Jenny Jones, the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Green Party (and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority) responds to the release of footage of a police officer striking a woman protester on the 2nd April 2009:
"This new video footage confirms what many of us knew, that the assault on Ian Thomlinson was far from being an isolated incident during the G20 protest."
"I have been copied in to a large number of the reports of alleged police unprovoked assaults and misbehaviour which are now on the desk of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. It's time for Paul Stephenson to restore public trust by showing that lessons will be learned. The use of kettling has to be curtailed and all officers seen acting unprofessionally must be traced and disciplined. Any attempt to avoid accountability by hiding police uniform numbers, destroying video images, or collusion over statements, must be severely dealt with."
"I'm writing to the Mayor of London with some ideas about how to improve policing protests for the future, but I have two further questions for the Met:
1) Will they search their own video footage of 1st April for similar police abuse of peaceful protesters?
2) Will they revise their tactic of snatching protesters' cameras and camera phones?"