a national debate on policing. No, what we need from his IPCC is for it to do its job and help to bring violent and criminal police officers to account.
But isn't it remarkable what a difference a week makes as media outlets, and others, apparently fall over themselves to start focusing on police behaviour instead of demonising peaceful protesters.
In addition to our new converts in the media in the fight against police brutality, we also have Tory politicians like Boris Johnson calling for a speedy and transparent inquiry. Government and politicians are racing to catch up with a mood of outrage.
In truth the 'concern' from the establishment and wider business community is more with the damage the killing of Ian Tomlinson, and the exposure of the accompanying widespread police violence, has done to the credibility of the police among those previously supportive of the legitimacy of the police as the state's main internal guarantor of order. And all this happening as social upheaval breaks out across the world in tandem with the spreading 'great recession', although in some countries it will surely be a depression.
- Baton charge towards press photographers
- Protesters tackled near Bank of England
- Police dog bites protester
- Riot police break up climate camp
- Photographers threatened with arrest
- Protesters manhandled to the ground
- Plainclothes police with batons
[update 08:38 BST 11 April]
The Guardian reports this morning that the first post mortem was carried out by a dodgy pathologist. See today' post. In a previous case he had found a woman to have died of natural causes only for the person to go to kill and mutilate two other women.
Posting from Spain this week using my iPhone so lots of typos to come.
[update 07:38 BST 10 April]
We rang the IPCC yesterday and got the same stonewalling (see below) the Guardian received when we asked if anyone had been interviewed, let alone arrested.
The northern 'terror plot' sounds like another piece of state-sponsored fiction. But hey, we shouldn't prejudge these things - leave that to the police.
But seriously, the cops haven't found anything at any of the addresses apart from photographs of the Arndale shopping centre and Birdcage night club in Manchester, according to BBC Radio 4 this morning. I suppose I better get rid of my pics of the houses of parliament.
However, despite the lack of any evidence, fabricated or otherwise, the 'plot' is being used to clampdown on student visas and to do a bit more Pakistan bashing.
[update 17:50 BST 9 April]
Fresh from our inbox - IPCC press release
The IPCC has called for the officer to be suspended. The MPS has now
informed us that the officer has suspended with immediate effect.
Although decisions about suspension are a matter for the Chief Officer
of the police, when there is an IPCC investigation, the police are
obliged to consult with us over the suspension of officers. In this
case, we have expressed the view that the officer in question should be
suspended from duty, in the public interest
[update 17:37 BST 9 April]
The Guardian has more footage which makes a total mockery of the police version of events:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/apr/09/g20-police-assault-ian-tomlinson
[update 17:04 BST 9 April]
Spoke to the IPCC press officer a moment ago. He's new to the job so I did feel a bit sorry for him. I asked if any policemen had been interviewed yet and if so how many? He referred me to their press statement released last night.
On the 'independence' of the investigation I asked in what way was their team of investigators independent and were they all trained to carry out such investigations? I was told: "our team of investigators come from a range of fields and are entirely independent but may use City resources for analytical and research needs".
When asked if any of the investigators were ex-police officers I was told the press office did not have the information to hand and would get back to me. Asked where the missiles story had come from he suggested I take it up with the Met. He could not confirm whether the IPCC was specifically looking into this fabricated story as part of its investigation.
[update 15:20 BST 9 April]
Just spoke to the coroner's office and they can confirm that the second post mortem on Ian Tomlinson is taking place this afternoon, so we'll be ringing back later.
[update 14:47 BST 9 April]
[update 12:08 BST 9 April]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/apr/09/g20-police-assault-ian-tomlinson
The footage, shot by Nabeela Zahir, a 27-year-old freelance journalist from London, contains three important elements to note:
• Police move quickly to push away those protesters and bystanders who were aiding Tomlinson, including a man on the phone to the ambulance service. The ambulance service wanted to be put in contact with the officer, who declined to take the call.
• The reaction of protesters is important. After the demonstration, police accused them of impeding Tomlinson's treatment by subjecting the officers and medics to a hail of missiles. Although this video does not show the entire incident, when the camera is rolling, no missiles are thrown. In fact, the contrary is true – a man stands with his arms in the air and shouts: "There is someone hurt here. Back the fuck up."
