‘Scenes of police officers being dragged off police horses and beaten’

‘Scenes of police officers being dragged off police horses and beaten’ — David Cameron

According to British Prime Minister David Cameron, during the student protests on Thursday, there were ‘Scenes of police officers being dragged off police horses and beaten’.

Now I do not know what is his source of information, he gives the impression this was something her personally saw, but it could be his source was the police themselves.

There were scenes of police horses charging demonstrators (sparks flying from their hooves) the charge resulting in one girl with a broken collar bone, of police beating demonstrators, one man so badly beaten on the head that it is touch and go whether or not he will die, one man dragged from a wheelchair, people kettled on the streets when all they wanted to do was go home.

There was one incident of a police officer falling from his horse, then being dragged along the ground by fellow police officers.

Dragging this injured officer along the ground was the worst thing that could have been done to him and could well have made his injuries worse. If you look in the middle background at the beginning you can see police beating two people huddled together trying to protect their heads.

The film footage is believed to have been taken by the police and then handed to the media.

In their press statements the police blatantly lied.

Sup Julia Pendry speaking outside Scotland Yard claimed kettling had not been used until the violence kicked off after the vote in the House of Commons. Not true. Kettling had been used or attempted earlier in the day.

She complained of protesters not following official routes. They had not done so because police kept blocking the route with protesters playing a cat and mouse game with the police down side streets to avoid the police barricades.

She said protesters were allowed to protest peacefully outside Parliament. There were barriers preventing protesters from approaching parliament. These were tore down and protesters occupied Parliament Square.

She complained of the violence by protesters. No mention of violence by her officers earlier in the day, including a charge by mounted police.

She said her officers were tired and wanted to go home, that they had been on duty for 12 hours. She urged the protesters to calm down and go home, if anyone was in contact with those who were on the streets, to contact them and urge them to go home. At least her officers had been fed and watered and probably had breaks. Those held in Parliament Square were cold and tired and hungry and wanted to go home. They were not able to. The police would not let them out. Those who approached police barricades reported being at best laughed at, at worse beaten. They were then herded onto Westminster Bridge and held there. Medical treatment was withheld from those who needed it.

Please David Cameron reflect on what happened that day and please check your facts. Had there not been a malfunction of democracy, had there been dialogue not confrontation, had common sense prevailed and the vote to raise student fees been lost, there would have been partying and jubilation on the streets, instead there was violence. Violence brought about by the tactics of the police during the day and anger and frustration at the lack of democratic accountability.

I am really pleased to see a new poll says the LibDms are unelectable.

Also see

Were police ‘dragged off horses and beaten’? No

Police on horses charge students

Captain SKA – Liar Liar

A sad day for democracy

Student fees protests: who started the violence?

Inside the Parliament Square kettle

Kettled During 9th of December Protest

Tags: #ukuncut, David Cameron, Parliament Square, protest, student fees, UK Uncut