The latest developments in the Ian Tomlinson case:
The territorial support group officer identified himself to his manager and the Independent Police Complaints Commission as fresh pictures suggested he had removed his shoulder number and covered his face with a balaclava before hitting Ian Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground last week.
But the officer has not been arrested on suspicion of assault or suspended from duty by the Metropolitan police.
Emphasis mine. That this officer has not been arrested or even suspended yet comes as no great surprise of course, the police defends its own. In the coming weeks and months we’ll hear a lot about this “tragic accident” and the difficulties of being a copper, as well as the most sincere apologies from the police leadership for this unforeseen tragedy. Tomlinson’s assailant might get off scott free or be thrown to the wolves, depending on public opinion and political pressure. In any case the emphasis on the part of the cops, as well as the people who will supposedly investigate their behaviour, will be that it was an accident, an incident, no more. Remember the way the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes was investigated: that will be the way this killing will be investigated.
But as the emphasised bits int he quote above hint at, this is of course nowhere near the whole truth. Everything in the runup to the demo made it clear the cops were out to riot. We had solemn warnings about expected violence, including that infamous warning about a “summer of middle class rage”, excessive safety measures put in place and last but not least, that high profile arrest of the supposed Plymouth anarchists. All this was calculated to get the bobbies on the beat in fighting mood as well as lure black bloc numpties to the demo and discourage more sane people.
Now the police are supposed to be identifiable, but Tomlinson’s assailant was able to cover up his face and remove his shoulder number, something he only could’ve done if this was alright with his superiors. Officiall police policy may say otherwise, but this has become standard operating procedure with cops handling “political” cases like anti-establishment demos. Again, this is an indicator of the fact that unprovoked violence was on the agenda, which makes Tomlinson’s death not a tragic incident, but the logical if unwished for outcome of a deliberate policy.