To think that the woman who got hit by a policeman at the G20 protests shouldn't now be making money out of it...

[Pheebe]

Heard her say on the news this morning that she thinks the policeman should have asked her politely to move away!!! She was screaming at him like a hariden, wouldn't back off when he asked and signalled her to, he's in the middle of a braying mob and he should ahve asked her politely!!!

O and wasn't it lucky all the cameras were on hand to capture the moment and pass it on to the press.

I don't condone violence of any sort and agree the police need to uphold the highest standards but I'd be more convinced about her sincerity if she'd said any money she makes was going to Ian Tomlinsons family...after all she claims to have been there for a 'peaceful vigil' following his death.

Right, rant over, off to play in the garden with ds for a bit...

so you think it's great if power is cut off from 100,000's of homes, businesses,etc arosss the region it serves?

Hmm - yeah that's a really great idea isn't it?

No of course I don't believe everything they say - however as I said it doesn't take a genius to guess that a meeting held at that hour of the night isn't going to be your run of the mill planning meeting, making placards etc etc.

pw i feel sick after watching those clips. Sick and stunned. Who is responsible for allowing police to act like this? There is something severely wrong with the training procedure if people can't dmonstrate peacefully without the threat of being attacked by 'peacekeeping' forces.

FAQ, fair enough - we disagree about whether or not the aim to close it down is a good one. The point here, though, is whether the police tactics are justified. Whether or not you agree with the protesters' aims is beside the point. I think the BNP are a load of cock-monkeys, but I don't think they should be pre-emptively beaten by the police, or bailed in such a way that they can barely leave their homes for weeks at a time.

ruty - I know. I grew up being told that we had the best police force in the world. I still think there are some excellent people working for the police, and that by and large they do a bloody difficult, badly paid job very well. But this sort of thing is really shocking.

'Who is responsible for allowing police to act like this?' That's a bloody good q.

I have often thought of joining the policeforce. One of the things that stops menis knowing I would have to work alongside a lot of people who think this kind of violence towards members of the public is acceptable. It is sad because I think the policeforce lose a lot of potentially good recruits this way.

I was wondering where she actually stands legally now she has gone public as it were?
She has basically given all her evidence out in the open for everyone to know and make judgements on.
The officer involved would not be permitted to go on tv and give his side, it would jeopardise him and the case.
If this went to crown court with a jury how could the jury really say that they are impartial?
While I know lots of high profile cases are spoken about at length in the media I can't think of one where the actual injured party go on tv telling everything that has happened.

Personally I want a police force who are able to PREVENT acts of violence and PREVENT damage to property. Not just mop up the pieces afterwards.

This woman placed herself in such a position and acted in such as way as to incite violence from the PC, whether you feel his reaction was right or proportionate is clearly something we're all going to disagree on but the fact she is now actively seeking to make money from this incident is far more shocking and depressing to me than the incident itself.

Thanks for an interesting - if a little personally aggressive - discussion ladies. I've certainly got much food for thought out of it.

She clearly doesn't care about justice being done though does she? - she's just out to get some publicity and some money. Hardly in keeping with the principles of a genuine G20 protester methinks.

Fair enough, there are probably plenty of genuine non-violent, non-aggressive protesters who do have a case against the police, and hopefully these will be heard through the proper judicial system. We just don't see them at the moment bleating on the telly. Don't think this woman is one of them - she's out for herself, probably got no interest in the politics at all and probably not even the intelligence to realise she's undermining every genuine protester there.

Presumably if she "was asking for it" that now gives me the green light to slap and whip people that get on my nerves.

As a MH nurse I have had occasion to watch the police in action on many an occasion. Unfortunately. Yes it's a tough job. So is mine, but along with my colleagues I have been trained to deal with violence in a way that always safe guards the individual. Very few people die in MH hospitals. Many die in police custody. We deal with similar levels of violence (worked in a specialist unit which catered for violent individuals). Yes, the police can use reasonable force. How on earth can anyone say that the PC used reasonable force on that woman?

Making money out of being hit.

Fantastic.

