A Guardian video of police allegedly striking a man from behind during G20 protests

Ian Tomlinson died shortly afterwards of a heart attack. More in the Guardian.

Comments

[YMT]

This video is quite frankly rage inducing, what was that officer thinking! He would have known that he was going to knock the victim over with the force he puts into that push, it's pure violent aggression on the part of a jumped up officer who now must face a criminal prosecution in my opinion.

[Henry Mayhew - Ukipper]

Smackdown! He should get out of the way then shouldn't he? We cannot carry on with the police being taunted and ignored in a dangerous situation like this. Giving him a little slap for cheek is fine by me.

[Neil Reddin]

Henry,

"We cannot carry on with the police being taunted and ignored" - I agree, but if he's giving the police too much "lip" I believe they could arrest him for a public order offence. Thumping him with a baton is hardly the way forward.

I do try to be supportive of the police, with all the rubbish they have to put up with, but they don't do themselves any favours sometimes...

[Alistair Thomas]

Putting aside whether the shoulder charge from behind on an unsuspecting member of the public caused or contributed to the that person's death, this unwarranted agression and use of unnecessary force has no place in the police.

If there was an officer or sergeant present then this man should have been relieved of duty immediately and the statements relating to the assault, provoked or otherwise, of the other officers present should have been taken. I fail to how the officer concerned wouldn't have been charged with assault within hours of the incident. The whole incident smacks of cover-up and failure of duty on the part of all those that witnessed this disgusting display.

[Joe De Mocritus]

Smackdown! He should get out of the way then shouldn't he? We cannot carry on with the police being taunted and ignored in a dangerous situation like this. Giving him a little slap for cheek is fine by me.

Shameful statement.

This was quite clearly attacked from behind whilst minding his own business. Just look at his body language.

[oldrightie]

See my Nazi pic of a scarily similar incident.

[NigelJ]

Absolutely disgraceful.That police officer is a disgrace to his uniform. Nothing less than a thug. He should be charged with assualt at the least and possibly manslaughter

[Henry Mayhew - Ukipper]

I am sick and tired of all the middle class lefties in the Cameron Conservative and Labour parties who denigrate the police and jump to conclusions. None of them have any idea of the pressure these officers were under or the operational situation. They don't know whether making an arrest was feasible or what was going on. To link a push which might even have been a slip with this bloke's death is absurd. If he was that poorly he really should not have been provoking the cops in the first place.

If lefties like you with no moral fibre tell the police to go easy in a riot you are going to store up problems that you are possibly too unimaginative or ahistorical to forsee. Please don't rush to judgment on the basis of a protester's vid and please try to give the police the benefit of the doubt in this kind of situation. Of course, an investigation into the facts behind this or any police-related death should be held but it should be held within a realistic context not that of a Conservative-supporting armchair general's perspective.