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 on the ground, before striking him twice as other officers shout at onlookers to stay away 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 Terminal 2 of the airport on Tuesday. It said it had appealed to the police watchdog.
Anger grew following the video and a crowd of what appeared to be several hundred people protested outside Rochdale police station in Greater Manchester on Wednesday evening.
The Manchester Evening News reported that one of the protesters told the crowd that they would “no longer settle” for “police brutality.”
“A protest outside Rochdale Police Station last night over our response to Manchester Airport ended safely and without incident,” Deputy Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said in a statement obtained by BBC News early on Thursday.
GMP had earlier said that one officer had been stood down from operational duties as a result of the events, and that it had contacted the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) about the events and that one officer had been stood down from operational duties.
In an earlier statement, Deputy Chief Constable Chaudhry said: “We know that widely circulating footage of an incident at Manchester Airport shows a truly shocking event and one which is causing people great concern, and rightly so.
“The use of such force during an arrest is an unusual event and we understand that it causes concern.
“A male police officer has been stood down from operational duties and we are voluntarily submitting our policing response to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”
The IOPC said it would assess the GMP referral “and decide what further action is necessary”.
Firearms officers were called to the airport at around 8.25pm BST on Tuesday after reports of an altercation between members of the public, a police spokesperson said.
Three police officers were “knocked to the ground” in a “violent attack” as they tried to arrest one of the suspects, he added.
“As the police officers present were armed officers, there was a clear risk that their weapons would be confiscated during this attack.”
Three police officers were taken to hospital for treatment, with one officer suffering a broken nose.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of assault, assaulting an emergency worker, confrontation and obstructing police, while two other men have also been arrested on suspicion of assault and assaulting an emergency worker, police confirmed.
“Hard to watch”
Amar Minhas, from Leeds, told the BBC he was arriving at the arrivals level when he saw the scene unfold.
He said officers approached one of the men, aged in his 20s, and told him he was wanted, before “pinning 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 began “punching, he was tased and fell to the ground,” Mr Minhas said.
“That’s when the police officer kicked him.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham called the video “disturbing” and said he recognised the “widespread and profound concern” it had caused.
He said he had raised his concerns with the GMP’s deputy chief constable.
Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, called the video “difficult to watch.”
In a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “Although police work is really difficult, we are trained to a higher standard and are 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 caused.
“I have requested a full update from Greater Manchester Police.”
Commenting on the Rochdale protest and noting the referral already made to the IOPC, ACC Chaudhry said: “We understand the immense sense of concern and worry people feel about our response and we fully respect their right to peacefully express their views.”
He added: “We spent the evening listening to community feedback and will continue to engage with communities and elected officials to maintain strong partnerships and understand local perspectives.”
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