News The Ultimate Loss of Civil Liberties: Innocent Man Shot Dead in UK

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The discussion centers around the police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian man mistakenly identified as a terrorist following recent bomb attacks in London. His family expressed outrage, emphasizing that there was no reason to suspect him of terrorism. The police admitted regret over the incident, describing it as a tragedy. Participants in the discussion debated the justification for the use of deadly force, with some arguing that the police acted out of panic and fear, while others suggested that the circumstances—such as de Menezes wearing a heavy coat in warm weather and fleeing from plainclothes officers—raised suspicions. Eyewitness accounts described the chaotic scene, where de Menezes was pinned down and shot multiple times. The conversation highlighted concerns about police protocols in high-stress situations and the implications for civil liberties, questioning whether the police's actions were warranted given the context of recent terrorist threats. Participants emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the incident and the broader implications for public safety and police conduct.
  • #451
El Hombre Invisible said:
So I wouldn't feel too victorious, you conscientious few. The winners are still the ones who plug their fingers in their ears and recite the mantra of the blissful non-thinking: "I'm sure the people we put our faith in acted as well as they could under the circumstances and, though this is a tragedy, it is a necessary one in our fight against... whatever." The burden of proof gets no lighter when every reminder of the dire state of this country's government and institutions gets conveniently forgotten.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I'm depressed.
And worse yet, el hombre, it is not only the UK's government and institutions that are in a dire state - the rot is widespread, unfortunately. Globalised rot, perhaps?
 
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  • #452
Daminc said:
Ideally, I'd agree. But could you ever get a fair trail? If they are found 'innocent' the dissenters who have already concluded they are 'guilty' will be very upset and shout 'cover-up'. If they are found guilty the faith in the police drops sharply and the police themselves will second guess everything they do which will make them less effective.

Of course, when the time comes when they are faced with a 'real' terriorist they might hesitate in stopping him/her "just in case they are mistaken" and BOOOM, too late. THEN they'll get sh!t dropped on them for not acting faster (probably by the same people who are giving them sh!t now)
Ummm ... no.

Instead of being an internal police matter, this will become a public trial and the information presented will be available to see... Transparency.

And what is this about a 'fair trial'? Is this just something that has started to crop up in the last 10 years or so?
 
  • #453
Everything about this stinks, where did the new evidence come from? Why does it contradict eye witness statements so badly? And how could they shoot him 7 times in the back of his head if he was sat down facing the inside of the train? They wouldn't have been able to get a shot at the back of his head unless they shot through the glass. Eleven shots fired? That eyewitness that i watched on the ITV news on the night of the shooting must have been dyslexic to have thought it was five.

Nothing has ever smelt as bad as this before.
 
  • #454
Andy said:
Everything about this stinks, where did the new evidence come from? Why does it contradict eye witness statements so badly? And how could they shoot him 7 times in the back of his head if he was sat down facing the inside of the train? They wouldn't have been able to get a shot at the back of his head unless they shot through the glass. Eleven shots fired? That eyewitness that i watched on the ITV news on the night of the shooting must have been dyslexic to have thought it was five.

Nothing has ever smelt as bad as this before.
Well, the picture of the body wearing a denim jacket attached to the article certainly proves that some of THAT testamony was fabricated.

A count of the bullets left in the gun and expended shell casings would explain the number of bullets. (Panic and an unfamiliarity with fire arms explains the witness)

The testamony of how one of the police grabbing his arms and falling into the seat and then sliding to the floor does not mean they landed in it in a seated position.

The CCTV of him entering the station and picking up a newspaper is another.

Remember that the 'eyewitness' testimonies were gathered from several individuals in different locations and nobody accompanied him through all of this except for the police.

The police were the ones who stated that they identified themselves at the entrance. The witnesses actually stated that they said nothing but put on their police baseball hats.

The police stated that he jumped the gates when he had a pass!

What is happening is that they are reviewing the CCTV record of what happened and debunking the police story.

If you have ever been in the underground, you KNOW every inch is covered by CCTV.
 
