...to think that the policeman at the G20 protest wasn't being unreasonable?

[Naetha]

Is it just me, or do other people think that the media furore over the female protestor who got hit with the baton has been blown all out of proportion?

The woman aggressively confronted a policeman at a generally violent/aggressive protest (certainly not a passive, non-violent demonstration) several times, when the policeman was already being confronted from two other directions by other angry protestors. The first time he pushed her away, she came back, the second time he backhanded her (not particularly hard), she came back and then eventually he used his baton.

Is it just me that thinks he was just doing his job in keeping the peace (which this woman was trying her hardest to disrupt) and shouldn't be made a scapegoat for this media farce?

People who talk about this as police brutality make me laugh - look at Myanmar, Thailand, South Africa, Haiti, even the US. This is nothing.

If we must split hairs, since when were the police & miltary proper nouns? I think fulltimeworkingmum is just trying to wind us up.

Sorry - I appear to have posted a long and rather ranty boring message in the middle of a bunfight - I do apologise

Schoolgirl You're right of course. Anyone who thinks being assaulted by a police officer makes them a hero for the people should have a quiet word with themselves.

and I love "bunfight"!

Thank You Schoolgirl - another view point for the the socially constipated to consider - I'm glad do not conform to the mould on this matter.

that's interesting schoolgirl- I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that.

I'd be careful with what you say on the interweb TBH- and i mena that nicely. it does seem you've written some quite accusatory stuff here.
I'm not sure how the law goes re libel/slander on the internet- so maybe best to delete your post.

But even if the woman was irritating to the extreme and pushing all the buttins- the polic officer shouldn't have hit her nad the struck her again...

I'm not niave enough to think everyone is lovely- and maybe she was pushing and goading- but the fact is that I don't pay my taxes for a police officer to hide his ID and then hit people when he can't seem to control them.

And fulltimeworkingmum- well done for you. You've managed to call us chavs and chickpea eaters in the same breath

I'm sure you are very proud of yourself

I guess that's why I name-changed Oops - maybe I should delete it so I don't get MN into trouble again after all that GF stuff...

felt damn good to get it off my chest though!

Foxytocin - great name! Did you need it in labour???
As to being "slapped about" - this is the United Kingdom not the USSR.... get over yourself!

oh look, the trolls are out.

Idiots.

and yawn.

am off to watch Charlie Brooker.

Have reported myself so MNHQ may delete my post in due course.

Just out of curiosity fulltimeworking mum, does your stance on this incident mean that you also think that the Tomlinson incident was not a case of police brutality? (I'm just interested not criticising btw...)

Good Lord Beanieb - did you just call me a troll??

As someone who lived near Brixton during the Brixton riots I encountered more than a few policemen who were up for a fight. Radically altered my view of the police from that point on unfortunately.

FTWM, thanks for gatecrashing your visit, why dont you take full advantage of the 'facilities' and nominate yourself for Mumsnet MumOfTheYear, while you are here?

Schoolgirl, whatever the rights and wrongs or what has gone on here, I feel your anger. My my understanding she was at least extemely agressive at this "passive vigil" and whilst i don't condone the policemen's actions, I don't agree with her subsequent way of dealing with it either.

oooh why don't you watch it too go on, take a risk!

The jury is still out on Ian Tomlinson et al so let's just see wht the outcome of the IPCC is, shall we......
Oopsagain - if the cap fits....

Goodnight ladies

Goodnight Fulltimeworkingmum.

dh left school in a pit village the year the miners' strike started.

Watching the videos of police tactics, he said there is no difference between then and now. in fact in his opinion, they honed them during the strike.

the covering of ID, bashing with the side of shields, the goading and intimidating.

back then, many saw the miners as the enemy so it was OK. now the don't mind using it on the avg joe.

as for this is the UK, not the USSR, go to the relationships board of MN and have a read.

it is written in Roman letters, not Cyrillic, btw.

If the police twatted every annoying little berk the came across they would have very little time to do anything else.

The nature of the job is that you will come across annoying little berks on a daily basis.

If you are policeperson you need to learn to deal with it.

It may not be fair or very nice but thats the way it is.

How can it possibly be OK for a trained public servant to lash out at someone because they are being annoying - not dangerous - annoying.

The injured party in the backhander case seems like someone I would be tempted to slap myself. Mind you if I did it I would be likely to be charged with common assault.

I cannot believe anyone thinks it is acceptable.

But then I am a chav so what the feck do I know.

For god's sake, SOMEONE DIED because of the police tactics at the G20 protests, but you want to justify similar tactics

Really, what's wrong with you?

I have had the unpleasant experience of being smacked across the head with a police baton. All 6 andhalf stone of me. (then not now)

My heinous crime? Going to the Notting Hill Carnival and not getting out of the way quick enough.

Evil, provocative bitch that I am.

Well this is heated!

My feeling is that whether you think this woman was pushy, bolshy and unreasonable or just exercising her right to protest, the job of the police is to be able to handle this sort of situation better than the rest of us could. Having watched the footage, I totally understand the desire to lash out when someone is goading you, but it's essential that all members of our policeforce are able to control that impulse. It's a tough ask but surely that's what they sign up for and are trained for?