Ian Tomlinson RIP - thread to collate eyewitness statements and accounts

INDYMEDIA LONDON - PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Various participants in the City of London demonstrations on April 1st have come forward as witnesses to the collapse of a man later identified by authorities as Ian Tomlinson. Four different university students witnessed the collapse of Mr. Tomlinson. "He stumbled towards us from the direction of police and protestors and collapsed," said Peter Apps. "I saw a demonstrator who was a first aider attend to the person who had collapsed. The man was late 40s, had tattoos on his hands, and was wearing a Millwall shirt."

While the first aider was helping the man, another demonstrator with a megaphone was calling the police over so that they could help.

Natalie Langford, a student at Queen Mary, said "there was a police charge. A lot of people ran in our direction. The woman giving first aid stood in the path of the crowd." The running people, seeing a guy on the ground, went around them.

Another demonstrator had already called 999 and was getting medical advice from the ambulance dispatcher. "Four police with two police medics came. They told her [the first aider] to 'move along'.", said Peter Apps. "Then they pushed her forcibly away from him. They refused to listen to her [the first aider] when she tried to explain his condition."

The first aider, who did not wish to be named, said "The police surrounded the collapsed man. I was standing with the person who'd called 999. The ambulance dispatcher wanted to talk to the police, the phone was being held out to them, but the police refused."

Another witness, Elias Stoakes, added "we didn't see them [the police] perform CPR."

Other people who had tried to stay with the collapsed man were also pushed away.

All of the witnesses deny the allegation that many missiles were thrown.

According to Peter Apps, "one bottle was thrown, but it didn't come close to the police. Nothing was thrown afterwards as other demonstrators told the person to stop. The person who threw the bottle probably didn't realize that someone was behind the ring of police." All the witnesses said that the demonstrators were concerned for the well-being of the collapsed man once they realized that there was an injured person.

Natalie Langford said "when the ambulance arrived the protestors got straight out of the way."

These witnesses are happy to give media statements.

They can be contacted through this press liasion email: g20witnesses@gmail.com

Contact email: g20witnesses@gmail.com

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Jasper Jackson, 23, from London, who photographed Mr Tomlinson's collapse, said he had been standing in front of a line of police dog handlers minutes before he fell over. "The picture I have of him is of him stumbling in front of the protesters and in front of the police dogs looking dazed," he said. "He had a glazed look on his face. Then it was drawn to my attention that somebody shouted to the police with a loud hailer that there was a casualty and said, 'Can we get a medic?' "

The incident appears to have taken place shortly after lines of riot police attempted to clear protesters out of Cornhill Road and away from the Bank of England. Rows of police separated protesters inside and outside the containment pen.

Sporadic scuffles broke out on both sides of the lines, with police using their batons intermittently.

Pictures seen by the Guardian, and corroborated by witnesses, suggest that Mr Tomlinson initially fell to the ground by a window of 11 Royal Exchange, outside the Mont Blanc shop, in front of five riot officers.

A subsequent picture shows him being lifted off the floor by a protester.

Seconds later, he is seen walking past a line of police dogs. He is believed to have collapsed again close to the junction of Birchin Lane, near a Starbucks and Office Angels.

Jackson said Mr Tomlison was then surrounded by police officers who were pelted with at least one missile.

"There were a couple of people throwing bottles in that general direction," he said. "But they were told to stop doing that by the crowd. In fact, some people in the crowd threatened to kill them if they did anything to disrupt the treatment."

Another witness, Fran Legg, said she and a friend had rushed to help Mr Tomlinson after they realised he was not well. "People were calling out: 'Please, we need medics over here'," said the 20-year-old student, from Tavistock, in Devon. "Someone called an ambulance." Her friend put him in the recovery position and noticed he had blood on his face and was losing consciousness.

Legg said protesters were calling for people to move back and give him space as eight police officers arrived. By the time the ambulance reached the scene 10 minutes later, Mr Tomlinson was very white and could hardly breath.

Outside the Bank of England this afternoon — where protesters scrawled tributes on a wall of condolence — two demonstrators who had travelled from Manchester told how they saw paramedics attempting to resuscitate the 47-year-old.

"The officers were white as sheets," said Andy Bowman, a 24-year-old PhD student. "The blood had drained from their faces. They were giving us conflicting stories about what had happened; some of the officers were saying he had a blow to the head and some were saying he'd collapsed of a heart attack."

His friend Thomas Barlow, 26, said: "Some of the police were taking their helmets off, looking shocked.

"We were crossing the road and accidentally looked round and saw it.

"Someone called out, 'That person's hurt', and we went to have a look.

