Disturbing video shows police officer stamping on man’s head at Manchester airport in UK. WATCH

Disturbing video shows police officer stamping on man’s head at Manchester airport in UK. WATCH

SAHARA REPORTERS

A disturbing video has emerged online, showing a police officer at Manchester Airport physically assaulting a man who is lying on the ground. 

The officer, armed with a Taser, is seen kicking and stamping on the man’s head twice, while fellow officers urge bystanders to keep their distance. 

According to Greater Manchester Police, the incident occurred on Tuesday during an attempted arrest, following a altercation in Terminal 2, as reported by the BBC.

According to the police, their firearms officers were assaulted during the incident, prompting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to refer the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for further investigation. 

The disturbing video has ignited widespread outrage, culminating in a protest outside a police station in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday evening. Demonstrators voiced their discontent and frustration over the incident, with one speaker declaring that they would no longer accept “police brutality” and demanding accountability.

“A protest held last night outside Rochdale Police Station about our response at Manchester Airport has concluded safely, without incident,” Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said in a statement obtained early on Thursday by BBC News.

GMP earlier said one officer had been removed from operational duties over the events, and it had referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the events.

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 that people are rightly extremely concerned about.

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

“One male officer has been removed from operational duties and we are making a voluntary referral of our policing response to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.”

The IOPC said it would assess GMP’s referral “and decide what further action is required”.

Firearms officers were called the airport at about 20:25 BST on Tuesday after reports of an altercation by members of the public, a police spokesman said.

Three officers were “punched to the ground” in a “violent assault” when they attempted to arrest one of the suspects, he added.

“As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.”

Three officers were taken to hospital for treatment, with one female officer suffering a broken nose.

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: “Whilst policing is a really difficult job, we are trained to a higher standard and held to a higher standard.”

Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson also posted on X: “I am aware of disturbing footage from an incident at Manchester Airport this afternoon and understand the public concern it has prompted.

“I have asked for a full update from Greater Manchester Police.”

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN SAHARA REPORTERS

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