  • #455
The Guardian leads with an article showing the Met chief Sir Ian Blair actively tried to coverup the actions of his officers and the subsequent lies by trying to suppress an independent inquiry supposedly on the grounds of national security. When this failed he still tried to block the investigators denying them access to the tube station for 3 days. It seems only after direct intervention from Whitehall was the investigation allowed to commence. IMO Sir Ian Blair's position is fast becoming untenable.
Met chief tried to stop shooting inquiry

Rosie Cowan, Vikram Dodd and Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday August 18, 2005
The Guardian

Britain's top police officer, the Scotland Yard commissioner Sir Ian Blair, attempted to stop an independent external investigation into the shooting of a young Brazilian mistaken for a suicide bomber, it emerged yesterday.
Sir Ian wrote to John Gieve, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, on July 22, the morning Jean Charles de Menezes was shot at short range on the London tube. The commissioner argued for an internal inquiry into the killing on the grounds that the ongoing anti-terrorist investigation took precedence over any independent look into his death.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1551340,00.html
BTW One piece I read suggested that the reason eyewitnesses claimed to see the victim hurdle the turnstyles whilst being chased was because what they actually saw was the a first plain clothes police officer pursuing the suspect being followed by his colleagues. This also explains the confusion over what the victim was wearing. Again the person they thought was being chased was actually a plain clothed police officer. (I'm surprised he wasn't shot for wearing a bulky jacket :smile: )
 
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  • #456
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  • #457
What are your reservations? If it's because you think it will undermine public confidence I think you will find the police force's credibility is already extremely low with the vast majority of people. Admitting to past wrongdoings and detailing how repetitions will be avoided in the future will go a long way to restoring the public's faith.
There's a few reservations that's probably born out of ignorance.

I think I've mentioned before that I was once in the British Army. The Army has it's own police force, laws, internal affairs etc etc and this is for a good reason. Priorities are slightly different and some of the conditions that Army personel find themselves are also different. For example, squaddies are encouraged to fight within certain set boundaries. It develops confidence, the ability to think and react whilst in pain and to be able to adapt in a hostile environment. Fight hard, play hard. The boundaries are "don't strike a superior rank" (unless in the ring), don't lose your temper, don't bully, don't continue fighting after it is obvious that your opponent is beaten. I had a discussion with a guy from the REME once about the Signals reputation of All brains and No brawn. We fought briefly and I won the argument...and then we went for a beer :)

I've never been in the police force but it seems to be regimented similar to the forces. If that is the case then a 'civilian' enquirery would not be able to understand the situation clearly enough to give an accurate assessment.

But your objection was to my reference to the 'foolish' people in 'pathetic denial' who automatically sided with the police. They did not 'wait for proof', but autmoatically exonerated motiveless killers. If you are not among them, then the statement simply doesn't apply to you. Alright?
I was with them because I go along with the saying "innocent until proven guilty" however, new evidence has made me question the accounts on all sides. I agree there should be a detailed investigation this time and a jury (or independant assessors) should review all the evidence and testimonies before coming to a conclusion to what really happened.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb. Which 'statements of fact' do you find unsubstantiated?
Without going through all the text again I think one of the more obvious ones was the reference to the police being 'brutal murderers' or something similar. At the time that comment was made there was no 'real' evidence to substantiate this only your opinion.
 
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  • #458
  • #459
Daminc said:
Without going through all the text again I think one of the more obvious ones was the reference to the police being 'brutal murderers' or something similar. At the time that comment was made there was no 'real' evidence to substantiate this only your opinion.
Incorrect!
There WAS real, hard evidence:
1. De Menezes was innocent
2. The police report was so glaringly inconsistent THAT IT HAD TO BE A BUNCH OF LIES!
3. The authorities did their best to malign and blacken De Menezes' character

Consider these 3 points together, and a really ugly stink will start wafting into your nostrils.
 
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  • #460
1. At the time of comment we didn't know that De Menezes was innocent.
2. Various report didn't agree so an investigation was required (that's different from automatically the police lied).
3. The maligning tactic was wrong but predictable. Politicians do it. Newspapers do it. People in forums do it :) Everyone does it to one degree or another. I don't like it or agree with it but it's hardly suprising.

I'm surprised you consider this sort of thing as 'hard evidence'.
 
  • #461
Daminc said:
1. At the time of comment we didn't know that De Menezes was innocent.
That's a lie.
I have no interest discussing this any further with liars like you.
 
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  • #462
arildno said:
As this witness statement shows quite clearly, De Menezes did not do anything suspicious prior to his death, nor did he resist the police. This is simply a tale about his EXECUTION:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1739960,00.html
That is absolutely horrible. If it wasn't Times I might not believe it to be accurate. Who was the guy, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, possibly an off-duty officer?
 
