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Cllr Foxsmith’s picture shows police officers in one of the many G20 face-offs with protesters that took place in the City |
G20: On the frontline
Councillor claims he saw police strike pensioner during protests
AN Islington civil rights solicitor claims he witnessed a pensioner being struck by a policeman with a baton during the controversial recent G20 protests.
Greg Foxsmith, an Islington Lib Dem councillor for Hillrise ward, and executive member for environment, joined the growing anger at the heavy handed tactics used by the police at the demonstration two weeks ago.
The incident happened on the same day newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson, 47, died from a heart attack after being shoved to the ground by an officer during the protests.
Mr Foxsmith, who was observing the City demonstration, said a group of pensioners were protesting about how their savings had been lost after the banks had “squandered” all the money.
He said he saw a line of police facing the elderly protesters and one officer strike a pensioner with a baton.
“I took a photo, but unfortunately it was of no use because the officer was wearing a balaclava and helmet and couldn’t be identified,” said Mr Foxsmith.
“I approached the police line to ask for or try and identify the officer’s number, but the police group moved forward and I was pushed out of the way.”
Mr Foxsmith said that the pensioner was not knocked to the ground but was shaken up.
“The pensioner was struck around the shoulder at the top of his arm,” said Mr Foxsmith. “Unfortunately, I was then separated from his group and didn’t get the opportunity to talk to him.
“What really disturbed me about the incident was that this officer was wearing a balaclava so his face couldn’t be identified.”
Mr Foxsmith posted photos of the incident on Facebook and received many replies from others with similar experiences of excessive behaviour by police.
“One young Muslim girl who had gone to the demo without telling her parents was corralled in a ‘kettle’ for eight hours,” he said.
“You can only imagine what that must have been like.
“She wasn’t violent or aggressive. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Mr Foxsmith said he understood that the police had a difficult job. “I’m not anti-police, but there were occasions when they behaved excessively,” he said. “I’ve been on many demonstrations but I’ve never seen anything like this.”
He is supporting Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary MP David Howarth’s call for a full investigation into police tactics on the day. |
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