Jenny
Jones, the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Green Party (and a member
of the Metropolitan Police Authority) responds to the release of
footage of a police officer striking a woman protester on the 2nd April
2009:
"This
new video footage confirms what many of us knew, that the assault on
Ian Thomlinson was far from being an isolated incident during the
G20 protest."
"I
have been copied in to a large number of the reports of alleged police
unprovoked assaults and misbehaviour which are now on the desk of the
Independent Police Complaints Commission. It’s time for Paul Stephenson
to restore public trust by showing that lessons will be learned. The
use of kettling has to be curtailed and all officers seen acting
unprofessionally must be traced and disciplined. Any attempt to avoid
accountability by hiding police uniform numbers, destroying video
images, or collusion over statements, must be severely dealt with."
"I’m
writing to the Mayor of London with some ideas about how to
improve policing protests for the future, but I have two further
questions for the Met:
1) Will they search their own video footage of 1st April for similar police abuse of peaceful protesters?
2) Will they revise their tactic of snatching protesters’ cameras and camera phones?"