"The policemen around us tried to force us on very quickly

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I spent a couple of hours on Cornhill Street after that. It is one of the main streets leading to the Bank of England, and had a lot going on. After an hour or so of rubbernecking to see the protesters on the other side of the police lines, the crowd on the outer side of the police line got bolshier and more aggressive, as did the police. Both seemed to be egging each other on a bit. Channel 4 and the BBC were both there at the time, so the troublemakers in the crowd (both protesters and police) may have been playing to the cameras.

Anyway, for whatever reason, a couple of police thought it would be a wonderful idea to arrest someone and drag him through the crowd. This happened around 7:15pm and was not a very bright thing to do.

In response to this, three dozen or so people chased the police with the protester up the street. Debris was thrown at the cops, various names and epithets were uttered, and the police had to get their backs to the wall and wait for some of their colleagues to rush up with their batons a-batting people left, right and centre in order to clear a bit of space and leave.

Shortly after that, just off a side road from Cornhill Street, came the police with their German Shepherd dogs without muzzles. I went to check on this because I thought I saw someone get chomped by one of the dogs. Getting closer didn’t make for much fun, however, because things were in full psycho mode by that time. The police were moving fast and got either side of me, and when I moved after a cop told me to move, another one was behind me, baton at the ready and German Shepherd barely under control on his leash. Since I had just seen a cop let his dog loose by accident, and only just get the dog under control before it was too late, I was not a happy camper.

I said, ‘Which way should I go? Your buddy just told me to go this way?’ He yelled at me to move, two or three times, and threatened me with his baton and his dog and said he would ‘take me in’. Since we hadn’t even been introduced, and I didn’t fancy a nip of that sort, I left his, ahem, embrace and buggered off 30 yards or so.

A few minutes later, one of the protesters, a man in his 20s or 30s, collapsed on the pavement. The guy was totally out of it when I went to take a look at him. Protesters informed the police, and then allowed the police to carry the man back to their lines using what looked like a tarpaulin to carry him away. Twenty minutes or so later, after the police had used their dogs and more riot cops to clear Cornhill Street back up to Bishopsgate, two ambulances came up Grace Church Street and were let down Cornhill by the protesters and police to attend to the injured. I have since been able to confirm that the person who died was the one I saw.

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Fran Legg, a politics student studying at Queen Mary, University of London, said: "I heard people shouting that there was a man down on the ground and I saw there was someone lying on the pavement on his back."

She said her friend went to help him while she stayed a few metres further back.

The 20-year-old, from Tavistock, in Devon, said: "People were calling out: 'Please, we need medics over here'.

"Someone called an ambulance."

She said her friend put the man in the recovery position.

He had blood on his face and was losing consciousness.

About eight riot police arrived with police medics and stood around the man.

Miss Legg said protesters were calling for people to move back and give the man space and she said the majority of people co-operated.

She said the ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, by which time the man had gone very white and was having breathing difficulties.

She said by the time police medics took over from her friend, the man had fallen unconscious.

Elias Stoakes, 25, also a student at Queen Mary, from Exeter in Devon, said: "There were a lot of people around him trying to help him and asking for medics.

"One or maybe two plastic bottles were thrown, but it was by people further back in the crowd who did not know what was going on.

"There definitely wasn't a rain of bottles.

"There were lots of us gathered around him telling people to give him space.

"The idea that protesters did not care is completely false."

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groucho said:

I was at the bank protest arriving after work. The bulk of protesters were blocked in by rings of police. Outside that ring riot police were behaving in a very savage way and there were battles between groups of protesters and police that mainly consisted of groups of protesters running from extremely aggressive groups of riot police.

We witnessed a man receiving medical attention who I assume was the guy who later died as this was before 8 and after 7.30. There were no missiles of any kind being aimed in the direction of the medical team at that time.

A friend of mine provided the following report:

Quote:
Report back on last night

Me and Groucho arrived at the scene and soon took control of the situation. We had a vigorous discussion with a couple of wan… sorry.. bankers, who chose to turn up and mock the demonstration.
We carried out a surveillance operation and led the protesters away from the police charge. We were calm and collected at all times and at no point, I repeat AT NO POINT, did I leave Groucho in a cowardly fashion for a place of safety. Neither did we panic and run down an alley with me hopping along like a demented kangaroo because of my blister.
We did see one demonstrator on the floor and initially I thought the police were beating him up until I saw the paramedics helping. I didn’t see any demonstrators throwing missiles at the scene but this may have happened before the demonstrator was taken to a siding, he was the one that died later on.
A

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cesare said:

BBC Live just reported from BoE. They had a suited City worker who was an eye witness to the man dying last night. Setting aside his speculation about the guy (he was told by the reporter in no uncertain terms not to speculate), he said that the guy wasn't in his 30s, more like 50s. He said that the police had been charging in 20 yard rushes, and people including this guy were retreating accordingly. The guy fell hitting his head. Someone with a megaphone called to the police for medics and immediately the police came over. There were a couple of missiles but the rest of the crowd shouted to leave off and it immediately stopped. The police then dragged the guy back behind the cordonand the missiles started again. That's according to this guy, anyway.

