Roads and tram lines were blocked in Manchester city centre on Thursday night by people outraged by an incident that led to the suspension of a Manchester police officer.
A police officer kicked a man lying on the ground in the face and head at Manchester Airport in England on Tuesday. Other police officers intervened by delivering stun guns. Video of the incident was posted on social media, provoking a storm of outrage.
Manchester Police said in a statement that a police officer trying to detain a man in the airport terminal was attacked by four people. One policewoman suffered a broken nose during the fist attack and three police officers were taken to hospital because of the assault.
The video also shows an officer punching a second man. Police said three of their officers, including a female constable who suffered a broken nose, were assaulted and four men were arrested.
Posting on social media, on Thursday night Rochdale Labour MP Paul Waugh said:
It is clear they (the victim’s family) are deeply traumatised by what happened.
He also added:
While there is clearly deep concern about this incident, there is also a vital need not to let extremists of any kind hijack these events for their own ends.
A group of more than 100 people gathered in front of the city’s central police building to protest after the incident. The protesters shouted: “Shame on the Manchester Police!”
They then marched through the city blocking roads and tram lines.
Protester Nahella Ashraf, co-chairwoman of Greater Manchester Stand up to Racism, said she was “horrified by the level of police brutality” and called for all the police officers involved to be suspended.
Fellow protester Shah Rahman, from Oldham, claimed communities were “very scared when police have no limits”.