  • #463
Smurf said:
That is absolutely horrible. If it wasn't Times I might not believe it to be accurate. Who was the guy, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, possibly an off-duty officer?
It is from ITV (look at the bottom); The Times has just transcripted the story.

He was one of the surveillance team who followed De Menezes covertly after he'd entered the Stockwell station.

The officer went by the code-name H3 (Hotel 3), if I'm not mistaken.
 
  • #464
Ah. Okay it all makes more sense now.
 
  • #465
Daminc said:
I was with them because I go along with the saying "innocent until proven guilty" however, new evidence has made me question the accounts on all sides. I agree there should be a detailed investigation this time and a jury (or independant assessors) should review all the evidence and testimonies before coming to a conclusion to what really happened.
Well, 'innocent until proven guilty' is not something you're willing to extend to Menezes. Even I would go for 'innocent until overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise' when determining whether a someone was possibly a terrorist, else we may never stop a terrorist attempt. But overwhelming evidence suggested otherwise in the case of the police too. Menezes was not carrying a bomb. He was not a prior suspect. He did not behave out of the ordinary (even if he HAD jumped the turnstyle). And the evidence for police misinformation came fast. For instance, the police claimed he looked Asian. He looks as white as I am. This can't be put down to a mistake - if police are discriminating in this way based on appearance then they should know what the appearance is that they are discriminating against. Like I said, you cannot 'prove' the police guilty when they and the home office have a policy of non-accountibility, misinformation and spin, and unless the home office allow an open public enquiry that may incriminate them (so they won't), we'll probably never even get a complete criticism. Applying 'innocent til proven guilty' to the police and not to Menezes does not suggest you are an 'impartial observer' so much that you are biased towards exonerating the police. I'm not saying I'm any more impartial - I hate the fuggin police in this country as a whole - I'm just saying the holier than thou attitude doesn't really hold.

Daminc said:
Without going through all the text again I think one of the more obvious ones was the reference to the police being 'brutal murderers' or something similar. At the time that comment was made there was no 'real' evidence to substantiate this only your opinion.
I said 'murder', never 'brutal murderers' (unless you're going back a looooong time, but even then - it WAS brutal) and I gave a dictionary definition to support the usage of this word. It was in direct response to your comment that using this word is premature. It isn't - it's simply that we dare not apply such a connotative word to the police (notice the definition does not necessitate a crime). I used the term 'mindless killers', but AFTER your accusation regarding my 'statements of fact'. Besides, I won't apologise for my hyperbole any quicker than you would your desperate 'what if's and 'maybe's attempting to support the actions of the police. I'm not hiding how passionately I feel about this, how angry I am, or how distrustful I am of our police service as a whole. If you have a problem, take it with a pinch of salt. But you, on the other hand, were presenting hypothetic justifications for an innocent man having his brains blown out for no reason, and seem to be doing so in what you think is a rational manner. Hyperbole is one thing - your dedication to postulating fictitious justifying scenarios and ignoring the basic facts (e.g. no bomb, or... evidence) and evidence of cover-up is a whole different game.
 
  • #466
What has pi$$ed me off the most with those eager to justify the police's actions, are that they have deemed De Meneze's innocence as IRRELEVANT!
An innocent man acts differently than a guilty man, and when it is proven that he was in fact innocent, while the police continue to fling slurs at him portraying him as if his actions were highly suspicious, then we have justified reson to believe that the police are lying through their teeth as to what really happened that day.

Hence, De Menezes' innocence has never, ever been irrelevant in this case.
 
  • #467
That's a lie.
I have no interest discussing this any further with liars like you.
This comment is uncalled for. I have never lied during this conversation I have just simply stated my opinions based on what I knew at the time.

I said 'murder', never 'brutal murderers' (unless you're going back a looooong time, but even then - it WAS brutal) and I gave a dictionary definition to support the usage of this word.
'Murder' implies a premeditated plan to kill the man. At the time the phase was used there was no evidence of such a plan.
Applying 'innocent til proven guilty' to the police and not to Menezes does not suggest you are an 'impartial observer' so much that you are biased towards exonerating the police. I'm not saying I'm any more impartial - I hate the fuggin police in this country as a whole - I'm just saying the holier than thou attitude doesn't really hold.
I would extend this to Menezes also but I wasn't there and I didn't know all the facts. Personally I would have done things differently. Please don't assume that I would have done the same in this situation.

I try not to hate anyone (although I don't always succeed) but when I try to analyse a situation I try not to listen to my emotions because they are usually either cloud my reasoning or encourage me to do something to make things worse.

I never claimed to be 'holier than thou'. If you knew me you would probably laugh at that statement.

Besides, I won't apologise for my hyperbole any quicker than you would your desperate 'what if's and 'maybe's attempting to support the actions of the police.
I wasn't trying to 'support' the actions of the police. I was trying to understand them.

But you, on the other hand, were presenting hypothetic justifications for an innocent man having his brains blown out for no reason, and seem to be doing so in what you think is a rational manner.
I disagree. I was trying to understand why a man was shot and killed. At the time I wasn't seeking 'justification' and I didn't know he was innocent of anything I simply had the limited amount of information shown to me on the TV.

I never take what I see on TV as fact whether it is a statement by the police or a victims family.
 
  • #468
You knew within hours of the shooting episode that De Menezes was, in fact, carrying no bomb or any other weapon whatsoever, and HENCE, he was innocent.
you knew this right from the start.
 
  • #469
As this witness statement shows quite clearly, De Menezes did not do anything suspicious prior to his death, nor did he resist the police. This is simply a tale about his EXECUTION:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/articl...1739960,00.html
Personally, this looks as if there were 2 independent teams in play here. The surveillance man following Menezes and the 3/4 men who were 'searching' for someone (presumely Menezes). The recon man assumed these men were "probably from SO19" so the man did not know them and they weren't part of his surveillance team.

In the beginning I thought the team who shot Menezes were SAS. SO19, I believe are trained by the SAS.

The surveillance man seems to have tried to restrain Menezes in a manner that shows he didn't know Menezes was going to get shot.
then heard a gunshot very close to my ear and was dragged away onto the floor of the carriage.

"I shouted 'police' and held up my hands. I was then dragged out of the carriage by an armed officer who appeared to be carrying a long-barrelled weapon.
This also looks like it was 2 separate teams acting in conflict with each others instructions.
I heard several gun shots as I was being dragged on to the floor and out of the carriage.”
This comment seems to agree with your opinion of assassination.

We will know more if we can identify the shooters.
 
  • #470
Now, I retract my liar's comment, because it might be that you had in mind some other info not available at the time, rather than the knowledge we did have access to (and that I had in mind when I wrote the piece).


However it turns out, it has at the very least been a complete c*ck-up followed by an undignifying aftermath of slurs&lies from persons in the establishment.
I cannot see how Sir Ian Blair can retain his position after this; nor do I see why he shouldn't be deprived of his knighthood*


*he can keep his manhood for all I care, if he's got any
 
  • #471
arildno said:
You knew within hours of the shooting episode that De Menezes was, in fact, carrying no bomb or any other weapon whatsoever, and HENCE, he was innocent.
you knew this right from the start.
For one thing, I'm not glued to the TV so I'm not always up-to-date with the case.

For another, I was trying to piece together what was going on that led to Menezes getting killed and in what circumstance would the killers have believed Menezes to be a threat.

Hind-sight is great but it is a gift I do not have. Neither do I have a gift of reading minds and remote viewing. I simply had the TV and a number of people shouting 'Murder' (figurativly speaking). I decided not to jump to conclusions and it seems as if I've been tagged "if you're not with us then you're against us".
 
  • #472
arildno said:
Now, I retract my liar's comment, because it might be that you had in mind some other info not available at the time, rather than the knowledge we did have access to (and that I had in mind when I wrote the piece).

Thank you.

And I agree with your assessment that this was a c@ck-up.
 
  • #473
Daminc said:
'Murder' implies a premeditated plan to kill the man. At the time the phase was used there was no evidence of such a plan.
This is absurd. I use the word 'murder' and immediately give the definition of the word explicitly, and you're telling me what it IMPLIES?!? How much more explicit can I be other than to give the definition itself?!?

Daminc said:
I would extend this to Menezes also but I wasn't there and I didn't know all the facts. Personally I would have done things differently. Please don't assume that I would have done the same in this situation.
No, you repeatedly offered justifications for the actions of the police. Justifying the shooting demands that Menezes, however wrongly, be presumed guilty, not innocent.

Daminc said:
I try not to hate anyone (although I don't always succeed) but when I try to analyse a situation I try not to listen to my emotions because they are usually either cloud my reasoning or encourage me to do something to make things worse.
I just disassociate the two. I can hold a reasonable argument and hate someone at the same time.

Daminc said:
I never claimed to be 'holier than thou'. If you knew me you would probably laugh at that statement.
You claimed that we should have waited for proof of any kind of wrongdoing on the police part while you were coming up with countless, unproven reasons why the police did the right thing. You were no more impartial than the rest of us - you were just biased towards the police rather than (ahem) justice.

Daminc said:
I wasn't trying to 'support' the actions of the police. I was trying to understand them.

I disagree. I was trying to understand why a man was shot and killed. At the time I wasn't seeking 'justification' and I didn't know he was innocent of anything I simply had the limited amount of information shown to me on the TV.
You made several posts justifying the police actions with hypothetical conditions and events leading up to the shooting. Most of us sought to understand by looking at the evidence, e.g. he didn't have a bomb, he had seven bullets in his brain, etc.
 
  • #474
arildno said:
I cannot see how Sir Ian Blair can retain his position after this; nor do I see why he shouldn't be deprived of his knighthood.
Ian Blair was largely responsible for forging the public impression that Menezes disobeyed police instruction, so I couldn't agree more. His forced resignation would be a blow to this policy of misinformation and a blow to this arse-about-face MO. The sooner the better.
 
  • #475
MURDER (dictionary definition: the crime of killing another person deliberately and not in self-defence or with any other extenuating circumstance recognized by law).
Originally Posted by Daminc
'Murder' implies a premeditated plan to kill the man. At the time the phase was used there was no evidence of such a plan.
This is absurd. I use the word 'murder' and immediately give the definition of the word explicitly, and you're telling me what it IMPLIES?!? How much more explicit can I be other than to give the definition itself?!?
The definition you gave describes what murder is. The context I was speaking of however was the accusation of murder being applied to someone.

No, you repeatedly offered justifications for the actions of the police. Justifying the shooting demands that Menezes, however wrongly, be presumed guilty, not innocent.
I gave possible senarios that may have accounted for what happened, that's all. I didn't have all the facts, I still don't. However, at the time I made the postings the senarios I presented could have been correct given my limited intel. It had absolutly nothing to do with 'justifications'.

I just disassociate the two. I can hold a reasonable argument and hate someone at the same time.
Then you're a stronger man than I.




gotta go...I'll catch up tomorrow.
 
  • #476
The Smoking Man said:
It certainly backs the criticisms we posted here when it initially happened!

There was NO CCTV film of the incedent, no doubt the fact that it was removed the previous (to the day in question of the unauthorized killing), will further strengthen your obvious distrust of UK police?..even though it was removed for the purpose of the earlier bombings. I think the poilice are not responsable fro the replacing of CCTV video..C-D discs, I think it is the security companies job to keep CCTV in operation.

The removal of the CCTV footage was a bonafide operation, totally unconnected to this incedent, but there will be many who will just smell a rat, or conspiracy cover-up.

Count me out on this one, until I hear the whole available facts, I am just going to conclude the obvious, it was death by accidental mistaken identity, I do not think the police knew who the victim was?..if they knew him, then they would have known he was innocent..if they knew him..then they would have to have pretty strong reasons to take him out, just for fun?

I think this forum has a lot of far-eastern users, who have been obviouslly used to living in condition that instigate a deep distrust of everything "Official", the "Party-Line" cover-ups must be an everyday experience.

Not so in the UK I am sorry to say!..but this is not to say that there has not been any great unjustice, or cover-ups to many, I am sure it has occured, but under these tragic circumstances, I tend to think there were extreme stressfull circumstances, that had a direct baring on the Tragic Killing.
 
  • #477
Spin Network; just a question:
Is your first name Ostrich?
 
  • #478
Spin_Network said:
There was NO CCTV film of the incedent, no doubt the fact that it was removed the previous (to the day in question of the unauthorized killing), will further strengthen your obvious distrust of UK police?..even though it was removed for the purpose of the earlier bombings. I think the poilice are not responsable fro the replacing of CCTV video..C-D discs, I think it is the security companies job to keep CCTV in operation.

The removal of the CCTV footage was a bonafide operation, totally unconnected to this incedent, but there will be many who will just smell a rat, or conspiracy cover-up.

Count me out on this one, until I hear the whole available facts, I am just going to conclude the obvious, it was death by accidental mistaken identity, I do not think the police knew who the victim was?..if they knew him, then they would have known he was innocent..if they knew him..then they would have to have pretty strong reasons to take him out, just for fun?

