‘Kill the Bill’ protester ‘grabbed by throat for shaking head’ at police
Police have launched an internal probe over a video that appears to show an officer grabbing a student by the throat.
A group of students claim the 18-year-old was detained by police simply for "shaking his head" at them following a protest in St Peter's Square in Manchester city centre last night (March 21).
Greater Manchester Police claim the student was arrested for alleged "breach of the peace" and he was later "de-arrested", MEN reports.
The incident will now be looked at by the force's Professional Standards Branch following a complaint.
Footage shared widely on social media shows an officer pinning the young man up against a van, at one point appearing to have his hand on the teenager's throat.
The other officers tell his friends to stay back as they argue and shout: "He did nothing wrong!"
A friend of the student told the M.E.N: "I think my mate just casually shook his head at the police van as we went passed and this officer jumped out and pinned him against the van.
"He was saying, 'Are you shaking your head at me you little s***?'
"I got my phone out and they weren't letting me film it, two officers shoved me to the floor.
"He wasn't arrested, they just put him in the van and dropped him at the McDonald's in Peel Park.
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"He asked for their badge numbers and they said, 'Do you want to spend the weekend in the cells?'"
GMP said in a statement: "Following protests in Manchester City Centre yesterday (Saturday 20 March 2021) an 18-year-old man was detained for breach of the peace. He was later de-arrested.
"Following a public complaint in regards to this arrest, the incident has been referred to GMP's Professional Standards Branch for assessment."
Police took no enforcement action against the protest in the city centre which involved a gathering of hundreds of people.
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Explaining GMP's handling of the protest, Assistant Chief Constable, Nick Bailey, said: "We were aware of several protests which took place yesterday across the City Centre and our position in regard to all protests during this lockdown remains that they do not meet what is an acceptable reason to gather during the lockdown.
"Public safety is a top priority for GMP, and in the lead up to these protests, police actively engaged with the organisers to explain government guidance and discuss alternate options in order to dissuade a public gathering from taking place.
"However when large groups chose to ignore that, we will always look to see whether it is safe to take action which would physically prevent the protest and disperse the crowd."
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