While the media always likes to capture photos and video of the most violent protesters, it often misses the other side. During the G20 events in London, the Metropolitan Police had a number of incidents including the death of Ian Tomlinson. The police have been using a method called "kettling" where protesters are pushed into a small area and held by police lines for extended periods of time. Inside the link (The Guardian really needs to work on allowing video to be embedded) you can watch as the London police push protesters into a "kettle" and squeezing them uncomfortably into a small space. Protesters have complained that the police kick them in the shins if they don't move and they refuse to let anyone leave the area. They also are shown using horses to push the crowd.
And let's not forget about another ugly incident from the recent student protests when the police allegedly drag a student protester from his wheelchair (video in the link) If the same thing was going on in Iran or somewhere similar, people would be furious and talking about police state brutality. The London police are repeatedly telling the world that protests of any kind will not be tolerated. Ug-ly.
The chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority's civil liberties panel has condemned video footage appearing to show protesters being crushed by police attempting to contain them in a "kettle" during student anti-fees demonstrations in London two weeks ago as "appalling" and "ghastly".
Victoria Borwick, who is also a Conservative member of the Greater London Authority, encouraged protesters to make official complaints against the Met and said other police forces were making a better job of public order policing.
"Other forces do this much better," she told the Guardian. "They are very clear with protesters and tell them beforehand what they will do… I hope people make proper complaints to the police about this."