I think this forum has a lot of far-eastern users, who have been obviouslly used to living in condition that instigate a deep distrust of everything "Official", the "Party-Line" cover-ups must be an everyday experience.

Not so in the UK I am sorry to say!..but this is not to say that there has not been any great unjustice, or cover-ups to many, I am sure it has occured, but under these tragic circumstances, I tend to think there were extreme stressfull circumstances, that had a direct baring on the Tragic Killing.
Hmmm ... "Baby/bathwater ... oh migod where do I draw the line!"

How about the freakin' picture of him laying on the ground in a blue jean jacket ... where is the heavy padded coat he was wearing?

arildno, I think you're right however he doesn't have his head particularly 'in the sand'.

They removed the tape in the heat of a terror alert and mysteriously DIDN'T REPLACE IT. THE DAY BEFORE A SUSPICIOUS SHOOTING!?

Dude, there are so many lies that have been 'spun' about this and have been directly refuted that the official explanation so far will have to be filed in the fiction stacks in the public library.

And another thing... You are totally off the mark when it comes to China. China has no need to 'cover anything up'. China would just say, 'yeah we shot him ... so what?' Do you think they fear losing the next election or something? THIS IS A WESTERN PROBLEM not Chinese. Has common sense eluded you thus far in your life?
 
  • #479
He then ran down an escalator and tried to board a train before being shot, witnesses say. Civil rights groups have called for a full inquiry.
He was not an innocent man... (I have no proof, but)... law abiding citizens do not run from authority. I'm not saying that he should've been shot, but given the current circumstances... I can understand. This will be a lesson to people who want to run from the law.

Disclaimer: I can say what I say because I have been on the receiving end of police brutality and racial profiling. I don't fully agree with it, but in all situations, I understood what the reasons were. I never ran from the police because I knew I had nothing to hide. Anyone, especially criminal minds, should know better than to run from authorities while innocent.
 
  • #480
oh.. and tragedy nothing... if the guy actually had been a bomber and something did occur on the train, someone would ask the bobby why he didn't shoot if he did suspect. A really tough call... a life was lost... that is definitely regretable... the authorities should speak up for what they believe. Which is that:

"he ran... and that from now on, if you run from authorities, this may be your fate... so let us do our jobs... we are trained... and are here to protect the public from threats."

it was a regretable judgement... but that was judgement... while hindsight is 50/50

The discretion is in the hands of the police... they need to understand the responsibility of the power.
 
  • #481
outsider said:
He was not an innocent man... (I have no proof, but)... law abiding citizens do not run from authority. I'm not saying that he should've been shot, but given the current circumstances... I can understand. This will be a lesson to people who want to run from the law.

Disclaimer: I can say what I say because I have been on the receiving end of police brutality and racial profiling. I don't fully agree with it, but in all situations, I understood what the reasons were. I never ran from the police because I knew I had nothing to hide. Anyone, especially criminal minds, should know better than to run from authorities while innocent.
Funny thing about subways ... People seem to run to catch trains too.

Funny that.
 
  • #482
Thought I'd save you all the trouble:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18082005/140/sir-ian-hits-back-shooting-allegations.html

Thursday August 18, 11:39 PM


Sir Ian Hits Back At Shooting Allegations

Scotland Yard chief Sir Ian Blair has hit back at allegations of a cover up over the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube station.Sir Ian has dismissed claims that he had tried to block an independent inquiry into the death of the innocent Brazilian electrician.Shortly after he made his comments, Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt revealed that a member of the Independent Police Complaints Commission's (IPCC) secretarial staff has been suspended over the leaking of a report.

The report highlighted a series of alleged differences in the shooting compared to the details that had previously emerged.

Mr de Menezes was at first thought to have aroused suspicion by wearing a heavy padded coat, vaulting ticket barriers, and fleeing police.

It now appears that he was wearing a light denim jacket and calmly walked into Stockwell station, even picking up a free newspaper before sitting down on the Tube train, where he was shot.

He was hit in the head at point blank range by seven bullets on a train in south London last month.

Earlier, the IPCC claimed Scotland Yard had "initially resisted" it taking on the investigation into the shooting.

This had delayed the inquiry, the watchdog has claimed.

It was also claimed that one of the senior officers at the centre of the operation had ordered him to be taken alive.

