Galloway demands justice for Jean Charles

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Thursday August 18, 2005 11:20 by dave - swp

The leaked statements from witnesses to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes refute the account spun to a compliant press in the immediate aftermath of his killing. It was claimed he was wearing a heavy jacket, implying he could have been concealing bombs on his body, that he vaulted a barrier, ran from the police and refused to stop.

Galloway demands justice for Jean Charles
17/08/2005

The leaked statements from witnesses to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes refute the account spun to a compliant press in the immediate aftermath of his killing. It was claimed he was wearing a heavy jacket, implying he could have been concealing bombs on his body, that he vaulted a barrier, ran from the police and refused to stop.

Now we learn he was wearing a light denim jacket, used his oyster card at Stockwell station, descended to the platform by escalator, had time to pick up a paper, did not run and did not refuse to stop and, most damning of all, was being restrained by a surveillance officer when police officers pumped him full of bullets. In addition we are told surveillance broke down when one officer went to relieve himself, that mysteriously and culpably no CCTV cameras were working on Stockwell station just two weeks after 7/7, and that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, tried to block the Independent Police Complaints Commission enquiry into this shooting by his officers.

This is appalling.

If the original story we were spun had had some truth in it, then it could have been argued the police might have had some excuse for shooting Jean Charles in what was a tragic accident.

However if the statements that have been leaked are true, very serious consequences must follow. The police officers who shot Jean Charles must be prosecuted with the full rigour of the law. Those who fed the initial pack of lies to the press must be exposed and sacked. And Sir Ian Blair and the government ministers, including the Home Secretary Charles Clarke, who were responsible for sanctioning the 'shoot to kill' policy which produced the utterly avoidable death of this young man, must resign. Nothing less will be acceptable.

There was a time when ministers would have resigned automatically when far less serious events occurred on their watch. In the culture of lies and spin under this government, we seem to have lost that idea of responsibility. It's high time it was reestablished.

George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA