Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley urges law change after online-speech arrests

Georges Lapunkraque52

It’s amazing how everybody Keir Starmer’s government appoints has the same “giant baby shitting their pants that anybody would disagree with them” tone that he has

Alex Staniforth42

The Green Party will never recover from this blow, everybody loves and respects the Metropolitan Police.

Eleanor Ferguson31

I'm sorry,but violently kicking anyone on the ground, whether a terrorist or not is really not acceptable.The Met police always seem to be in the news for the wrong reasons.

Ed Poole25

The difference in how the press behaved during pre election in 2017 and 2019 was amazing. In 2017 they seemed to mostly follow the rules, but by 2019, all sense of that went out the window completely as the press understood it's actual role was to amplify the wall of misinformation engulfing voters.

Spyro the Antifascist Dragon21

While this is clearly bad for fair elections going forward, I do wonder how many people actually like or listen to the Met police? It's not like they have a good reputation, especially among younger people.

Michael Havard17

Fuck the MET. It needs to be disbanded, completely and started again and no - I'll never forgive or forget. An institution can't be always held to account for every individual however, when it's this racist and political, it must be.

Decahedron 🏳️‍🌈14

This is the same Met that wanted to send armed police to arrest a woman who didn't want to talk to them. ACAB always.

awesome-welles.bsky.social12

Much to unravel. A search, couldn't find any training advocating kicking someone you think has explosives. Maybe it's training with the IDF, in which case we won't know, as they refused to answer any FOI requests. But important to publicly tell a Jewish man in London how Jews in London are feeling

Andrew McCabe11

Oh they’re gonna get in so much trouble with the electoral commission in eighteen months time, pay the fine and no one will speak of it again

MEJA9

“I was going to vote Greens but now that the Police Commissioner of the corrupt and authoritarian Met police force has publicly voiced his disapproval of their leader I will have to have a rethink” - no one, ever

Leo Cookman8

Ah yes the noble Met Police, repeatedly found to be institutionally ineffectual, racist and corrupt by multiple official investigations. Definitely an organisation we should listen to On such matters as... *checks notes* good policing.

John Rowland7

In fairness, he’s only replying to Mr Polanski’s idiotic criticism of the police. Were they a bit rough in tackling a violent, knife wielding man? I should bloody hope so. Grow up.

politicaliverpool.bsky.social5

That’s institutionally racist met police thank you

Murray5

May as well have read: 'We're the biggest gang in town, and we know where you live.'

It's A Scam5

All he managed to do was prove that they are a lying violent criminal gang who are never guilty of anything. Genocide in the middle east and far right rhetoric might have something to do with rising tensions but that can't be mentioned, instead it's all Zack Polanski's fault.

Dewie5

Sir Mark Rowley is such a bellend. He pretended to be taking corruption and abuse seriously but he's like all his predecessors in defending the worst excesses of his troops.

Edward Cornwell5

Isn't that the same reasoning that war criminals use to justify their crimes?

Purple Electric5

Is it just my imagination, or is that letter the work of someone who knows we can see the video, and can see for ourselves how badly the officers conducted themselves? Whatever next? Soon Met officers won’t even be able to rape and murder women without some snowflake kicking off about it.

firstprinciples.bsky.social4

Given the track record of the Met, I don't think this will change anyone's mind and may actually get Polanski more support

Upon Pillars Of Dust4

On the one hand it is kind of funny to see all these people who should have better things to do lose their minds over a retweet. I'm hopeful anyone who drank this establishment koolaid over Corbyn are more wise to it this time.

Sam Nelson3

Rowley should've let someone proofread that for him before he sent it.

‘Michael Green’ (a suitable professional alias). He/him.17

I don’t care whether it’s a homeless shoplifter stealing to survive, or a suspected child abuser - the police have no right to beat suspects. This isn’t America (yet). I treat patients who have committed crimes - as professionals we are supposed to treat everyone with respect, without emotion.