Commander Cressida Dick allegedly instructed officers to "detain" him minutes before he was shot, according to the Daily Mirror.

But Sir Ian told the Evening Standard: "These allegations strike to the heart of the integrity of the police and integrity of the Met and I fundamentally reject them. There is no cover-up."

Lawyers for the dead man's family have met investigators from the IPCC.

They described the shooting as a "catalogue of disasters" and blunders in the police operation.

One of the family's lawyers, Harriet Wistrich, said it was "looking more and more" as though there was a "deliberate cover-up and a prevention of the IPCC inquiry".

One, Gareth Peirce, said: "One of the things we asked the IPCC to investigate is, Are there lies that have been told? Who told them?"
 
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  • #483
The Smoking Man said:
Funny thing about subways ... People seem to run to catch trains too.

Funny that.
You make a good point... and according to the above post, I stand corrected with the new information.

Due to the information provided prior, I was lead to believe that he was running from authority. Even if a person is late and had to catch a train, if the police request that the person should halt, they should not run. Late or not, running makes you look guilty.

Given the new info from yahoo uk, I would like to retract my previous comment and condemn the police in question with the following:

You do not open fire on an unarmed man who is stationary.
 
  • #484
Neither do you shoot a man who never resisted you, to whom you never bothered to identify yourself properly, and that you've already pinned down and immobilized.
THAT is what happened here, according to surveillance officer "Hotel3".
 
  • #485
arildno said:
Neither do you shoot a man who never resisted you, to whom you never bothered to identify yourself properly, and that you've already pinned down and immobilized.
THAT is what happened here, according to surveillance officer "Hotel3".
yeah...they really screwed up
 
  • #486
Still no mention about the identity of the shooting team.
 
  • #487
Daminc said:
Still no mention about the identity of the shooting team.
I think that identity neither will nor SHOULD come forth in the public, unless the case is deemed so grave that criminal charges are launched against them.

The same holds for the members of the surveillance team.

It IS, in my opinion, absolutely necessary that in general, certain key operatives should remain anonymous and unkown to the general public.
This is, I believe, crucial if they are to
a) Be able to do their work properly
b) have some reasonable protection for themselves and their families

Apart from being members of a SO19 team, I'm not sure if we as a public is entitled to know anything more of their personal identities.
 
  • #488
arildno said:
I think that identity neither will nor SHOULD come forth in the public, unless the case is deemed so grave that criminal charges are launched against them.

The same holds for the members of the surveillance team.

It IS, in my opinion, absolutely necessary that in general, certain key operatives should remain anonymous and unkown to the general public.
This is, I believe, crucial if they are to
a) Be able to do their work properly
b) have some reasonable protection for themselves and their families

Apart from being members of a SO19 team, I'm not sure if we as a public is entitled to know anything more of their personal identities.
Well, it shouldn't matter in a few days.

If what seems to be forming as the truth, he won't be employed with them for much longer as anything except a traffic cop.

If he is, Sir Ian Blair should resign.

When a guy unloads half a clip into a seated man offering no resistance...
 
  • #489
Mr. Ian Blair should resign anyway, in my opinion.
The lies told were devious, and are inexcusable.
Take for example the poisonous comment "He wore unsuitable clothes in regards to the weather conditions"
Unsuitable?
The sole function of that word is to cast suspicion onto De Menezes, it CANNOT be excused as merely a regrettable lapse of observational skills.
It was a deliberate lie, aimed at passing off De Menezes death as a tragic mistake, for whom De Menezes, though guiltless, should bear most of the blame.

That this lie, and other rhetorical devices were effective, can be seen as how quickly the Blairs and their gang were able to stifle the immediate outcry.
 
  • #490
Spin_Network said:
I think this forum has a lot of far-eastern users, who have been obviouslly used to living in condition that instigate a deep distrust of everything "Official", the "Party-Line" cover-ups must be an everyday experience.

Not so in the UK I am sorry to say!..but this is not to say that there has not been any great unjustice, or cover-ups to many, I am sure it has occured, but under these tragic circumstances, I tend to think there were extreme stressfull circumstances, that had a direct baring on the Tragic Killing.
Except most of the people on this thread are either in, from or have lived in the UK, so that 'deep distrust' stems from here. Sorry to disappoint you, but you can't blame everything on foreigners, however attractive it is to you.
 
