Just been watching the Sky news. It seems that there is yet another example of police brutality towards a member of the public. In the latest clip, we see a woman shouting at a Policeman, who decides to draw his baton and strike her on the leg. I've generally got a bit of sympathy for the police in these situations. It can't be much fun being abused relentlessly, especially when you probably don't think too much of some of the people you are protecting.
Having said that, I'm a bit old fashioned. I don't believe in hitting women. I think any man who hits a woman is a scumbag. This is just as true for a burly copper armed with a baton as a drunken slob having a row with his wife. Sure there is provocation, but this is the same argument that the drunken slob uses to justify his cowardly behaviour.
There is no excuse. Ever.
5 comments:
No, actually Vincent I think I'm right. Having seen the coverage, i'm pretty sure it was a woman and i'm pretty sure it was an unprovoked attack by a 6' copper on a 5'woman. As such it was wrong, full stop.
Thanks for the comment though
The following is from Dave Hill's blog on the Guardian website at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2009/apr/17/boris-g20-police-assault-ian-tomlinson1
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"Brian Coleman AM, true to form:
Nicky Fisher turned up to this protest, which everyone said could be violent. She put herself in this situation and lo, she was hit. It's like going gambling and then complaining that you've lost money. All right-thinking people will have little sympathy for her. The police were dealing with a very serious situation caused by some very silly people.
That's right, blame the victim. Coleman also attacked Fisher for hiring Max Clifford to sell her story. How odd: I thought Tories approved of enterprise. Yet this "utterly disgraceful profiteering" by one individual is apparently more worthy of public comment by a leading London politician than the seemingly violent excesses of London's police service."
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Brian Coleman (aka Mr Toad) has GOT to go!:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24061317432MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/mr_toad_has_got_to_go
Its all quite depressing really. The gulf between the public and the police increasingly widens with the Police being forced into taking unnecessary actions to meet 'targets' and losing all their discretion in the process. The media, with 24/7 news coverage to fill, ever desperate for a story. £50000 to the innocent 'victim' of a 'vicious' and 'unprovoked' assault by a Sergeant, courtesy of Max Cliffords talents. And no mention of PC Gary Toms, killed while trying to arrest some burglars
Zwanzig20,
A couple of points. I'm sure the officer was provoked. My point is that this was no justification for the assault. I've mates who are coppers who are great guys and I hear all sorts of crap that they get. I just think that what happened here was wrong. So what if she sells her story, he didn't know that when he attacked her.
Of course every decent person is deeply saddened by the death of PC Toms. I admire anyone who is prepared to stand up and make a difference. We all owe people such as PC Toms a debt of gratitude.
I think policing London is at times an impossible job. In cases such as DeMenezes Officers have a split second to make a decision when the investigators have months or years to pore over the inquiry.
Having said that I just don't believe that it can be right for a 6' copper to hit a 5' unarmed woman with a baton, when she clearly posed no threat and was just annoying him.
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