G8/G20 Communique: The death of Ian Tomlinson

The British Government announced last week that no charges would be laid against London police regarding the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 demonstrations on April 1, 2009 [2].

Ian Tomlinson was walking through the streets, presumably to get home, when he crossed paths with a large G20 demonstration. He was not part of the protest, but as he strolled in front of a group of police, a police officer (referred to as PC 'A') struck Tomlinson with a baton before shoving him "strongly in the back" causing him to fall to the ground. I have embedded video of the incident below.

Tomlinson, while still on the ground, yelled at the police as he was assisted by a demonstrator who attempt to help him to his feet. Moments later, he collapsed and died at the scene.

A public outcry regarding Tomlinson's death -- where allegations that it was police brutality that caused his death -- triggered a year long investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to determine whether any charges should be brought against PC 'A'.

 London police alleged that it was demonstrators who kept police and medical personal from tending to Tomlinson after he collapsed.  

The Crown Prosecution Service released the following statement regarding Tomlinson's death on Thursday July 22, 2010: [3]

Quote:  This case concerns the tragic death of Mr Ian Tomlinson on 1 April 2009. Shortly before his death, Mr Tomlinson was struck with a baton and pushed very strongly in the back by a police officer, who will be referred to in this explanatory note as PC 'A', causing him to fall to the ground.

The matter was investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and then passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to determine whether any charges should be brought against PC 'A' [Police Constable A], applying the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

After a thorough and careful consideration of all the available evidence, the CPS has decided that there is no realistic prospect of a conviction against PC 'A' for any offence arising from the matter investigated and that no charges should be brought against him."

The report also noted that the medical expertise of Dr. Patel (a medical expert testifying on the cause of Tomlinson's death) was questioned during the investigation. While Dr. Patel's findings revealed that Tomlinson had serious internal bleeding in the abdomen, other experts were called in by the prosecution who found otherwise, leading to an "irreconcilable conflict" between Dr. Patel and the other experts as to the cause of death.

Regarding the outcome of the investigation, Marc Vallée for the Guardian UK [4] (which pushed for an investigation into Tomlinson's death) stated:

Quote: "A new generation of young people will now doubt whether the police will be held accountable by the criminal justice system if a citizen dies in a public order situation. This new generation will also now be aware of how the state seemingly closes ranks to protect one of its own -- and, more importantly for the political and economic class, to protect the authority and power of the state machine.

Bottom line: if you or I had behaved in the same way as this officer that day, we would be on trial, especially if our actions had been targeted at a police officer."

*

Without a broad, transparent and publically accountable inquiry in the G20 Summit policing, Toronto Police Services and the RCMP risk the same public sentiment against their forces.

While Tomlinson was not part of the G20 demonstrations where the London police's actions have been linked to his death, history presents us with the death Carlo Giuliani [5] who was shot in the head during the G8 demonstrations in Genoa Italy on July 20, 2001.

During the G8 demonstrations in Genoa on July 20, 2001, a Carabinieri (a branch of the Italian Armed Forces) vehicle got swarmed and attacked by demonstrators. Giuliani (wearing a blue face mask) picked up a fire extinguisher from the vehicle and held it up, though there is still debate as to whether he intended to throw the fire extinguisher at the police or if he held it up as an improvised shield to protect himself. 

Carabinieri inside a nearby vehicle -- who were wearing black ski masks -- shot Guiliani in the face at point-blank range. Their vehicle then drove backwards and then forwards over Giuliani's body.

All the charges against Mario Placanica -- the Carabinieri who shot Giuliani -- were dropped when the judge presiding over the case concluded that the fatal bullet that struck Giuliani was not directly aimed at him and had "ricocheted off plaster" and also ruled that Placanica had acted in self-defense. Thus, the case never went to trial. It should be noted that the same forensic doctor later concluded that Guilani had taken a "direct hit."

Solidarity rallies for Guilani were held across the globe; in Toronto in front of the Italian Embassy. 

In both cases, the G20 and G8 police involved in Tomlinson's and Guiliani's deaths were never brought to trial.

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