22.4.09

The following report by Channel 4 News, London, shows footage of the incident which led to the death of Ian Tomlinson, a victim of physical assault by a police officer while protesting against the recent Group of 20 economic summit. A British judge ruled Channel 4 was entitled to release the video, despite an attempt by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to obtain a court ordered injunction. The confrontation between Tomlinson and the officer is remarkably brief and of seemingly minor physical violence. Channel Four's reporting utilizes the array of cameras distributed throughout the protest site to spotlight the actions of the offending officer in the minutes leading up to his assault on Tomlinson, who was standing with his hands in his pockets and his back to the officer when he was struck. The video incident bears a striking resemblance to the video of a beat-down delivered to a student, by a cop, at a recent protest occupation at the New School. Both videos speak to the egalitarian nature of information distribution networks in societies where the proliferation of surveillance cameras and personal video devices truly has created panopticonic conditions.



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