A police officer was filmed kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the ground at Manchester Airport.
The uniformed officer is seen holding a Taser over the man, who is lying face down, before striking him twice as other officers shout at bystanders to stay back in a video widely shared online.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said armed officers were attacked as they tried to arrest someone following a fight in the airport’s Terminal 2 on Tuesday. He said he was referring to the police watchdog.
Anger grew over the video and a crowd of hundreds protested outside the police station in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday night.
The Manchester Evening News reported that one of the protesters told the crowd that they would “no longer be content” with “police brutality.”
“A protest held last night outside Rochdale Police Station over our response at Manchester Airport concluded safely without incident,” Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said in a statement obtained on Thursday by BBC News.
GMP previously said that one police officer was removed from operational duties due to the events, and has referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) about the events and one police officer has been removed from operational duties.
In an earlier statement, Assistant Chief Constable Chaudhry said: “We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking and about which people are extremely concerned.
“The use of such force in a prison is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.
“A male police officer has been removed from operational duties and we are voluntarily referring our police response to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”
The IOPC said it would assess the GMP referral “and decide what further action would be required”.
Firearms officers were called to the airport at around 8.25pm BST on Tuesday following reports of an altercation by members of the public, a police spokesperson said.
Three police officers were “knocked down with punches” in a “violent attack” when they tried to arrest one of the suspects, he added.
“As the officers present were officers with firearms, there was a clear risk during the attack that their weapons would be taken from them.”
Three officers were taken to hospital for treatment, and one officer suffered a broken nose.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of assault, assaulting an emergency worker, fighting and obstructing police, while two other men were also arrested on suspicion of fighting and assaulting an emergency worker, police confirmed.
‘Hard to watch’
Amar Minhas, from Leeds, told the BBC he was arriving when he saw the scene unfold.
He said officers approached one of the men, in his early 20s, and told him he was a wanted man, before “trapping him against a wall.”
Another man then “attacked the police” and a fight broke out, he said.
The man who was pinned against the wall started “punching, got shocked and fell to the floor,” Minhas said.
“That’s when the officer kicked him.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described the video as “disturbing” and said he recognized “the deep and widespread concern” it caused.
He said he had raised his concerns with GMP’s deputy chief constable.
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: “While policing is a really difficult job, we are trained to a higher standard and held to a higher standard.”
Home Secretary Dame Diana Johnson also posted on X: “I am aware of the disturbing images of an incident at Manchester Airport this afternoon and understand the public concern this has raised.
“I have requested a full update from Greater Manchester Police.”
Commenting on the protest in Rochdale, and noting the referral already made to the IOPC, ACC Chaudhry said: “We understand the immense sense of concern and concern that people feel about our response and we fully respect their right to demonstrate their views peacefully ”.
He added: “We spent the evening listening to community feedback and will continue to engage with communities and elected members to maintain strong partnership ties and understand local views.”
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