Blair Peach

April 27, 2010 4:09 AM

Better late than never A report by Police Commander John Cass says an unnamed SPG officer dealt the fatal blow to Blair Peach.
posted by marienbad (16 comments total)

.

Wikipedia.

See also.
posted by fire&wings at 4:38 AM on April 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Better late than never.

It looks like this was known in 1979 but it has taken 31 years for the "previously secret" Cass report to be made public? Is this right? The Met sat on the truth for 31 years?
posted by three blind mice at 4:42 AM on April 27, 2010

And people wonder why there's no Left anymore. The good ones are all accidentally killed and then investigations are prevented, stalled, "moved on" from and/or hushed up until it's safely ancient history.
posted by DU at 5:26 AM on April 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

The good ones are all accidentally killed and then investigations are prevented

I dont know about that - co-opted maybe, but not killed - but this is one of those cases where it was widely known what had happened, even down to which officer had struck the blow, the cover-up was more for the benefit of people who hadn't eyes to see themselves. It's tragic but no surprise that there was a report which more or less agreed with the left-wing folklore of the day, that rampaging police brutally killed a man in the street and got off scot free after a disgrace of an inquest. Nor is it any surprise that within two years there were major riots in Brixton, where the SPG had long been accused of heavy-handed, racist behaviour.

For a taste of those days, bear in mind the Metropolitan Commissioner David McNee's comment to a black journalist: "I understand the concern of your people. But if you keep off the streets of London and behave yourselves you won't have the SPG to worry about."
posted by criticalbill at 5:51 AM on April 27, 2010 [3 favorites]

.

From the article: "But the Metropolitan Police said no officers would face further action."

Metropolitan Police page with more information and the report itself.
posted by Infinite Jest at 5:51 AM on April 27, 2010

Linton Kwesi Johnson - Reggae Fi Peach
posted by Infinite Jest at 5:52 AM on April 27, 2010 [5 favorites]

even down to which officer had struck the blow

Dim or Billy Boy?
posted by pracowity at 6:10 AM on April 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Maybe we'll eventually find out what happened to Kevin Gately too.

On the subject of state violence, the Bloody Sunday Report will be published after the election. That will be very, very interesting.
posted by knapah at 6:39 AM on April 27, 2010

.

(My parents still wonder why their kids call peaches "Blairs")
posted by scruss at 6:39 AM on April 27, 2010

At least they don't have the turn-around time of the Vatican.
posted by Kskomsvold at 6:46 AM on April 27, 2010

So at this rate, Ian Tomlinson should get some justice by around... 2040?
posted by regicide is good for you at 7:41 AM on April 27, 2010

Inglan is a bitch, fi true/Me no lie, me a tell a true
posted by beelzbubba at 8:32 AM on April 27, 2010

Ian Tomlinson should get some justice by around... 2040?

Do you see justice being done with the release of this report?
posted by biffa at 9:18 AM on April 27, 2010

No, biffa, you're right. I don't. Quite the opposite. Poor choice of words, but such is the anemic nature of police accountability that even admission of the possibility of wrong-doing can start to seem groundbreaking. Sad, yeah? Thanks for the nudge.
posted by regicide is good for you at 11:06 AM on April 27, 2010

Funny how nazis are ever killed by police at demonstrations, isn't it? Funny that I can't even recall ever hearing one complaining of being subjected to the kind of violent attack that people on the left were once habitually subjected to.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:33 PM on April 27, 2010

Once?
posted by regicide is good for you at 8:14 PM on April 27, 2010 [1 favorite]