Video of the police attack on Ian Tomlinson

ON the Guardian website is the video evidence that proves conclusively that Ian Tomlinson's death was caused by unprovoked violence on the part of a police officer. We see him pushed from behind as he walks away from a line of police.
The footage does not show Ian's head hitting the ground, and he does not seem to have been concussed (knocked out), as the film flows on to him sitting up and remonstrating with the police immediately after his fall. One of the witnesses said he hit the ground really hard with his head. We need to know the extent of scalp and cerebral bruising to get a measure of the force with which his head hit the ground.

The stress of being attacked in this way clearly contributed to his subsequent heart attack, if that was indeed the cause of his death.

The Coroner is due to announce on Thursday whether there will be an inquest. In any just and democratic society, it would be inconceivable that he would decide there was no need for an inquest. In Great Britain plc 2009, it is just possible that he might say no to an inquest. The number of the Coroner's office is (+44)(0)207 332 1598. Be polite, brief, but firm please.

If the Coroner witholds an inquest, everyone in the land who cares about justice, freedom, and liberty should take direct action. Normally I am one for writing to MPs, but as far as I know, Parliament cannot order the coroner to do things, although I suppose the Home Secretary could. We could phone our MPs to ask her to do so. But if the Conroner says no to an inquest on Thursday, I suggest (unless anyone has a better idea) that we gather non-violently outside our local cop shop at 9.00am every Monday and drum on kettles and blow whistles, for 15 minutes precisely, repeating weekly until an inquest into poor Ian Tomlinson's death is announced. If you are at work, I am sure you will find that no reasonable boss would object to your taking the time off.