Adrian Short
Design, citizenship and the city
Did police kill G20 protester in London? (Updated: not looking good)
2 April 2009
Article title preserved for posterity but it’s clear now that Ian Tomlinson was not a protester and was just walking home from work. Please see the updates in the comments at the bottom of this post.
Unnamed: The protester who died. Photo: public domain via Guardian
Photo by Alex Watts.
I’m shocked and saddened that a man died during the G20 protests in London yesterday.
Every death potentially related to police activity is automatically investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. But while their inquiry is in progress, the truth about this incident needs to surface, and soon.
Mainstream media reporting has spun this story away from its most obvious potential substance — policing tactics — to the alleged behaviour of the protesters themselves who the police say attacked police medics trying to give assistance to the dying (or perhaps, dead) man.
The Telegraph dutifully repeats the police allegations as fact without troubling themselves with any corroboration:
[A]s officers went to the man’s aid, they were pelted with bottles and other missiles, forcing them to retreat.
The Times at least paraphrases its source:
The Met said that as the officers tried to revive the man they came under attack from protesters who threw bottles at them
The Guardian is also happy to repeat the story without corroboration:
A man died last night during the G20 protests in central London as a day that began peacefully ended with police saying bottles were thrown at police medics trying to help him.
Meanwhile over on Twitter, @jdodds writes:
Talking to eye witnesses from yesterday.protester who died had symtoms related to a head wound.was seen to be hit by truncheon
If true, this puts a wholly different light on events. There isn’t any dispute that the man died within the police cordon near the junction of Birchin Lane and Cornhill between 7 and 8pm yesterday. Did he die from natural causes? Were these aggravated by effectively being detained on the street, possibly without food or drink? Did he suffer a head wound and was it caused by the police? Did the cordon itself prevent him receiving timely treatment? How did the other protesters react? Violently? Helpfully?
We don’t know, but given that the police have been very quick to tell the tale about the “attack” on them by protesters but were wholly unable to give any indication as to why the man may have died, it’s about time we found out.
As I write there is a protest against the man’s death taking place near the Bank of England, where tributes have been left.
R.I.P.
2 April 2009
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I hope. But we do need to keep prodding at this incident. See my note on tweets from a probable eyewitness who says nothing was thrown by crowd:
http://www.libdemvoice.org/wild-rumour-and-gossip-from-the-streets-of-london-13151.html
2 April 2009
The police’s allegation is clearly inflammatory. It may be true but it’s extremely irresponsible to report it without corroboration in an ongoing tense protest situation. There must have been dozens of witnesses, most probably with photos and videos. Can’t that aspect of the story wait until the potential to cause harm passes or the truth is better known?
2 April 2009
BBC News report now implying that police allege protesters may have been responsible for the man’s death:
“Police said the man, thought to be in his 40s, died on Wednesday evening after bottles were thrown at him and he collapsed.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7978105.stm
2 April 2009
Police have named the man who died as 47-year-old Ian Tomlinson, who lived and worked locally. He was on his way home from work when he was caught in the police cordon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/02/g20-summit-protester-death
It is unclear whether he had consciously joined the protest or was simply passing through.
The suspected cause of death is a heart attack.
It remains unclear whether or to what extent the actions of the police caused or aggravated his condition or impeded prompt treatment, and whether or to what extent the actions of the protesters did likewise. Various eyewitness reports say that Mr Tomlinson was first helped by protesters, then by the police. It is not at all clear that reports of a small number of missiles thrown by some protesters are accurate, or if so, were a significant factor in the outcome of the matter.
7 April 2009
The Guardian have just published a video showing a police officer assaulting Mr Tomlinson from behind and pushing him to the ground moments before he died.
A member of the public comes to his assistance while several police officers stand and watch.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/07/video-g20-police-assault
27 April 2009
Interesting post! If you compare the photos you’ve posted with the ones in my post you’ll see that in your first one he’s walking past the spot where he was later pushed to the ground. Although the actions of the police officer in question appear inexcusable it doesn’t appear that he was “just walking home from work” either but I haven’t heard any other plausible explanation of what he might have been doing in the area.
From being at the protests I know that if you walked 100 yards in any direction you could get around the trouble spots to wherever you wanted to go but he doesn’t appear to have done that and stayed in the area for whatever reason.
http://www.thecity.co.uk/blog/ian-tomlinson-enquiry-police/