I meant to say earlier, when talking about the very real presence of police and state violence and oppresion in the UK (something the general public seems loathe to admit exists, in contrast to the very real evidence of those of use who have been prevented from legitimately protesting under anti-terror legislation over the last two years, of those of us who have been beaten black and blue by riot police on demonstrations and at free parties), that even recently there have been questions raised - questions noticably absent from the discourse of the mainstream media. Actually, thats not quite true. One notable case has been discussed in great detail: the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes by Metropolitan Police Officers last year. But then that was almost unavoidable, occuring when and where it did.

It seems that for all their attempts to deny, distort and re-write the truth, the Met might actually face some real criticism, and maybe even succesful legal action, over their horribly amateur and misguided actions. But the incident was not entirely in isolation. At the more general level of police violence, and seeming immunity from prosecution or censure, there have been, and continue to be, incidents where the Police's actions seem excessive, disproportional, and downright biggoted and retributional in nature. Two recent examples spring to mind.

Last month, while the mainstream media's attention was focussed firmly on protests against the Danish cartoons, a man died in suspicous circumstances in South East London. On 10th January Police looking for suspects in the murder ofWPC Breshenevsky in Bradford raided a house in the the Somali community in the Woolwich/Plumstead area of London. The house the Police raided did not contain the suspect, but another man was present and alone in the house at the time. Inside was Nuur Saeed who was later found outside seriously injured. It seems he fell head first from a second story balcony. He died on January 22nd from a massive brain injury. It may indeed have been an accident, but the lack of interest in the story, and the ongoing allegations of harrasment within that area's Somali community against Police in light of the WPCs murder, beg further investigation. (For further info see here and here)

Last August another young black man died in London in unclear circumstances. Paul Coker died on the floor of a cell in Plumstead Police Station (For more info click here). His family are now facing the same wall of silence that the de Menezes family are so angry about. Again, the death may have been accidental, but in light of the all to regular spectre of 'death in police custody' type headlines, one wonders at what point we might, collectively, wake up and smell the oft lamented stench of 'institutional racism' within the ranks of the Police?