MORE protests erupt this evening after a man kicked in the head by a police officer at Manchester Airport went undercover demanding “justice”.
Shocking images involving a police officer armed with a Taser in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 were shared on social media yesterday, leading to a huge uproar and a mass protest.
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A police officer has been suspended from all duties following a “thorough review of further information”, the force confirmed.
Although Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the scandal was “not a clear cut situation” after seeing the full footage of the climb.
Greater Manchester Police said its officers were called at 8.25pm on Tuesday following reports of a fight at the airport.
The force said that while trying to arrest a suspect, three officers were attacked and punched to the ground.
A police officer broke his nose and all three needed hospital treatment.
Four people were arrested on suspicion of fighting and assaulting emergency service workers.
Lawyer Akhmed Yakoob last night shared a video on X in which he was joined by brothers Amaad and Fahir, who he says were attacked at the airport.
He claims they were released by police yesterday and forced to go to the hospital alone.
He added that they planned to join protests outside Rochdale Police Station last night.
Akhmed, who lives in Birmingham, said: “They were recently released from Cheadle Heath Police Station.
“They then had to go to hospital alone, but in reality, as they had head injuries, it was the police’s duty to take them to hospital.
“But even so, they went their own way and now I have documented their injuries.
“We are heading to Rochdale Police Station to make a formal complaint of assault and injury against the officers who assaulted Fahir and Amaad and their elderly mother, who was only there as a spectator.”
At least 100 people demonstrated outside Rochdale Police Station last night.
Another protest is planned outside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s office this evening.
Manchester Stand Up To Racism said: “We will not be silent against racist police violence.
“Take action now against racist police brutality at Manchester Airport. No to Islamophobia. No more cover-ups from GMP bosses.”
Shouting “shame on you”, protesters last night accused the police of institutional racism.
One of the protesters told the crowd he would “no longer settle” for “police brutality,” according to The Manchester Evening News.
The station is about 25 miles from the airport.
In the shocking robbery clip, at least five armed police officers are seen surrounding a man lying on the ground, one of them kicking him in the face and hitting his head.
The same officer then appears to kick a second man.
An unseen man behind the camera is heard saying, “Whoa! Back off, back off! Stop kicking people! Leave them, back off, shut up!”
The officer is heard repeatedly shouting “Get down!”
PM Keir Starmer said: “I understand the public’s concern, I’ve seen it myself, I understand that concern.
“There was now the suspension of a police officer this morning.
“The Home Secretary will meet with the Mayor of Greater Manchester to discuss this at this time.”
GMP referred it to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said it would assess the referral “and decide what further action would be necessary”.
Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said today: “A protest held last night outside Rochdale Police Station regarding our response at Manchester Airport concluded safely without incident.
“We understand the immense sense of concern and concern people feel about our response and we fully respect their right to demonstrate their views peacefully.
“We have already forwarded our actions to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and will be in further discussions with them today.
“We spent the night listening to community feedback and will continue to engage with communities and elected members to maintain strong partnership ties and understand local views.”
Describing the video as a “truly shocking” sight “that people are extremely concerned about”, he previously confirmed that the male officer had been “removed from operational duties” and that the force had voluntarily forwarded its response to the IOPC .
He added: “During our response, three police officers were assaulted.
“One officer suffered a broken nose and the other officers were forced to the ground and suffered injuries that required hospital treatment.”
GMP acknowledged concerns about the “conduct within the video” and said firearms officers were responding to reports of an altercation between members of the public.
A spokesperson for the force said: “While attempting to arrest one of the suspects from the previous altercation, three officers were subjected to a violent attack, where they were punched to the ground.
“A police officer suffered a broken nose and all three were taken to hospital for treatment.
“As the officers present were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during the attack that their weapons would be taken from them.
“Four men were arrested at the scene for fighting and assaulting emergency service workers.
“We recognize concerns about the conduct contained in the video and our Professional Standards Board is reviewing this.”
A GMP Federation spokesperson said: “The matter is now under investigation.
“Everyone has the right to a fair hearing where all sides of the story are told and context is provided.
“As a staff association, we support the officer in question and all our colleagues who were involved in this incident, including those who were injured.
“We would also like to thank the many members of the public who have contacted us offering support to our hard-working colleagues doing difficult and dangerous work. We thank you.”
Home Secretary Dame Diana Johnson posted on X, formerly Twitter: “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.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he had raised concerns about the airport incident with the deputy chief constable.
He said: “I saw the disturbing video circulating of a GMP officer at Manchester Airport and recognize the deep and widespread concern this has caused across Greater Manchester and beyond.
“The deputy mayor and I have raised these concerns with the deputy chief of police.”
Rochdale MP Paul Waugh described the incident as “appalling” as well as “truly shocking and disturbing”.
He said the man trampled in the clip is a Rochdale resident and has since spoken to his family and plans to meet them in person today.
“I have raised my concerns directly with the assistant chief constable this evening and have contacted Kate Green, deputy mayor for policing for Greater Manchester.
“It is right that the officer in question has been relieved of duty and that this incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
“I expect a thorough and swift investigation. Police said that while trying to arrest a suspect, three of their officers were attacked.
“They said a police officer broke his nose and all three needed hospital treatment.
“Our armed police face very difficult work every day and expect the highest standards of conduct from their officers in fulfilling this vital duty of protecting us all.
“It is important that both the police investigation and the investigation into police conduct now gather all the facts.”
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “We can confirm that we are independently investigating the level of force used by a Greater Manchester police officer as part of an incident in which a number of men were arrested at Manchester Airport on Tuesday , July 23.
“We have been informed by the force that the officer has been suspended from all duties.
“We are grateful that the images that have been shared on social media have attracted widespread shock and concern.
“It is vitally important that we investigate all the circumstances surrounding the incident. We are independent of the police and our investigation will be thorough and robust.
“Our investigations are in their early stages, but we have already obtained a significant amount of body worn video and CCTV footage which will be subject to detailed analysis.
“We appreciate that people want answers and we will work to provide them as quickly as possible.
“Updates will be provided as our investigation progresses.”
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