London: A British police officer has sparked furore after multiple videos went viral showing officers beating at least three people inside the Manchester Airport, which the city's own force described as "truly shocking". In one of the videos, an officer was seen brutally kicking a grounded man and stomping on his head as other officers shouted at onlookers to stay back.
Disturbing footage surfaced online showing a uniformed male officer kicking a man, who was lying face down, in the face and stomping on his head before slamming his knee into his back. The same officer goes to another man, who was kneeling down with his hands in the air, and proceeded to violently attack and handcuff him. (Warning: The following videos could contain disturbing visuals)
In another video, a man was confronted by police officers and was pepper-sprayed in the face, and brought to the ground by a police officer who wrapped his arm around the man’s neck as he wrestled him down. Both incidents occurred on the ground level of the airport outside of several elevators, CNN reported.
What did the police say?
The videos are the latest to spark a public and political argument in Britain over whether violence used by police was proportionate or justified. A male officer has been “removed from operational duties”, said the Greater Manchester Police in a statement.
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry called the event "truly shocking", adding that the use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence which creates alarm, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about. "The alleged suspect was seen on CCTV at a ticket machine in the car park and officers attended the location to arrest him," Chaudhry said.
"During our response, three officers were assaulted. One female officer suffered a broken nose and the other officers were forced to the ground and suffered injuries which required hospital treatment. 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 statement further read.
Four men have been arrested from the airport for assaulting an emergency worker and obstructing the police. Protesters gathered outside the force’s divisional headquarters in the town of Rochdale on Wednesday, as per reports.
Politicians react to police violence
Meanwhile, several British politicians condemned the assaults shown in the videos. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, called the videos “disturbing” in a post on X. "I have seen the disturbing video footage circulating of a GMP officer at Manchester Airport and recognise the widespread and deep concern this has caused in Greater Manchester and beyond," he said.
Paul Waugh, the local MP for Rochdale, said he was “extremely concerned” by the “appalling” footage from Manchester Airport, noting he has expressed his concerns to police. The man who was arrested is a Rochdale resident and Waugh said he had communicated with the man's family and will meet him later.
UK Home Office Minister Diana Johnson said on X that she was “aware of the disturbing footage” and “understand(s) the public concern it has prompted.” However, Richard Tice, the MP of the far-right Reform UK Party said the video was “not distressing” but rather “reassuring” that police officers were responding to a “serious issue” if they were using such force.
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