New Manchester Airport video appears to show officers being attacked as family of kicked man issues 'plea for calm'
27 July 2024, 21:22 | Updated: 28 July 2024, 13:38
New footage from Manchester Airport appears to show moments of violence before a police officer allegedly stamped on a man's head.
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It comes after nights of protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre after a viral video filmed on Tuesday showed an officer kick and stamp on the head of a man who was lying face down on the floor, as a woman knelt beside him.
New footage filmed from a car park at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 now appears to show that officers were under attack moments before.
A group can be seen in the new video - originally obtained by Manchester Evening News - showing people standing close to a ticket machine as they are approached by police.
Three officers - one man and two women - can be seen walking through the group and towards a man dressed in light blue.
VIDEO - New Manchester Airport video shows chaotic scene before man kicked in head by police officer.- MEN MEDIA
The male officer appears to then try and restrain the man and push his head down.
Another man from the group then gets involved and grabs the officer in an attempt to free the detained man.
The group and officers then exchange blows as the male officer is pulled to the ground.
The detained man in blue manages to break free from the female officer and punch her other female colleague.
Both women receive punches to the head with one ending up on the ground.
The male officer can then be seen wielding a Taser, directing it towards the male who appeared to punch him.
The man in blue who freed himself from police runs at the male officer from behind and throws a number of punches towards him.
The man in blue then drops to the floor, turning over onto his stomach and lying face down - at which point a woman can be seen kneeling down next to him.
The remainder of the new video has already been seen in Tuesday's footage where the officer appears to kick and then stamp on the man's head as he lies on the ground.
The family of a man who was kicked have since issued a "plea for calm" and urged people not to take part in any further protests, their MP has said.
Warning: the below video contains violent scenes
He's wearing shorts, legs are exposed, hands by his side, doesn't appear to be carrying any weapons. Position he has adopted would indicate compliance. Being kicked to the back of head is a prima facie assault & against Home Office approved techniques. Chap on bench assaulted too pic.twitter.com/uh7FY75iJH
— 🅚🅐🅢🅗 🅐🅗🅜🅔🅓 (@KashAhmed77) July 24, 2024
Paul Waugh, the newly elected Labour MP for Rochdale, shared a statement written by the family urging people to give those involved "time to heal" and for "due process to take its course".
Mr Waugh shared an image of the family's statement on X on Saturday morning and wrote: "I have checked with the family of the Manchester Airport incident and this remains their latest message to all communities.
"They have issued a plea for calm and ask for no further protests - they want due process to take its course and urge everyone to respect their wishes.
"Yesterday's meeting in Rochdale made clear that this is a community that strongly believes in the rule of law, that the criminal justice system should follow the evidence wherever it leads, and that offenders should be punished appropriately.
"Those present also rightly stressed that the law should be applied equally to everyone - and that no one, particularly the police, should be above the law."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Friday that a Greater Manchester Police constable had been advised he was under criminal investigation for assault following the incident.
The officer was also served with a disciplinary notice to inform him he was being investigated for potential gross misconduct for a number of alleged breaches of police professional standards, including his use of force, a spokesman said.
On Wednesday, a large crowd protested outside Rochdale police station, reportedly shouting "GMP shame on you", while on Thursday, demonstrators blocked roads and tram lines which started outside Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham's office in central Manchester on Thursday.
Police said when responding to reports of an altercation at the airport, three of their officers were assaulted - including a female police constable who suffered a broken nose - and four men were arrested.
On Friday evening, GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: "It is a source of profound regret that this week's incident at Manchester Airport has caused shock and upset in some of our communities.
"Throughout this week, senior officers have been meeting with community representatives to ensure their voices are heard and this will continue - we are at one with the best instincts of those engaged in appealing for calm.
"Whilst we are constrained in publicly releasing further information or footage about the incident due to the conduct and criminal investigations, we are committed to providing the fullest practical assistance to the Independent Office for Police Conduct."
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