She'll have her tits out next.

muffinbaker. there are plenty of other ways she could have raised her grievances without making money. If she had said, I am making money out of this so I can further the cause for which i was protesting for/for those who do not have the ability to speak up for themselves/whatever then perhaps some of us would have been more sympathetic.

at the end of the day she will get money if and when the full investigation proves she has been mistreated. that is how justice and our society should work ...

it should not be that anyone who has something to sensationalise can make a packet from newspapers who make even more money from the sensationalised stories by selling more advertising space to promote products/lifestyles/goods which drive greed ... which got us into the mess we are in at the moment. geddit? rant rant rant.

that is where i think she is a complete hypocrite.

"placed herself in such a position and acted in such as way as to incite violence from the PC"

MAx Clifford is in PR. He doesn't just create monewy making opportunities for people, he also protects their interests while in the public eye.

Take Max Clifford out of the equation and you are still left with a policeman who used inappropriate aggression towards a member of the public when he's shouldn't have.

He might not get tried in court but he should be investigated by the policeforce.

hmm. he also happens to be rather adept at making ALOT of money for people. at the end of the day lots of people can help protect your interests whilst in the public eye without making money for you.

I was being sarcastic........

I feel lots of sympathy for people who have been manhandled by the police.

I don't feel any sympathy for this lady's stage-managed vulnerable act on the BBC. How different she looks and acts. How fortuitous that the violence was filmed. None of this is a set up, of course.

She does herself and her cause no favours.

I actually feel more sympathy for the police in having to control crowds in the face of such provocation with a view to framing them, as this lady's jekyll-and-hyde act shows.

He asked her to move back, she didn't and carried on shouting.

He pushed her away (not overyly hard) and turned to deal with some other people shouting at him.

She launched herself at him and pushed him (harder).

He wacked her across the face (to me it looked quite instinctive, that he'd been pushed when hsi back was to her and he lashed out, perhaps protectivly).

She carried on shouting.

He got his baton out and hit her on the back of her knees.

I don't think he shoud have got his baton out but also dont think she's blameless in this.

oh sorry!

No - he's already pushed someone off screen which is why she started to shout more. He was telling people to generally move back, not her specifically. And what led up to that was a couple of police man wading into a conversation being had between a police woman and another man earlier in the video. You can hear on teh footage that there was little or no shouting or indeed noise until those two policemen got involved with the man trying to talk to the policewoman (About 31 seconds in on the link posted by PW) and that once they had pushed that man the people at the vigil became vocal, then the policeman who eventually ends up striking the woman round the face, is pushing other protesters just to the left of the screen. This is the point the woman starts shouting angrily and he then retaliates by slapping her across teh face.

He clearly loses control at that point. I don't think someone who loses control that easily should be policing demonstrations or vigils like the ones shown on the footage.

oh come - you don't seriously think that Clifford takes on "clients" who aren't going to make him money do you? It's his business - he's out to make money - I can't say I've ever seen clifford portrayed as a lovely charitable type who helps those who really need help

and I'm slightly confused - in the interview on the BBC website she states that she hadn't noticed the police and she hadn't approached him - but in the videos I've seen she did approach him talking about hitting a woman and he told her to move back

I don't actually give two shits about Max Clifford or his involvement and I think his involvement takes nothing away from the terrible behaviour of the policeman/men in that footage.

It does sadden me beanie that you cannot see anything at all wrong in this womans behavior and are laying the entire blame at the feet of this PC.

Just goes to show although the camera doesn't lie, peoples interpretation of what they see will always differ depending on their own agenda.

From what I've seen today, this woman is clearly lying now about the sequence of events solely based on the short bit of film. There's no denying that. She's massaging what happended for personal gain.

ok this is what I see in that video

Man 1 - talking to policewoman
swings round to MAn 2 - tries to get through betwen 2 police officers and they stop him

He walks round towards Man1 and we see something happening with Man1 and police - I've watched it a few times and it's not very clear what happens apart from the fact that it then ends up with a tussle between him and the police

Video pans round and we the policeman who hit the woman.

We see him say move back to someone off camera (apparently a woman?) and push them

Woman who was hit then approaches him and asks what he's doing, he tells her to move back and she appraoches him again and starts saying "you hit a f*cking woman" and calls him scum.

The the rest as reported.