A police officer at Manchester Airport was seen physically assaulting a man who was lying on the ground.
The officer, armed with a Taser, is seen kicking and stamping on the man’s head twice, while fellow officers urge bystanders to keep their distance.
According to Greater Manchester Police, the incident occurred on Tuesday during an attempted arrest, following a altercation in Terminal 2.
The police said their firearms officers were assaulted during the incident, prompting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to refer the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for further investigation.
The video has resulted in outrage culminating in a protest outside a police station in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday evening. Demonstrators voiced their discontent and frustration over the incident, with one speaker declaring that they would no longer accept “police brutality” and demanding accountability.
“A protest held last night outside Rochdale Police Station about our response at Manchester Airport has concluded safely, without incident,” Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said in a statement.
It was earlier stated by the GMP that one officer had been removed from operational duties over the events, and it had referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the events.
The Assistant Chief Constable Chaudhry earlier stated that “We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about.
“The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.
“One male officer has been removed from operational duties and we are making a voluntary referral of our policing response to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.”The IOPC said it would assess GMP’s referral “and decide what further action is required”.
The Firearms officers were called the airport at about 20:25 BST on Tuesday after reports of an altercation by members of the public, a police spokesman said.
Three officers were “punched to the ground” in a “violent assault” when they attempted to arrest one of the suspects, he added.
As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.”
Apparently, three officers were taken to hospital for treatment, with one female officer suffering a broken nose.
Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, described the video as “difficult to watch”.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “Whilst policing is a really difficult job, we are trained to a higher standard and held to a higher standard.”
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