The Power Of The Internet

Published on April 21st, 2009

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His hands were in his pockets, walking away when they hit him.

A third post-mortem examination on Ian Tomlinson, who died at a G20 protest in London minutes after he was pushed over by a policeman, has been requested.

The request to the City of London coroner is thought to have come from the representatives of an officer interviewed about the death on 1 April.
[...]
A first pathologist, Dr Freddy Patel, concluded that Mr Tomlinson died from coronary artery disease.

Dr Nat Cary carried out a second test and found evidence of hardening of Mr Tomlinson’s heart but said it was not sufficient to have caused the man’s death.

He concluded abdominal bleeding had caused his death.

The constable at the centre of the allegations was filmed hitting Mr Tomlinson with his baton and throwing him to the ground.

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# 1 moss said, on April 21st, 2009 at 7:55 am

Patel has a long history of producing coroner’s verdicts that solve no crimes and say whatever prosecutors and police want him to say.

I’d add that the portability, the ease of today’s digital recording is an important part of it all. The dude that recorded this is a Wall Street type visiting from his NY office – just happening by when it occurred.

Fortunately, he has a conscience. Unlike the commander in charge of the police detail.

# 2 George said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:04 am

The man must have had serious underlying medical problems for a simple fall to cause his death. Pushing the man was still uncalled for. Still, I think whatever the UK equivalent of manslaughter charges are appropriate, as the hitting and shoving showed a wanton disregard for the man’s well being.

As an aside, anyone who has ever dealt with cops knows that “hands in pockets” is not a non-threatening posture. Cops want to see your hands, and that they are empty.

# 3 madtruckman said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:24 am

it looks to me like this is more of a condemnation of the british health care system than of police misconduct. how long was this guy standing there acting like an ass?? when will people learn, if you have had your chance to protest (the narrator says it was 7 at night?) and the police are now telling you to go home, i would suggest you listen. right or wrong, these situations always end up bad for the citzens. what im wondering is how many times the police told him and the others to begin moving back and they were not? remember also that these policemen in a major city like london are probably trained to think that people who dont listen to direct orders could be holding a bomb or something to start a terrorist act. not that this guy is, but they have to act as if he could be. heck, these terrorists use kids and women as suicide bombers so that is how the police train. and as #2 says, hands in pockets is NOT a non-threatening posture. he could have had a gun or a triggering device in his pockets. its a sad story all around, but in the heat of the moment, i believe this cop did the right thing

# 4 Paddy-O said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:37 am

In slo-mo, the guy was pushed and fell with his hands breaking the fall. If this caused his death the next time he fell would have also…

He was intentionally “dragging his feet” while the cops were trying to clear the street. Idiot.

# 5 Chris Mac said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:37 am

#3 – I disagree and am glad I don’t live in your world.. Terrorist acts are so few and far between that I refuse to live my life in fear of them..

# 6 madtruckman said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:45 am

#5 yes you are right, they are few and far between. but when your job is to protect the citzens from these terrorists, how would you act?? and, i hate to say, but just by posting proves that you DO live in my world, virtual or no…..

# 7 jbenson2 said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:47 am

#3 – “condemnation of the british health care system”
You nailed it!

#4 – intentionally “dragging his feet…idiot”
Excellent comment. The guy is a perfect example of Dawrin’s theory. Glad he is out of the gene pool.

# 8 Breetai said, on April 21st, 2009 at 8:58 am

I do enjoy the fact that provoking a response from the cops was the guys intent. I guess on the one hand he got what he deserved for being an A-Hole. Then again, Britian has definitely one damned fascist state with crappy healthcare. You’d be ignorant to think the US any better though.

# 9 BrimstoneAshe said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:02 am

While I agree the police used excessive force, he didn’t seem to be walking very sure-footedly prior to the shove. It’s hard to tell with such little camera time on him, but my first time seeing this, I got the initial impression by the few seconds before the shove that he was drunk.

The shove was uncalled for – no doubt. But I’m inclined at this point to think something else was the cause of this unfortunately death.

# 10 Chris Mac said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:03 am

#6 said – yes you are right, they are few and far between. but when your job is to protect the citzens from these terrorists, how would you act??

simple.. i wouldn’t have shoved him to the ground..

# 11 zorkor said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:04 am

I am quite amazed to read so many idiotic comments here who are calling the poor dead man as idiot. So you’re walking coming from work to home with hands in your pockets, and then you deserved to be pushed, right?
What happened to just telling the guy to move instead of pushing him? Was this guy threatening the police? Why was he humiliated like this? I hope that it happens to some of you here who are calling this guy an idiot and wish you’re family will suffer by looking at your death video and being pushed by police.

Thats right….never trust the police.

# 12 brm said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:12 am

#11:

hear hear.

