EXCLUSIVE: The man who found himself at the centre of a major armed police response as he exercised in a 'gym vest' at a Salford park has spoken of the moment he heard cops shout 'shoot him if he moves'
Guy was running around in a vest that looked like a bomb vest, close to a Jewish community while in other countries they are being simultaneously threatened. You think they were going to end it there, by not taking him into the station and giving him a chance to make a statement for in case there’s some kind of pushback or worse, he gets targeted too?
He said they treated him well. I’ve been in handcuffs before (employer cancelled my visa in-country) and it’s not a big deal.
I just don’t see the need for him to be cuffed once the police know it’s a skipping rope and he’s no threat.
As for “no big deal”, it’s also about optics and respect. A lot of law enforcement techniques are about imposing lack of personhood on someone and by limiting those impositions it shows that the individual isn’t a threat and is being treated as something other than a criminal.
“I said to the police, ‘it’s better safe than sorry’,” he said. “I’m not blaming the police, they were very nice with me. I was being nice with them, we work together. That’s why we pay our taxes so we keep ourselves safe.”
Again, I don’t think he took issue with being processed in handcuffs after being mistaken for a suicide bomber.
But processed with the guy in cuffs?!
This is the sort of stuff that shows our bobbies are becoming ever more like Americans’ pigs.
Coppers have been knobheads for a long time mate. Longer than since The Battle of Orgreave.
Guy was running around in a vest that looked like a bomb vest, close to a Jewish community while in other countries they are being simultaneously threatened. You think they were going to end it there, by not taking him into the station and giving him a chance to make a statement for in case there’s some kind of pushback or worse, he gets targeted too?
He said they treated him well. I’ve been in handcuffs before (employer cancelled my visa in-country) and it’s not a big deal.
I didn’t say don’t take him back to be processed.
I just don’t see the need for him to be cuffed once the police know it’s a skipping rope and he’s no threat.
As for “no big deal”, it’s also about optics and respect. A lot of law enforcement techniques are about imposing lack of personhood on someone and by limiting those impositions it shows that the individual isn’t a threat and is being treated as something other than a criminal.
“I said to the police, ‘it’s better safe than sorry’,” he said. “I’m not blaming the police, they were very nice with me. I was being nice with them, we work together. That’s why we pay our taxes so we keep ourselves safe.”
Again, I don’t think he took issue with being processed in handcuffs after being mistaken for a suicide bomber.