You can hear someone from the crowd saying: "There's someone hurt. Don't throw anything." This indicates something was thrown, but certainly there was no barrage of missiles on film, and nothing reached the police.
• The riot officers have concealed their faces. Pause at 56 seconds. There are four officers in shot. Three have their face masks pulled half-way up their faces.
[update 17:04 BST 9 April]
Spoke to the IPCC press officer a moment ago. He's new to the job so I did feel a bit sorry for him. I asked if any policemen had been interviewed yet and if so how many? He referred me to their press statement released last night.
On the 'independence' of the investigation I asked in what way was their team of investigators independent and were they all trained to carry out such investigations? I was told: "our team of investigators come from a range of fields and are entirely independent but may use City resources for analytical and research needs".
When asked if any of the investigators were ex-police officers I was told the press office did not have the information to hand and would get back to me. Asked where the missiles story had come from he suggested I take it up with the Met. He could not confirm whether the IPCC was specifically looking into this fabricated story as part of its investigation.
[update 15:20 BST 9 April]
Just spoke to the coroner's office and they can confirm that the second post mortem on Ian Tomlinson is taking place this afternoon, so we'll be ringing back later.
[update 14:47 BST 9 April]
G20 death: Officer who assaulted Ian Tomlinson 'should be arrested and suspended'
Former senior officer Brian Paddick urges Metropolitan police to take 'decisive action' to avoid public confidence in force being damaged.
"If that had been a member of the public caught on video doing that, they would have immediately been arrested." More at the Guardian
[update 12:08 BST 9 April]
Four cops have come forward (presumably the four Territorial Support Group squad members that executed the attack), but I think we can all count more than 4 cops in the vicinity - and who did nothing to help Ian.
Ian Tomlinson's widow Julia and his son Paul. Photograph: David Mansell"When I close my eyes, I can't stop the video playing in my head. How he slams to the floor. How the officers don't go to his help. It is disgusting."
Julia Tomlinson, Ian's widow.
[update 11:39 BST 9 April]
Another protest demo has been called this Saturday 11 April - Bethnal Green Police station 11am - not sure by who exactly.
Telegraph catching up with the story. They've managed to work out that there was more than one attack by police - you don't say! Paper says at least three attacks. On Monday 6 April it was known to anyone that had seen witness statements, and the first photo from the Royal Exchange, that he must have been assaulted at least twice.
Telegraph does have this from Ian's friend Barry Smith:
"He had a drink problem but that day he was completely sober and was looking forward to starting work again the next day."I would normally close the stall at 8pm, but that night I had run out of papers by 7pm so I told him to go home. I keep thinking that if only I had had another bundle he would still be alive today."
[re-posted 11:35 9 April] from 'Police and IPCC manipulated Tomlinson family in cover-up attempt'
Reading the Guardian this morning is heartening as it confirms the suspicions of this blog from the very start: the police put out a lie to cover their tracks and then manipulated the family to keep the lie on the road. Here's that big lie again:
"The officers gave him an initial check and cleared his airway before moving him back behind the cordon line to a clear area outside the Royal Exchange Building where they gave him CPR,"They have refused to tell us or the Guardian why it took so long to announce his death - we made it fours hours not three as the Guardian states. The police have also still not revealed the provenance of the 'rain of missiles' story.
"The officers took the decision to move him as during this time a number of missiles - believed to be bottles - were being thrown at them.
'Guidance' given to journalists last Thursday (2 April) by the City Of London police steered the media into the 'pre-existing condition' line:
"His family were not surprised to hear what had happened," the guidance went. When pressed about the nature of the inquiry and whether Mr Tomlinson had any contact with officers, journalists were told speculation "upset the family".The police were using the family as a shield to deflect any proper investigation of what happened to Ian. The family no doubt were willing to accept the police line that it was protesters who stopped their medics getting to Ian's aid, given the background of lies about 'violent protesters' orchestrated in the run-up to the G20 protests.
Requests by the Guardian to speak to the family were refused. On Friday the Guardian got hold of the first photograph. The police were not shown the pic but according to the Guardian were aware of allegations of an 'altercation' - anyone doing a search on the web at the time would have come across countless witness statements to this effect, and worse. But the the family were not told about any of this by the police who were shielding them, although a statement was put out which seemed as if it had been written by the police themselves complaining about journalists and bloggers and the need to wait for the outcome of the IPCC 's 'assessing' . How convenient.
