The discourse around the Manchester Airport incident switched up rather dramatically over the weekend after the full footage was leaked, showing exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the police officer kicking and stamping a civilian in the head. Here’s the clip below:

JUST IN: Manchester Airport video shows violent scenes before man kicked in head by GMP officer

Must’ve been a terrifying situation for the police officers there 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/dZQDrTt6PI

— Ryan (@breakingryan1) July 27, 2024

Now while this may not outright absolve the police officer of any wrongdoing, it certainly adds crucial context that goes some way to explaining why he reacted the way he did. The main concern will have been that in all that commotion, during which a female officer was punched in the face and had her nose broken, one of these officers could have easily had their firearms taken off them by the assailants.

The police officer in question has been suspended from all duties while the investigation into the incident continues, but his colleagues are reportedly outraged by the way he’s been treated and are refusing to carry guns in protest.

A source close to the Greater Manchester Police firearms unit said:

“There is real anger at the way this has been handled and they didn’t feel they could safely carry their weapons after the officer was suspended.”

Funnily enough, the men at the airport would have probably been shot by police in any other country if they’d pulled the same stunt, so they should count themselves lucky they were only beaten up. The other side of the argument is that a well-trained, armed officer shouldn’t be kicking a man in the head when he’s already subdued on the ground, no matter what went down beforehand. Here’s the clip of that moment since it’s omitted from the footage above:

What the hell am I watching?!
Police brutality in full force as officer kicks and stamps on head at Manchester airport.

Absolutely unnecessary force and unacceptable. This officer must face consequences @gmpolice

Does anyone know the family?pic.twitter.com/9qh199cibI

— Bushra Shaikh (@Bushra1Shaikh) July 24, 2024

In its latest statement, GMP said:

“Greater Manchester Police is investigating and appealing for witnesses in relation to three incidents that occurred on the evening of Tuesday 23rd July 2024 in Manchester Airport Terminal 2.

“Witnesses are asked to upload information, images, or footage to the Public Portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP23S59-PO1. The first incident is an altercation between passengers from Qatar Airways flight QR023, which arrived at 7.20pm. The altercation may have taken place during the flight or afterwards in the T2 baggage hall. The second incident is a violent altercation involving members of the public in T2 Starbucks at approximately 8.22pm.

“The third incident is the assault of three police officers which occurred in the T2 car park pay point area at 8.28pm. This resulted in the three officers receiving head injuries, including a broken nose. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is independently investigating the use of force by GMP officers that directly followed these events and is shown within the footage on social media.”

In a previous statement, GMP noted the officers were armed and reacted forcefully amid fears their weapons could be taken. Here’s hoping that justice is done once the investigation concludes.

For the police officer who shot a teenager eating McDonald’s in his car for no good reason at all, click HERE. Now that’s more of an open-and-shut case right there.