police-induced brain injury

With all the travel and jetlag I’m afraid I’ve been out of the news loop, and am only now catching up with the foul-smelling disgrace that UK higher education issues have become.

For those who haven’t heard, Middlesex philosophy student Alfie Meadows NEEDED BRAIN SURGERY after being hit in the head with a police truncheon.

He was accompanied at the protest by some familiar people in our circles: Peter Hallward and Nina Power. From the story I learn that Meadows’ mother is Nina’s colleague at Roehampton. You can read NINA’S TAKE ON EVENTS at her Infinite Thought blog.

The injury to Meadows is disgusting and despicable. Police may feel that truncheons are an indispensable tool, but unless they are under imminent physical threat, I can think of no reason to hit someone in the head with one of them. Hitting someone in the head, with any utensil or even with your hand, is by nature a potentially life-threatening act.

Just imagine what the punishment would be for you or me if we were to hit someone in the head with a club on the street. I don’t see why legal protests should be the occasion to allow police to commit felonious acts on a whim. That could happen to any of us. There is no evidence that Alfie Meadows was doing anything but peaceably joining a protest assembly.