#4 Paddy:

“In slo-mo, the guy was pushed and fell with his hands breaking the fall.”

What the hell tape did you watch? Certainly not the one I saw.

The guy goes almost completely out of frame when he hits the ground. You have no idea how he broke his fall. He could’ve smacked his head on the pavement.

Watch it again.

“He was intentionally ‘dragging his feet’ while the cops were trying to clear the street.”

Or he was dragging his feet because he was disoriented from his fall. Either way, I fail to see how dragging ones feet makes being attacked and killed by the police OK.

“Idiot.”

SCREW YOU. This guy was not putting up a fight.

# 13 Paddy-O said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:13 am

# 11 zorkor said, “What happened to just telling the guy to move instead of pushing him?”

As anyone with eye sight can see, he was being urged on by the cops for quite a while and he decided to move slowly on purpose. Idiot, now removed from the gene pool.

# 14 Santa Maria said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:19 am

I don’t agree with urban protests. They should protest in some stadium or in some rural area where they don’t disrupt normal life. Any “protest” in open urban areas should call for a crushing police/ military response. If someone doesn’t like Western governments; maybe they should leave and enjoy the hospitality of our enemies in Waziristan… while they have their heads connected to their shoulders.

# 15 brm said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:19 am

#3 madtruckman:

“he could have had a gun or a triggering device in his pockets”

Oh yeah, so I’m going to PUSH the guy who has his finger on a bomb trigger.

Quit making excuses. It’s obvious they didn’t think this guy was a threat. Just cops beating up on the ‘civilians.’

# 16 brm said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:25 am

#14 Santa Maria:

“They should protest in some stadium or in some rural area where they don’t disrupt normal life.”

Then it’s not a protest, you dolt. The whole point of a protest is that it’s a visible disruption.

“Any ‘protest’ in open urban areas should call for a crushing police/military response.”

Please move to an Islamic theocracy, because you think JUST LIKE THEM.

“If someone doesn’t like Western governments; maybe they should leave”

Apply this logic to blacks protesting for the right to vote. Then go jump off a building, please.

# 17 LDA said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:44 am

To the ignorant people who say this is “Darwin theory” at work and that it is good he was removed from the gene pool, he has adult children. You seem not to understand the most basic principle of Darwinian evolution. It is the job of the organism to pass on it’s genes, he has already done this so is a victor in the battle for survival against thug cops and authors of idiotic commentaries.

# 18 The Elite Establishment said, on April 21st, 2009 at 9:46 am

Paddy-O, thank you for your blind support of our agenda. It is slaves like you who can not even see whats going on in a video that we rely upon to confuse the issue and keep everyone stupid.

Remember when we come for someone it won’t be you … well until you’re the only one left then guess what? Right up your ass with a billy club paddy-o, you see by the time we get to you we won’t need you anymore. Since you’re an idiot we have utmost confidence that you won’t understand that last sentence.

# 19 JimR said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:02 am

The cop should be charged with at least assault, and definitely lose his job. The push was unnecessary, cowardly, and very unprofessional. Not the kind of behavior I would want on any police force.

# 20 MrMiGu said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:12 am

#14
It sounds like YOU are the one that doesnt like the western form of governments. They are (supposedly) governing on BEHALF of the people, not on behalf of their own interests. If you do not like the fact that you dont live under an iron fisted dictator, why dont you pick one and go live in his country.

# 21 Nick said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:38 am

The police murdered this man; the cop scum who killed him should be placed on trial and in a prison cell for as many years as someone who kills a cop would spend.

# 22 zorkor said, on April 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Hmm, what would have had happened if they guy pushed the police back and that “pushing” policeman died of heart attack like him? The UK government would be playing “Long live the Queen” patriotic music till this day. Too bad it was a common man so the government doesn’t give a damn…let his family suffer cuz he was walking around with hands in his pockets.

# 23 phiend said, on April 21st, 2009 at 12:10 pm

This is why they turned all the traffic cams off, This same sort of thing would happen in the states. Most cops have something to prove, just to bad some poor guy had to die.

# 24 G20 said, on April 21st, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Possible the guy also had a few too many drinks, and even legal medications in his blood. It’s odd that he was moving soooooo slooooooo. He might have been pretty tipsy. In the stream, it sounded like there was mention of medics showing up. If he was treated by the medics, there could have been an adverse reaction in his blood of some medicine they gave him.

# 25 Rabble Rouser said, on April 21st, 2009 at 12:28 pm

Eh, wtf… As Paddy0 probably figures, why not just publicly behead the lot of them. They’re all commies any way! We need more of a police state in this world to protect the masses of billionaires. After all, common people should not be allowed to reproduce.

