Not trumpeting this on the news are they?
A 20-year-old student was left unconscious with bleeding on the brain after a police officer hit him on the head with a truncheon, his mother said today.
Alfie Meadows, a philosophy student at Middlesex University, was struck as he tried to leave the area outside Westminster Abbey during last night’s tuition fee protests, his mother said.
After falling unconscious on the way to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, he underwent a three-hour operation for bleeding on the brain.
Ian Bone 
The policing of this demo was a disgrace. A disabled man was dragged from his wheel chair, a journalist bludgeoned and then refused help from a police medic and kettled students charged by horses even though they could not move an inch. I hope this student makes a good recovery.
I have to say that the Guardian and to some extent C4 have been brilliant at recording what has been happening. They have had journalists blogging from inside the kettle. Much of the rest of the media have dreadfully biased but none went quite as far as Sky’s Kate Burley who actually described the students as insurgents.
Congratulations to the students and others who got into Parliament Sq – what an irrelevance the NUS event was by all accounts.
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URGENT:SOLIDARITYVIGIL with Alfie Meadows at 3:30 in front of Charing X Hospital in Hammersmith&Fulham Palace Rd. Bring banners on Police Brutality.
The policing and the accompanying ideological offensive by the media – including, disgracefully, the BBC – were obviously designed to intimidate young people into not protesting in the future.
They will have the opposite effect.
The good news is that the ipcc are now investigating the matter and will no doubt reach conclusions that are both fair and unbiased.
I piss on ipcc.
“Independent” my arse!
Honestly, the MET were a fucking disgrace yesterday. But then what should I expect from such “people”? If they behave like that, then what are they expecting from those of us enraged by their tactics? The comment saying the ARMED police showed “incredible restraint” was incredible. So, the police would have been fine to OPEN FIRE on them? They have to be told they can not get away with this!
http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/guidetopublicordersituations.htm
I apologise for my comment reading very incoherently. I am, unsurprisingly, filled with rage at yesterday’s tactics by the met.
Now the fucking police are threatening to shoot 12 year old kids!..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/10/schoolboy-quizzed-cameron-office-picket?CMP=twt_fd
Unbelievable! I’m sure it will be self-defeating though in the long run as the kids don’t seem to be running scared. Guess Cameron is if he sends round the anti-terrorist squad to interview a 12 year old. How serious are things going to get. I live in a vicious police state abroad but it seems like the UK is heading that way too.
I’m completely in support of the recent demonstrations, but I’ve a horrible feeling that yesterday’s events were completely inevitable. Somebody within the Met made the decision to place lines of police, and metal barriers, across the route of the march, and that somebody would have known the inevitable result of such action. I imagine that these events will be used to justify a u-turn regarding cuts to police budgets and the screw will be turned. We’ll take several steps closer towards that police state, and protest will become that bit more difficult. I salute everyone who was out yesterday and wish I’d been there myself, and I hope my predictions are wrong.
Several steps closer to that police state? With all respect, I think we arrived there some time ago.
I’m just back from a vigil for Alfie as he is a good friend of one of my friends. Happy to report the operation was successful and he is apparently talking again.
I am beginning to think that all that talk about “cuts to Police budgets” is just a load of bollocks, maybe it’s just to throw us of the scent. They always seem to be able to find thousands of coppers when it suits them.
I’m going to be a pedantic fucker, I can’t help myself sometime and I apologise.
The old police truncheon you speak of was made of hardwood. Hurts like fuck if you are on the receiving end but being made of an organic material it absorbed some of the impact. However you could still be standing and able to defend yourself after a smack. What Alfie got was a new-ish type baton, made of metal. Hit with one of those and you get the full effect of the blow. A very different weapon in practice. Hit on the head with full force and you’ll be knocked out briefly at the very very least. It’s illegal for private citizens to own them.
Anyway, least of worries, as an aside, when the cuts really start to bite and the grown up’s come out too, I predict that the water cannons and plastic baton round guns used in NI will be used on the streets of London. Mark my words.
It won’t be long before we see the Army on the streets mowing down protesters. This shit could go on for a very long time, like years, decades even.
I suspect that’s true. The country is effectively bankrupt and the student / EMA stuff is merely a taster…
They thought they would be able to pick on the easiest, most politically indifferent target first before they moved on to public sector pensions. Hasn’t really worked according to plan I guess.
I’m not sure that’s true. Testing the waters maybe? They must have known the stoodints were a mobile bunch.
ITN reports Chelsea and Westminster Hospital refused to treat Alfie Meadows because he was a protestor but the paramedics, who had rushed Alfie to the hospital in the ambulance, insisted he be treated.
Maybe we are now seeing why all the anti terrosit legisaltion was introduced .Not because the was really at threat from Islamist but a rebellious populace in time of massive contractions.
Thinks will get worse ..Ideologues of the right hope /presume that the ecomony will pick up. My guess capitalist growth is finished , peak oil has seen to that no it is fight over scarce resouces. Look at America.I read a great piece on the states at www. Cluborlov from a american emigre on why us citizens should leave asap ( but where to go?) . I think the uk is no different.
on a more optimistic note. Well done to the youth.its about time!