‘The crush cracked my rib’: Met accused of crushing crowd in ‘surge’ at drag show protest

Police have been accused of breaking a woman’s rib in a “surge” against crowds protesting a far right demonstration at a drag show. 

Witnesses have reported claims of aggressive and violent behaviour by Met police officers during a demonstration organised by Turning Point UK (TPUK) against a storytelling session by drag queen, That Girl, at the Honor Oak Pub in St German’s Road, Forest Hill, on April 29.

Jessica Walsh, 31, from Stockwell said: “On two occasions I was crushed by the police. The second crush cracked my rib.

Police clash with protesters defending the drag story telling (Video: Isabel Ringrose)

“We had occupied the road outside the pub but there were a lot of people and police wouldn’t let us into the blocked off road where there was more space.

“We tried to push onto the road and the police had an outsized response.

“Officers were kicking us, one stomped on the back of my legs and we kept getting pushed from the back.”

Turning Point UK was launched in 2019 as a UK offshoot of a pro-Donald Trump US campaign. Its website describes its goal, to “end the tyranny of woke ideology.”

Witnesses of the protest claimed there were two surges by the police to push against the protestors defending the drag storytelling – one in the road and another against a wall outside Dalmain Primary school, opposite the pub.

Harold Wilson, lead steward at the protest, said: “I saw things that should not have happened.

“When the crush against the wall was happening I started shouting ‘Hillsborough’ in the face of one of the officers but people were just being squashed.

“The police kept telling me it was to make space but there was so much space behind them, it didn’t make sense.”

Witnesses also claimed that some officers were wearing badges with a thin blue line, which is associated in the US with white nationalism and an opposition to Black Lives Matter.

A spokesman from the Met said: “The thin blue line imagery demonstrates camaraderie among the police family and in support for a number of police charities including those supporting the survivors of officers killed in the line of duty.”

However, Liz Fekete, director of the Institute of Race Relations, said: “Normal code for English police is that in the interests of police neutrality and internal discipline police officers should not elaborate their uniforms with non-authorised symbols – but the Met seem to make an exception for thin blue line badges arguing that it is merely showing ‘camaraderie with the police family’ and support for police charities.

“The question is what is the content of that camaraderie? We know that individual police officers who use the avatar on Twitter post comments criticising Black Lives Matter or denying charges of institutional racism and misogyny against the police.”

Mr Wilson has said the police “sided” with the right-wing demonstrators throughout the protest.

He said: “Throughout the day when the far right wanted to go to the cafe they got a police escort through our supporters.

“The police could have kept us separate, the potential for disruption and violence was too much.

“The police acted in a partisan manner favourable to Turning Point and aggressive towards our supporters.”

The Met spokesman added: “Police put in place cordons between the two protests to prevent a Breach of the Peace.

“Officers were present and worked to engage with all in attendance throughout.

“Three arrests were made – one for attempted theft, and two for assault on police. There were no reports of any injuries.”

Pictured top: Jessica Walsh and a police officer at the protest (Picture: Harold Wilson)