Jindre15

Not one police officer has yet to face justice for the murder of Blair Peach. I was around nine years old at the time, it was a real eye opener. The police can never be trusted

Liv's Gaze(4 the gays🌈)12

The public are being whipped up though & primed to accept this sort of thing *the dude’s a scumbag BTW, but that doesn’t excuse police brutality

Old man Griffin9

Met is notorious for it. My sis (ex cop)got suspended for kicking an attacker with a knife in the balls. Kicks to the head are NOT allowed under ANY circumstances.

tanwyn.bsky.social8

This is horrendous. If Mark Rowley thinks this is an appropriate use of force, it makes me wonder what sort of people we have running our police force. He would be better suited to ICE. Ship him over the the states, together with any others who think this is fine. They'll fit right in.

Sylvia8

Putting this post on this thread to add further context to an already misrepresented incident bsky.app/profile/sylv...

Jack Liu6

And of course the police claimed they were trying to 'kick the weapon from his hands', then when you see the video it's this piece of shit punting an incapacitated man squarely in the most vulnerable part of the skull.

BethU5

Others (non police) have received jail sentences for kicking people in the head. Big no, no. No one should ever kick another person in the head. Tased and incapacitated leaves a person incapable of muscle movement, so dropping the knife was an impossibility at that point.

Simon Whitehead4

And there are two videos circulating. The one on the BBC does not show the kicking

Chu-Let-The-Dogs-Out✊🏾💚🇪🇺🇬🇧🇳🇬🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️4

I watched it once and can’t get myself to watch it again.. that says it all on how violent it was for me.

the clockwork rides again™3

I'm unsurprised by Mike Tapp. He is a flag-shagging imbecile who would be more suited to Reform. The fact that people like him feel at home in Labour says a lot about how far right Labour have moved.

DamonTheDemon3

The Met. Its rotten to the core. Kicking prone people in the head multiple times can in no way be excused by any right minded folk.

jojitsu2

Same day I saw this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

So so human being2

I watched it. In my opinion, these two "police officers" should lose their job immediately and be charged with assault. It is NOT okay to kick people repeatedly in the head, let alone disabled people. Is this even up for discussion?! Why?! Are we all that far gone?!

Revolution Possible5

And the Corbyn treatment starts all over again. My god the British media are not only dishonest and devoid of integrity, but fucking tedious and incapable of any change in strategy. Who is still buying this?

ShoeTown Owl2

The Zionist Lobby thinks it’s winning……

Dan (this/that) 🇪🇺🇵🇹📷2

Labour is getting desperate and orders all their talking heads to close ranks.

fraz44.bsky.social2

The folk that executed Jean Charles de Menezes, strip searched school kids, employed Wayne ‘The Beast’ Couzens & David Carrick, secretly filmed arrested women in the toilet & ripped the pish out of murdered sisters in a group chat, want the Green Party to turn it down a notch

catsinfrance51

He's defending kicking a man who is down, on the ground, after being tazed: kicking him in the head, with their boots, repeatedly. FFS... Bloody disgrace.

Richard Bowes 🇵🇸34

Politicised attacks just before an election from the police. Something very rotten here.

LuxJude35231

What’s not acceptable to him - the words of a politician criticizing the Met Police for a suspect being kicked in the head several times? Or kicking a suspect in the head several times? Looks like the former. #r4today #MarkRowley

PhilT60222

Mark Rowley needs to separate the original act from the means of arrest. The Met does have a reputation for mis-identification & overreaction. Watch the video & tell me those officers were acting professionally?! Loss of discipline like that, leads to mistakes!

Mary Breeze22

I understand the difficulties the police officers were facing, but Sky News should have asked him if "kicking a potential arrestee in the head" is ever mentioned in the police training manual.

StephenB17

Why does he need to do a media round? Isn't he simply inflaming a volatile situation even further? Which is exactly what his letter accused Polanksi of doing.

WillieMillersMoustache17

"I don't do this lightly" Yeah, you shouldn't have done it at all. Prick.

Tabornottime16

The establishment must be scared of Zack .. Just before an Election....

Moose Malloy15

Why isn't it acceptable? Are the police above criticism?

scotfi1.bsky.social13

And then he went on TV to publicise that a week before an election? Shouldn't the Met Commissioner be apolitical?

Joy11

Does he always publish letters he sends to people on Twitter? Or just this one?

TC11

What is not acceptable is the sight of Met police officers repeatedly kicking a suspect in the head like it’s a football. Zack Polanski was right to call it out. No matter the crime, that’s a slippery slope bsky.app/profile/lbcw...