  • #491
outsider said:
He was not an innocent man... (I have no proof, but)... law abiding citizens do not run from authority. I'm not saying that he should've been shot, but given the current circumstances... I can understand. This will be a lesson to people who want to run from the law.

Disclaimer: I can say what I say because I have been on the receiving end of police brutality and racial profiling. I don't fully agree with it, but in all situations, I understood what the reasons were. I never ran from the police because I knew I had nothing to hide. Anyone, especially criminal minds, should know better than to run from authorities while innocent.
Are you totally insane? When did he run from authority? The moment he was aware of them, he walked towards them!
 
  • #492
El Hombre Invisible said:
Are you totally insane? When did he run from authority? The moment he was aware of them, he walked towards them!
read the follow ups hombre.. I'm not insane... i just took what i read and responded... i know you are passionate about this thing so i'll forgive you for jumping the gun... I don't think it was right that he was killed. :cool:
 
  • #493
I think that identity neither will nor SHOULD come forth in the public, unless the case is deemed so grave that criminal charges are launched against them.
Horray, another thing we agree on :biggrin:

With regards to 'Identity', I was referring to what Unit they belonged to. It is still possible that the shooters were SAS which would make them military NOT police and that will complicate matters a whole lot more.
 
  • #494
Daminc said:
Horray, another thing we agree on :biggrin:

With regards to 'Identity', I was referring to what Unit they belonged to. It is still possible that the shooters were SAS which would make them military NOT police and that will complicate matters a whole lot more.
It's possible but I can't see what the Met gains by claiming they were members of their SO19 group if in fact they were not?? Talking of which SO19 is a relatively small group of 80 officers so I wonder if any of the ones involved in this case were also involved in shooting dead the man who had a table leg in a bag?
 
  • #495
outsider said:
read the follow ups hombre.. I'm not insane... i just took what i read and responded... i know you are passionate about this thing so i'll forgive you for jumping the gun... I don't think it was right that he was killed. :cool:
Yeah, I should read from the bottom up, huh. :redface: Thanks for your... forgiveness.
 
  • #496
And Again:

Yahoo said:
Friday August 19, 12:37 PM


Shooting: Brazilians Send Team To London

A Brazilian investigation team is being sent to London to look into the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.The 27-year-old electrician was shot dead by anti-terrorist police at Stockwell Tube station in south London after being mistaken for a suicide bomb suspect.

The Brazilian Government's team will arrive in London next week and be led by the country's Deputy Attorney General.

He will speak directly with police officers and witnesses here.

The young Brazilian's family is angry that the Metropolitan Police has done nothing to correct the widely publicised impression that Mr de Menezes' demeanor and mode of dress contributed to his death.

His cousin Alessando Pereira, 25, held a news conference outside the tube station in the wake of the assertion by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair that he has done nothing to warrant his resignation.

Mr Pereira said: "The police know Jean was innocent and yet they let my family suffer, they let us suffer, Ian Blair let us suffer.

"For three weeks we have had to listen to lie after lie about Jean and how he was killed."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has still to officially confirm a Sky News report that a clerk at the commission has been suspended on suspicion of leaking documents on the shooting to the media.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/19082005/140/shooting-brazilians-send-team-london.html

Sombody's p!ssed.
 
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  • #497
and yet they let my family suffer, they let us suffer, Ian Blair let us suffer.
I don't want to sound callus or anything but is there any reason why Ian Blair should care about how the family feels?

Personally, I feel a bit sympathetic towards them but that's about it. Unlawful, unnessessary, accidental and suicidal deaths occur all the time, all over the world and if you start getting emotional about it them there's a chance you'll end up not being able to function any more.
 
  • #498
Ian Blair has a responsibility for the safety of those under his jurisdiction. When an innocent man get's killed by police officers he better damn well care, or resign because he is no longer capable of serving that position if he does not.
 
  • #499
But we generally don't do that by propagating lies as to how the family member died, do we?
Blair was perfectly well aware of that the image he forged for the public&the immediate family was erronous; in particular, that De Menezes himself at any point had resisted the police (and, hence, probably with a not-so clean conscience).
Yet, he chose to perpetuate that image of their son, in total disregard of their feelings.
That is not something we in general do.


A decent person would not have acted in the way Ian Blair provably have acted.
 
  • #500
How many "leaders of men" could be classed as 'decent'?

Whether in the Force, Politics or Business the leaders are not know to be 'decent' and they are not penelised for it.
 

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