Seeking Justice For Ian Tomlinson

On April 1st 2009 an English newspaper vendor was on his way home from work when he came across an area containing a number of G20 protestors and riot police. Around 19.30 he collapsed in the street and died.

The Police initially reported that he had died of a heart attack. Allegations started to emerge that he had been assaulted by police before his death and a statement was released by Police stating that they had had no interaction with him prior to his collapse. A week later a video was obtained by The Guardian newspaper from a New York man who had been in London on business. The footage (above) show Ian Tomlinson walking in front of riot police and dog handlers, walking away from them. One officer then struck his legs from behind with a baton and pushed him to the ground. The footage shows this was an unprovoked attack on an innocent passerby who minutes later collapsed and died.

The first autopsy result confirmed the cause of death as being a heart attack. Dr. 'Freddy' Patel is currently suspended from duty pending an investigation by the General Medical Council and faces at least 26 charges of inappropriate conduct related to 4 other cases. The second autopsy was performed at the request of The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and of Ian Tomlinson's family. It returned the cause of death as being internal bleeding resulting from a blow to the abdomen with complications caused by psorosis of the liver. A third autopsy was requested by the defence and this returned the same verdict as the second one.

Other videos by passersby and journalists have also been made public of the incident but The IPCC claimed that no CCTV cameras existed in the area where the assault had taken place. A newspaper later published pictures of 6 CCTV cameras in the area and the statement was withdrawn by The IPCC. The officer who struck Ian Tomlinson has recently been named as PC Simon Harwood and The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken until very recently to make a decision on whether or not to prosecute him.

The CPS announced on July 22nd that there would be no prosecution in the case as the differing opinions in the 3 autopsy results made it too difficult to determine the true cause of death and therefore to bring a case against the officer in question. PC Harwood is facing a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct.

A picket against The Department Of Public Prosecution (DPP) has been arranged for Friday 30th July and pickets will also be carried out throuhout the UK in support. Those wishing to attend the London picket should be at The Office of Department of Public Prosecution,Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, SE1 9HS at 12 noon. Those unable to attend can look for a protest in their area, or just do one yourself or with some friends. Those unable to do that can show their support in the way that I will be. Change your avatar picture to a picture of Ian Tomlinson for 1 day, and tell everyone you speak to his story.

RIP Ian Tomlinson. Justice must be had.

We Are All Neda

Dearest Neda,

It has been a year since you were cruelly taken from your friends, from your family and from those you loved, and much has happened in that time. I cannot begin to tell it all but there are some things that we around the world who know of you wish to be able to share with you.

If I were to be speaking to you now I would have many things to say to you.

I would say sorry. Not because I caused it, but because I feel it. Sorry for the life you were forced to live, that it was one of oppression, inequality and fear. Sorry for your death, for the pain and fear that it caused you and that it left behind for your family. Sorry that your family were afterwards forced from their home and your fiance forced into hiding out of fear. Sorry that your grave was desecrated, your headstone removed, bullets fired into your portrait to destroy it.
Most of all, sorry for the many others who shared your fate in having such a life and such a death, and who continue to share that fate.

I would also say you did not die in vain. Your struggle is no longer hidden, no longer only for the people of Iran, no longer unknown to the rest of us in this world. For this I would say thank you. You certainly did not plan to, but you brought Iran into the world's consciousness. You have galvanised your people into revolution. You have inspired us all to stand, to march, to rally, to shout, to protest, to demand.

Your death has been seen by many, and you are in the hearts of revolutionaries and supporters of equality and freedom all over the world. Though of little comfort, you have given the Iranian people such spirit and determination that the only possible outcome is their success in your quest. Your death has ensured that the people of not just Iran, but of the world, are united in this battle. Men and women of all ages, all races, all religions and all nationalities stand together in solidarity and raise their collective voice to demand freedom for your people in Iran. We stand together today to demand this in your name, and in the name of all those many others who have given their time, their efforts, their freedom, and like you, their lives.

I did not know you, and I will not pretend otherwise. But I feel that I do. I never used to be especially political, as you never used to be, but I saw an injustice as you did, and I feel compelled to stand against it as you did. But I have what you wanted. I have freedom, I have equality, I have peace, I have security. And I shall not take it for granted. You saw a revolution of your people in your country, and now today, we see a revolution of many people in many countries. You demanded that the people's vote be counted, and now we all demand that the people's vote be counted. And we shall not be stopped., not until what I have has been given to your people in Iran, as you wanted for them.

I would speak these words to you on my behalf, but also on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people across the globe who remember you today, who never knew you but will never forget you. Until everyone has those basic things that you stood up and asked for on this day one year ago...until then, we are all Neda.

Notes:

Neda was one of 18 protesters killed that day.

Neda's death was not initially reported via the state controlled Iranian media.

Images and video footage of Neda's death spread virally across the internet via YouTube and Twitter.

The Head of IRI Broadcasting claims that the videos of Neda's death are all fakes made by BBC and/or CNN.

The IRI Ambassador to Mexico suggested the CIA were involved in Neda's death.

IRI state media claims that a group of protesters faked the video and that Neda was later murdered by her accomplices.

No memorial was permitted for Neda and mourners were not permitted to gather together in public.

Crowds of protesters and mourners were dispersed with live ammunition and tear gas by IRI riot police.

New Monte Smith Video

The AIM has introduced me to so many inspiring and passionate people, and one of my very favourite of these is a street poet named Monte Smith. He hails from North Carolina, USA and as well as being a street poet he is also a rap journalist, community based educator and anti-racist activist. He is the creator and producer of the world's biggest street poetry competition 'The Red Bull Word Clash' and he also has a book called 'Don't Shoot The Hostages' which is available for sale now so check it out while you're having a look at his website.

He recently performed a show in his local area (a pretty rare thing actually) and we are all thrilled to have some footage to watch. Please have a look and also check out some of his other clips on his YouTube page.

We are also hoping that he will be able to make it to the UK in November for The 5 Elements event and the Lyrical Warfare UK Tour. We love having him as a member of the team, he is completely committed and massively talented. I love just talking to him - and we talk to him for hours at a time. He is so sincere, so passionate, so determined. As a white man fighting for equal rights for blacks he for some reason takes a lot of stick. Many people believe that he should not be fighting against racism because he is white which I think is frankly ridiculous. Just because most people are only concerned with fighting the inequalities that relate to them, it doesn't mean that everyone is like that. Even with all the hassle he gets, he still continues because he believes in doing what is right, not what is easy.

If you like what you see in this clip then you should definitely have a look round his site and get yourself a copy of his book because it really is a masterpiece. Hard-hitting, honest, educational, inspiring. Totally real.