Brexit Bin 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇩🇪9

Personally, I don't ever want us to become numb to violence like they are in America.

Nick7

What part of the police procedural manual says that you should repeatedly kick a suspect in the head when they are lying on the ground? Fair play to @zackpolanski.bsky.social for calling out policie brutality.

Speckled jim7

A fairly lengthy letter to just one member of the London Assembly! Is that a good use of the Met Commissioner's time when he has a police service to run? I would suggest not. He should remain politically impartial, and concentrate on being a crime fighter, not a letter writer.

Susanne Hart7

I've just watched the video of the arrest. Appalling that Rowley thinks Polanski is in the wrong for calling this out. The arrest was undoubtedly warranted. The physical abuse absolutely was not.

Howard Green7

Here we go again. That good old anti-Semitism smear just keeps giving.

DaveRedWine6

I watched the video, I’m not stupid, I know what’s acceptable?

johnw60.bsky.social5

People need to see the video before taking a view on this. bsky.app/profile/impl...

annmayevans.bsky.social5

When the establishment have a politician standing for the majority of ordinary citizens , they play antisemitism. But most people today are horrified at what Israel is doing . They never play the racist card that is used by the far right .

Harry Stokes5

If Rowley wants to be politically biased then maybe he should resign

joemcateer.bsky.social4

Strange how political the Met have become. First, they decide to restart arresting Palestine Action protesters, and now it's appropriate to attack a political leader just before local elections. Almost like they're doing the government's bidding.

MrPembsExile.bsky.social3

Rule of minimum force. Acceptable use in my opinion. Don't comment until you've been in that position. If he'd tried it at the Army Unit I was at he'd have received more than the gentle pummelling the met gave him!

Mike Bovril3

Why isn’t he allowed to say that…

Coolhandluke3

I’m afraid Mark Rowley needs to resign immediately. The antisemitic stabbing and the response from police were both disgusting. There are no excuses. Mark Rowley needs to stand down now.

fraz44.bsky.social2

The Met police commissioner job, always attracts the worst people. It’s almost as if there isn’t a great talent pool

Keith J Murray2

Totally unacceptable statement and letter from the Met Commissioner #unprofessional

thecoamsouls.bsky.social2

They behaved like ICE thugs. Totally unprofessional and dangerous. If there had have been an explosive they would have been blown up while kicking him in the head instead of securing him properly.

Cheese & Jam2

The College of Policing would disagree that those officers were unarmed, Rowley needs to get his facts straight.

Sixes All The Way2

Rowley's reaction to this has been deeply unprofessional & not entirely honest. How often has Farage fired-off accusations of 'two-tier policing'? All without any response from any police rep. Link + template for anyone wishing to file a complaint against Rowley www.owenjones.news/p/the-police...

evo1963.bsky.social2

I’ve seen the video. The suspect was detained and unable to resist, he was no longer a threat, yet they continued to kick him in the head.

kenndosan.bsky.social2

Tripe.... Mentally ill man targets two people in London. Is nearer the mark.

Gerry Bolton2

Sorry he was defending his officers not stating policy on policing etc

John Rob5

He's just giving what his fanbase want.

Posh Nigel3

A more thoughtful approach is required in Government. Such moments do make Starmer look good.

Lee caluan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿3

Kicking a man in the head repeatedly isn't reasonable force and it's not the first time the police have beaten the crap out of someone. There are on average 38 deaths a year in police custody. They are violent thugs.

David Stansell3

I think both Zack and Sir Mark made mistakes. I think kicking someone in the head is clearly ineffective. But the police looked newish and were clearly terrified & they managed to complete the arrest with the help of some seriously impressive bystanders. I don’t think the letter was right in purdah.

Ilikecaketoo (UK)2

Agree. Saw the video too, chilling tbh, he just kept walking towards them. They were unarmed. Absolutely what they’re trained to do, especially as they didn’t know if he had explosives.

Sharon/Viva Tiling2

How do tasers work? Wouldnt the shock from it make the muscles spasm so he couldnt let go of it?

Trev Beaker2

So much more than just a shame - a sign of his appalling judgement and desperate divisive populism.

Rob @okitwas2

This'll go down well with the Jewish community. Zack would no doubt hypnotise the guys into submission.