Police Start Trouble 2/4/09

Officer Hits Woman Around The Face For No Reason Who Isnt Part Of Protest.

When police turned up to the completely peaceful protest on the 2nd April commemorating the mans death and call for investigation it quickly became the same old same old once again.

As more and more people came from the Excel centre to the bank of england the officers clearly didnt want a full scale protest, and began once again pushing everyone back regardless. Trouble started after a woman was pushed by a large police officer which caused her sun glasses to fall off. As she explained to the officer that she was trying to find her sun glasses she was struck across the face apsolutely unnessersarily - there was not an air of hostility until that moment,and it is believed the woman was not even part of the protest.

After that the crowd became aggressive towards the police as you might expect (including myself,) an officer even agreed with me and others as we began shouting 'woman beater' etc. They then used the mounted officers to push everyone back. Over the next hour people were dangerously pushed like sheep through a pen up against barriers and walls despite people raising concerns of health and safety.

The officer who hit the woman was not wearing a rank badge nor shoulder number - and was only wearing a white, blank rank slide on the shoulders. He is believed to have been a sergeant or higher since he had a differing coat, (with blue on the back) to the vast majority of officers present. He is quite thick set, of quite dark skin and around 5'11". Afterwards no police would find out the identity of the officer, which is as understood illegal.

Any informationn regarding this incident will be forwarded on to the IPCC!

Contact email: jason.rose@hotmail.co.uk