Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Ian Tomlinson - There are lies, damned lies and official accounts

Thankfully we live in a world were not just the authorities but also you and me can record what goes on around us. I think that the London Metropolitan Police have yet to grasp that our love high tech Orwellian love surveillance equipment cuts both ways and they too are constantly in the eye of a media storm.

Of course I'm sure that the death of Ian Tomlison who died minutes after an unprovoked attack by officers during the G20 summit demonstrations had also been recorded on one of the innumerable cameras that cover central London but now a number of participants in the protests also recorded the attack and were able to get the message out. Today's Guardian has footage taken of police hitting Tomlinson as he was quietly walking away from them, his hands in his pockets. Just minutes later he was dead, the victim of a heart attack according to official reports.

The police report released just after his death mentioned nothing of the attack and indeed sought to blame protesters for supposedly impeding attempted by ambulance crews and officers to provide first aid. It seems there are lies, damned lies and offical accounts.

Just remember that your mobile/cell phone with its ability to take photos and video just may be your best weapon when the authorities next try to cover up incidences of their bad behaviour.

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