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probable cause
02.04.2009 08:46

from my experience of treating people at demos, this guy most likely died as a direct result of a blow to the head up to several hours BEFORE he collapsed.

a lot of deaths in police custody or on demonstrations stem from being hit on the head, getting severely concussed (or what we medics call 'compression') but not being diagnosed as such straight away. people with severe concussion or compression often get angry, dizzy and confused, and the symptoms can't usually be discerned from the symptoms of drunkenness until it's too late.

RIP, comrade.
street medic

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The man who died during last week's G20 protests was "assaulted" by riot police shortly before he suffered a heart attack, according to witness statements received by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Investigators are examining a series of corroborative accounts that allege Ian Tomlinson, 47, was a victim of police violence in the moments before he collapsed near the Bank of England in the City of London last Wednesday evening. Three witnesses have told the Observer that Mr Tomlinson was attacked violently as he made his way home from work at a nearby newsagents. One claims he was struck on the head with a baton.

Photographer Anna Branthwaite said: "I can remember seeing Ian Tomlinson. He was rushed from behind by a riot officer with a helmet and shield two or three minutes before he collapsed." Branthwaite, an experienced press photographer, has made a statement to the IPCC.

Another independent statement supports allegations of police violence. Amiri Howe, 24, recalled seeing Mr Tomlinson being hit "near the head" with a police baton. Howe took one of a sequence of photographs that show a clearly dazed Mr Tomlinson being helped by a bystander.

A female protester, who does not want to be named but has given her testimony to the IPCC, said she saw a man she later recognised as Tomlinson being pushed aggressively from behind by officers. "I saw a man violently propelled forward, as though he'd been flung by the arm, and fall forward on his head.

"He hit the top front area of his head on the pavement. I noticed his fall particularly because it struck me as a horrifically forceful push by a policeman and an especially hard fall; it made me wince."

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BBC Live just reported from BoE. They had a suited City worker who was an eye witness to the man dying last night. Setting aside his speculation about the guy (he was told by the reporter in no uncertain terms not to speculate), he said that the guy wasn't in his 30s, more like 50s. He said that the police had been charging in 20 yard rushes, and people including this guy were retreating accordingly. The guy fell hitting his head. Someone with a megaphone called to the police for medics and immediately the police came over. There were a couple of missiles but the rest of the crowd shouted to leave off and it immediately stopped. The police then dragged the guy back behind the cordonand the missiles started again. That's according to this guy, anyway

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Paulie Tandoori said:

is this linked in with what's going on after the meeting @l**c tonight, which was intended to debate what goes on next? loathe to post details cos everything that goes live seems to get busted.

similarly, is there any danger of unintended consequences from people posting speculation about what did or didn't go on? i'm uncertain but it needs pointing out.

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where to said:

indymedia london press release:
http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1019

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Divisive Cotton said:

That's what I was going to write - where was that information posted?

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free spirit said:

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This is the man who collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack after the G20 protests turned violent.

Ian Tomlinson, 47, had been on his way home from work at a nearby newsagents when he collapsed yesterday.

Police said the married man who lived alone nearby in a bail hostel and was not taking part in the protests.

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free spirit said:

I've cropped and zoomed in on one of the photos of the dead man on the stretcher going into the ambulance, and uploaded it to the link below.

There's a very obvious dark purple patch at the top of his forehead that would be consistent him having received a blow to the head. It's not possible to tell properly, but that's what it looks like to me.

<link>

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Police said yesterday that a man who died at the G20 protests near the Bank of England had been walking home from work when he collapsed.

Ian Tomlinson, 47, a City of London resident, fell to the pavement around 7.25pm on Wednesday, close to where lines of riot police had clashed with protesters.

In a statement released by police, Mr Tomlinson's family said: "Ian came from a large, loving family and he will sadly missed by us all. The police are keeping us informed of any developments."

A postmortem is due to establish the cause of death today. Police said Mr Tomlinson had been on his way home from work at a nearby newsagent's when he was discovered on Cornhill, a main road leading from the Bank of England.

There has been no evidence he was involved in altercations with the police. Police sources close to the investigation said they were using CCTV footage to piece together his final movements. Investigations were at an early stage and they currently had "no stance" on the events that led to his death.

According to several witnesses, there had been clashes shortly after 7pm on Cornhill between protesters and riot police, who were attempting to move people away from the bank with truncheons. Sporadic scuffles broke out, with police using their batons intermittently. Police then cordoned off one street.

Photographs taken around 7.20pm show Tomlinson lying and sitting on the pavement about 200ft from where he collapsed. He had one arm in the air, and appeared to be in discussion with five riot police.

