Alfie Meadows, a twenty-year-old philosophy student at England’s Middlesex University, spent three hours in surgery last night after a police beating left him with bleeding on the brain.
Meadows, a participant in yesterday’s fee protests, was part of a large group that had been “kettled” — rounded up indiscriminately and confined by police. When he attempted to leave the kettle with a group of friends — including two sympathetic professors — he suffered a blow to the head from a police baton.
There is no indication that Meadows attacked police or engaged in any acts of violence. There had been an announcement earlier that peaceful protesters would be allowed to leave the kettle if they approached police checkpoints, and this is reportedly what Meadows was attempting to do when he was beaten.
Although the wound bled immediately, it wasn’t until hours later that neurological symptoms appeared. That night he suffered confusion and vomiting, and later inability to speak or move his left hand. He was rushed to the hospital, but collapsed en route.
According to his mother, who was also present at the protest, he is now conscious and able to speak, though she said he is expected to be hospitalized “for quite a while.”
Police have offered no defense of the beating, which is said to be under investigation.
There will be a vigil against police brutality held this afternoon at Charing Cross Hospital, where Meadows is being treated.
Update | Meadows’ Facebook profile photo is a poster for the “campaign to save philosophy at Middlesex” University. Clearly we’re dealing with a dangerous revolutionary here.
December 12 | Meadows’ mother says police attempted to prevent her son from being treated at the hospital to which he was taken by ambulance. It was only the invention of an ambulance worker that protected him from a transfer that could have resulted in his death. On the upside, she says, “He’s amazingly jolly now. I don’t know it that is from a sense of having survived or the morphine.”
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December 12, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Douglas Parker
I am curious to know what the protest was about.
I am from the USA.
I have been studying different types of activism and protests.
Last March I went to Washington D.C. to be apart of the peace activism(and war protests).
I was introduced to health care reform activists and also activists with environmental concerns.
I witnessed a student group that had been blocking traffic for a good part of the day and the police had them “kettled” on the steps of the Treasury Dept. near the White House.
The group had a banner and signs that stated the were a student group called “Funk The War”.
The police convinced the group of aproximately 60 people to move towards the Washington Monument and when the crosswalk signal changed- one foul mouthed officer gave the orders to other officers to beat down anyone who was in the crosswalk when the “do not cross” light for pedestrians came on.
I witnesses 3 beat downs, handcuffing and arrests of the 3 protesters, where the cops used their batons on the unarmed civillians who were no physical threat to the police.
I have seen war protests that seemed to go well and no violence of any kind occured- here in th United States you can apply and get a legal permit to hold a demonstration in an organised fashion.
Protests at a church seen the most peaceful and best received by the public.
Protests done in this manner might even have some police even support you or at least smile and wave, even though at the same time you might see a cop who will look at you with hatred and/or disapproval.
It seems when people start blockin traffic the masses get angry.
My question is “was the protest mentioned in your article one where traffic was shut down?”
Were any people blocking traffic and did they belong to the protest group? Was anyone doing any type of vandalism or throwing any objects -and if so did they belong to the protest group or were they outsiders (agitators)just trying to start trouble?
December 12, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Heather
This is a multifaceted issue that needs to be looked at from various perspectives since the police are only the people who are there to protect the public and they are often confronted with the threats and missiles thrown at them. But on the other hand there are also cases when the blame rests fairly with the police for using more force than is necessary.
December 12, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Douglas Parker
I would like to add that I hope his wounds heal and that there is no permanent brain damage. I also hope that this is not a great burden on his family, as hospital bills here are very expensive.
I also hope that this incident does not turn into any type of retaliation of a violent nature.
The story did not say what the protesters were demonstrating for. Was it against war, for the environment, or for something else?
The only violence that I witnessed here in the US at a peace rally or a war protest was the 3 beat downs given by the police. I have seen video of riots, vandalism, and objects being throw in other cities, but I personally have not been around those protests that turn extreamly violent.
Like I said before, some of the most beautiful, peaceful protests were on the property of a church by a busy intersection, and we were not blocking traffic and made sure people could get by on the sidewalk in they needed to.
Also the protest actions that have a legal applied permit usually go well if people at least follow some guidelines.
January 8, 2011 at 11:25 am
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