On Saturday we got the post mortem results. "Independent approaches to the coroner were met with a refusal to comment." You better believe it. I had a conversation with the coroner's officer and made the point that the delay might impair the usefulness of the medical examination for finding out the cause of death. No comment. Why the delay? No comment.
During a memorial service for Ian attended by the family, the Guardian managed to make contact. The police liaison officer told the Guardian not to contact the family again for '48 hours'. The IPCC added to the cover-up attempts by telling the media there was 'nothing in the story' about allegations of a police assault on Mr Tomlinson.
On Tuesday night the IPCC asked the Guardian to remove the fund manager's video (who seems to have shown more investigative impulse than the combined ranks of the British media and IPCC - with the exception of the Guardian), but thankfully the Guardian refused its request.
By now Tomlinson's family had found their own voice. They told the Guardian: "Now we do know police did have contact with him. Thanks for everything you have done so far."Thanks to the Guardian
"When I close my eyes, I can't stop the video playing in my head. How he slams to the floor. How the officers don't go to his help. It is disgusting."
Julia Tomlinson, Ian's widow.
[posted 08:09 9/4/09]
Ian's family are hoping to start an appeal in his memory. Busy day for the cops. Policeman that assaulted Ian Tomlinson is being questioned today by the IPCC. Mr Bob Quick, who proved to be a bit slow on the job, even for a copper (I always find them amazingly incoherent on TV), has now resigned from his counter-terrorism role.
Heard on the broadcast media last night (8th) that City of London police are no longer investigating for the IPCC as a number of their officers may have been involved in incident with Ian Tomlinson. Also, a second post mortem has been ordered and the IPCC is now holding an independent inquiry. Need to get a handle on who exactly the 'independent' investigators are. Channel 4 produced another video showing different angle of the attack on Ian.
From the Guardian
...their lawyer, Jules Carey, read out a short statement on their behalf. "The family would like to thank the media for bringing crucial evidence about Ian's death to light. Today the IPCC agreed that the investigation would now be an independent criminal investigation. The family have arranged a second postmortem examination to take place later this week."IPCC is at pains to point out is it assessing the criminality of police behaviour. I should bloody well hope so:
On their kitchen table, on top of piles of newspapers, was a plastic jar filled with blue ribbons. Another jar was filled with coins. It is a humble beginning, but they hope it is the start of an appeal in his memory.
Witness Alan Edwards, 34, says that Ian Tomlinson was following police orders when he was attacked. He went to his aid as he was worried by the what the police might do to him next.“People have been calling for a criminal investigation. I want to stress that, from the outset of all our investigations, we consider whether criminal offences have been committed. This is a criminal investigation and we will, of course, be discussing it with the Crown Prosecution Service.
“At the moment the investigation is focused on identifying the officers in the footage. Several have already come forward and all efforts are being made to trace those who haven’t.
"When I spoke to the lady at the IPCC she asked what happened when [Tomlinson - god almighty, the IPCC are rubbish] fell over. I said: 'He didn't fall, he was pushed.'""I tried to eyeball him [riot cops that batoned Ian and shoved him over] to see if I would remember who he was but he was balacavaed up," Edwards said. "All you could see was his hands and his eyes. He looked slightly crazy. That's why I stood my ground a bit."
After picking up Mr Tomlinson from the ground, Edwards had a brief exchange with him. "I said, you OK, mate? He said: No, I live down there - that's where I live. I can't get there any other way. I'm trying to get home."
Edwards, who had been to demonstrations before, said at the time he had not been "particularly shocked" by the assault because he had seen similar incidents in the past. His message to Mr Tomlinson's family would be: "I am sorry I could not help any more." more
Ken Livingstone was waxing lyrical about Bob Quick and counter terror cops in general. Pretty revolting, but he did make the point that one cop has been seen committing a violent assault and has not even been suspended while another one was sacked for being careless with 'terror' arrest plans. And once we've finished with this bit of nonsense could we have some evidence, charges etc please on the 12 arrested men - you know innocent until proven guilty and all that, or does that only stand for thuggish policemen?
This thread began on 08:08 9 April and may have been re-posted since then.
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