My REAL thinking — this is another case of “bad cop, no donut.” The cops are getting as bad as the thugs they are supposed to protect us from. There should be a draft, and people should not be allowed to have a career as a police officer, but rather serve for two years, after being trained. Maybe then they would understand that they serve the people, and they are not above the law. Today’s cops believe that they do not have to obey the law, because they ARE the law. If the person would have shoved anyone, and caused their death, there would be a legal price to pay. The same should hold true of police. If they are not trained in proper non-violent means of controlling the masses, then they should be. If they are trained in non-violent crowd control and persist to use violence, they should be stripped of their stinkin’ badges, and thrown in the clink, because they criminals.

# 26 sargasso said, on April 21st, 2009 at 1:23 pm

He was just a guy on his way home from work, who police diverted into a G20 protest. He wanted to pass through the moving police cordon to get out, but was set upon by a constable.

# 27 danijel said, on April 21st, 2009 at 2:38 pm

Uncle Dave,

If you had been following the story you would’ve known that the movie and the whole incident was reported by Guardian, a UK newspaper and not “the internetz”. Misleading title, that’s all…

# 28 UnaKRon said, on April 21st, 2009 at 2:53 pm

You have the right to protest…until we have had enough…then we get to kick your ass on a public sidewalk that you should be free to walk down.

Doesn’t sound like a right to me…

# 29 Johan said, on April 21st, 2009 at 4:11 pm

I can’t believe people are actually defending the police, or even find “they were trying to clear the street” to be an ok explanation of their conduct. He was WALKING in the street. The street is for walking. If a police officer would have tried that on me just for walking, I would have kicked him in the nuts. There is a big line between “clearing the streets” and assault. Just as you’re in your right to protect yourself from thugs, you’re in your right to protect yourself from the police, if needed. That being said, he probably had some kind of medical condition.

# 30 meetsy said, on April 21st, 2009 at 4:18 pm

looks to me like the guy was being a pain, but it was uncalled for on the cop’s part to be a raging bully and the bigger ass. Cops need to remember they are people, first, and supposed to “protect the public” not brutalize someone who’s annoying him.
The cop other cops shouldn’t stand for a bully in their ranks….can’t trust bullies, EVER. They tend to chicken out and run and always prove to be unreliable backup.

# 31 Hugh Ripper said, on April 21st, 2009 at 5:19 pm

I think you’ll find the in the fineprint of the social contract, the ‘protect and server’ relates to the elites, and not the average Joe minding his own business on the street. In that context, the cops did nothing wrong.

# 32 Uncle Dave said, on April 21st, 2009 at 5:47 pm

#27: But would have become what it has if the video hadn’t been put up on YouTube which is on the Interwebitubes?

# 33 danijel said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:08 pm

#32: I would reckon so. Most people still turn to TV and newspapers for their source of (mis)information. Unfortunately, it’s not blogs and youtube, like some people would like it to be…

# 34 furrypotato said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:10 pm

#3 – Please, please promise to never, ever , ever become a policeman or any kind of public official.

Since when does a man walking home from work, obviously trying to simply let the police pass him by, suddenly become a potential terrorist ?

Why dont you piss of home so you can sit there chanting ‘USA,USA.USA!’ in front of images of dead arab children. Idiot

# 35 Jonny Nexus said, on April 21st, 2009 at 10:12 pm

“(the narrator says it was 7 at night?) and the police are now telling you to go home, i would suggest you listen.”

If you’d actually read up about this, you’d realise that he was actually trying to go home, but the police wouldn’t let him. It’s called “kettling”. They surround the entire area, protesters, journalists, completely unconnected people, and just hold them there for several hours. No food. No water. Having to piss in the street.

He kept on trying different streets that would lead him home, and kept on getting turned back. No wonder he wasn’t in a hurry to walk *away* from his home.

# 36 Uncle Patso said, on April 21st, 2009 at 11:45 pm

So apparently in this age of constant daily terrorist attacks in every town village city and metropolis in the world, the only thing the police can do, when every man, woman, boy, girl, toddler and babe-in-arms could be holding a bomb, gun or triggering device, is to just go about with guns blazing all the time.

“Kill ‘em all; let God sort ‘em out.”

Sick sick sick

# 37 Mr. Fusion said, on April 22nd, 2009 at 5:59 am

I don’t have a problem with the police killing protesters. In fact, there are a few right wing nut protesters that the police should set their sights on.

# 38 Rick's Cafe said, on April 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 am

Doesn’t look anything like the police actions during the Chicago protests in the mid-60’s. Does this mean that all Brits are pantywaists who can’t take a hit?

?…how does one die of massive internal injuries in the stomach by being shoved in the upper back? Obviously….he was beaten in the ambulance on the way to the hospital…like any good conspiracy story.

# 39 Wretched Gnu said, on April 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 am

Conservatives on this board, as usual: “He deserved death for not kissing the feet of the authority figure!”

Conservatives are sheep that are soooo ready for their Nazi shepherds.

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