Officer suspended after videos of police beating men at UK airport spark outcry

CNN

By Maija Ehlinger, Lex Harvey, Jerome Taylor, Ivana Kottasová and Lauren Kent, CNN

(CNN) — A British policeman has been suspended after multiple videos emerged on social media showing officers beating at least three people inside Manchester Airport in an incident the city’s own force has labeled “truly shocking.”

The viral videos, in which one officer could be seen kicking and stomping on the head of a man in prone position, are the latest to spark a public and political argument in Britain over police violence and drew protests accusing police of racism.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the footage on social media showed a confrontation that began after three officers were injured in a “violent assault,” including one female officer who suffered a broken nose.

But the force added that the event seen in the videos was “truly shocking” and an “unusual occurrence,” adding it had voluntarily referred itself to Britain’s independent police watchdog for a full investigation. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had launched an investigation.

“We appreciate the footage which was shared on social media has attracted widespread shock and concern. It is vitally important we investigate all of the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the office said in a statement.

Police said that the officer seen in the video has been suspended after earlier announcing they were removed from operational duties.

Akhmed Yaqoob, a solicitor for the family of the man seen being stomped on in the incident said his medical condition worsened overnight and that a scan revealed a cyst on his brain.

Speaking to reporters in Rochdale, he said the family was “traumatised” by the events, adding that the family have launched a complaint against the police.

The videos began circulating Wednesday, quickly going viral on social media and sparking an outcry from both the public and some politicians.

One video shows a man on the ground with at least two police officers pointing a taser at him. A male police officer moves closer to the man and starts kicking him in the face, while his taser is still drawn, before stomping on his head. A woman is heard shouting “stop it, he hasn’t done anything!”

Later in the same video, another man, whose hands were in the air while sitting nearby, is taken to the ground after a police officer points a taser at him. After the second man kneels on the ground, one officer starts kicking him before another wrestles him to the ground and appears to try to constrain his hands behind his back.

Small splatters of blood appear on the floor at the scene.

In another video of the same incident, a female officer is seen clearly in distress, crying and walking away from the scene before being assisted by another officer.

CNN cannot independently verify the events leading up to or directly after the violence captured on video.

The condition of the men following the confrontation is unclear.

Another video shows a man in a gray T-shirt being confronted, 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.

‘Disturbing footage’

The events captured in the videos sparked protests outside the GMP divisional headquarters in the town of Rochdale on Wednesday evening. Videos from the scene showed large crowds gathering outside the police station, shouting “GMP shame on you.”

On Thursday morning, GMP Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said the protest had concluded safely without any incidents.

“We understand the immense feeling of concern and worry that people feel about our response and fully respect their right to demonstrate their views peacefully,” Chaudhry said.

Some protesters blamed the violent incident on police racism as the officer seen in the video is white and the men being kicked and tasered appear to be Asian.

The campaign group Stand Up To Racism has announced it will hold a demonstration in central Manchester for Thursday night, calling on people to come and “send a clear message that we won’t stay quiet against racist police violence.”

The Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella body for Muslim-led organizations, said it was “deeply shocked and alarmed” by the footage.

The incident comes of the back of years of allegations of institutional racism in police forces across the country. Last year, an official report into the Metropolitan Police in London accused the organization of perpetuating a misogynistic, sexist, racist and homophobic internal culture.

While the so-called Casey Report focused on the Met, it sparked accusations of institutional racism at other police forces across the United Kingdom, including the GMP.

Manchester Police has previously disclosed several race-related incidents. Just last week, the GMP suspended five officers and put two officers on restricted duties following a report made of racial discrimination in Bury.

A spokesperson for the force said GMP was “deeply concerned by the allegations and will not hesitate to take any action necessary.”

Yaqoob said the two men who are seen in the video are related to a police officer who is currently serving in the Greater Manchester Police force. He said the officer was afraid to go to work as a result of the incident, fearing for his safety.

Police called after a report of an assault

It is still unclear what happened before the videos were filmed.

In its statement released on X, the police outlined its version of the events that led up to the videos.

The incident started when police were called to Terminal 2 of the airport on Tuesday evening following reports of an assault. When officers confronted the male suspect, three officers were injured in a “violent assault, where they were punched to the ground,” with one female officer ending up with a broken nose, the force said.

Four men have been arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, the statement added.

“We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about,” Chaudhry said in the statement.

“The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he believes “an issue” on an incoming flight to Manchester Airport led to the scenes shown in the footage.

When the flight landed, two individuals were waiting for their mother, Burnham said. When she arrived, “she pointed somebody out and then there was an altercation in the arrivals hall,” he said.

“And then that individual who was involved in that – or a couple – were followed by cameras through the airport, and then we get to the scene that people have seen, which is in the car park area of Manchester Airport,” he said.

Multiple British politicians condemned the assaults shown in the videos.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “understands the concern” over the videos.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it is “essential” that police “have the trust of communities and the public rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe.”

Paul Waugh, the local MP for Rochdale, said in a post on X he is “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, Waugh said, adding in a later post that he has spoken to the man’s family and will meet them Friday.

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.”

But not all lawmakers condemned the police actions.

Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK and one of five recently elected MPs for the right-wing populist party, said in a television interview that seeing 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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CNN’s Jessie Gretener, Sharon Brathwaite, Dan Wright and Radina Gigova in London contributed to this report.