The images suggest he was then lifted up by a protester. He is then seen walking away in the direction of the junction with Birchin Lane, where he finally collapsed.

City of London Police said it was investigating the death, which has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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The allegations were made after the widow of the man today lead a march for her partner who she said “died for the crimes of capitalism.”

One female witness who wished to remain anonymous talked of “police brutality and heartlessness” and directly implicated members of the police force in the “murder” of the protester who, in tributes left outside the Royal Exchange in the city, was described as a “hero.”

She spoke of the “unwarranted” attack made by “masked policemen in riot gear.” After being struck in the head by a police baton she said the man was then bloodied and left unconscious on the street.

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The allegations were made after the widow of the man today lead a march for her partner who she said “died for the crimes of capitalism.”

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The media are going full volume now to churn out lies that policemen attempting to treat the dying demonstrator were pelted with bottles. The blogosphere is attempting to fight back with the truth - with the exception of the mainstream media’s favourite bloggers, Iain Dale, Derek Draper, Alex Hilton and Paul Staines. Which is of course precisely why they are the mainstream media’s favourite bloggers.

There is an important eyewitness account here:
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Death-in-the-City

Justin has also interviewed an eyewitness:
http://www.chickyog.net/2009/04/02/sky-news-not-learning-lessons/#comments

All of which leads me to resurrect this bit I wrote in a comments thread in reply to someone asking why I hadn’t mentioned the possibility of agents provocateurs:

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/04/death_of_a_demo.html

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Divisive Cotton said:

What's that on the guys T-shirt? It looks like a protest t-shirt

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Protesters 'came to the aid of dying man'
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Eyewitnesses today described how protesters came to the aid of a man who collapsed and died during G20 demonstrations at the Bank of England.

Police were involved in running battles with protesters in central London when the man, believed to be in his 30s, fell to the ground and stopped breathing.

Witnesses said the incident happened on the outside of the police cordon, in which officers were holding the main body of demonstrators.

Fran Legg, a politics student studying at Queen Mary, University of London, said: "I heard people shouting that there was a man down on the ground and I saw there was someone lying on the pavement on his back."

She said her friend went to help him while she stayed a few metres further back.

The 20-year-old, from Tavistock, in Devon, said: "People were calling out: 'Please, we need medics over here'.

"Someone called an ambulance."

She said her friend put the man in the recovery position.

He had blood on his face and was losing consciousness.

About eight riot police arrived with police medics and stood around the man.

Miss Legg said protesters were calling for people to move back and give the man space and she said the majority of people co-operated.

She said the ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, by which time the man had gone very white and was having breathing difficulties.

She said by the time police medics took over from her friend, the man had fallen unconscious.

Elias Stoakes, 25, also a student at Queen Mary, from Exeter in Devon, said: "There were a lot of people around him trying to help him and asking for medics.

"One or maybe two plastic bottles were thrown, but it was by people further back in the crowd who did not know what was going on.

"There definitely wasn't a rain of bottles.

"There were lots of us gathered around him telling people to give him space.

"The idea that protesters did not care is completely false."

Scotland Yard said last night that a member of the public alerted police to the collapsed man. A force spokesman said: "That officer sent in police medics through the cordon line and into St Michael's Alley, where they found a man who had stopped breathing.

"The officers took the decision to move him as, during this time, a number of missiles - believed to be bottles - were being thrown at them." Reports said the man is believed to have died of natural causes.

The death has been referred to police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), as is routine in such cases.

A spokesman said: "IPCC investigators will be assessing the circumstances throughout the day.

"They will be examining CCTV and attending the post-mortem this afternoon, as is usual in cases of this nature.

"When all the available information has been assessed, the IPCC will make a decision about the level of involvement it needs to have in progressing the investigation into this case."

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where to said:

salford online community website are quoting an anonymous eyewitness who says she saw IT being hit over the head. also that the widow went was on one of todays marches which i have not read anywhere else not sure if this is a very reliable source? :


http://www.salfordonline.com/editorschoice.php?func=viewdetails&vdetails=12318


someone on twitter called Glasgoanarcho saying they've had an eyewitness account saying the same:
http://twitter.com/GlasgowAnarcho

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The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate a protesters death at yesterday's G20 demos.

The Met said the man, thought to be in his 40s, died on Wednesday night after bottles were thrown at him and he collapsed.

Scotland Yard said a member of the public alerted them that a man was unconscious near the Bank of England and officers came under a bombardment of missiles as they tried to drag him to safety – he was still breathing.

They add the London Ambulance Service took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.


CCTV

IPCC investigators will examine CCTV footage and attend the post-mortem examination.

Protesters near the Excel centre today said they were returning to the City to join a demonstration showing solidarity for the dead man.

Police tactics have been criticised after several protesters were injured whilst being held behind police cordons for hours.

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