We have just written to the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police and our open letter is listed below.
We are deeply concerned about the way that Greater Manchester Police initially communicated the incident to members of the public and we are also aware that there were community based concerns before this incident in Manchester airport, around the flying of Gaza flags on private homes. Some residents who flew such flags on their properties were questioned by members of Greater Manchester Police. So, prior to the Manchester airport incident, there were community based concerns around policing.
We within Tell MAMA are clear. There are no circumstances that a man lying on the floor and who is not a threat to anyone, should end up being kicked in the head and then stamped on, as the officer in question did. Whilst Greater Manchester Police talked about context, there is no context that can justify these actions.
We understand that criminal charges may be brought against the officer. We await the result of the outcome of the IOPC investigation and we hope that the investigation will publish its results so that the findings are accessible to members of the public.
There are tens of thousands of men and women serving in our police forces on a daily basis. They suffer abuse, high stress levels and daily threats, yet, thankfully, we do not see them doing what the Greater Manchester Officer did on film. His actions are uncalled for and deeply troubling.
We will be tracking the outcome of this case and we will await a response to our letter from Greater Manchester Police.