Opinion | UK 'Kicking' Incident: The 'Civilised' West Must Do Some Soul-Searching
NDTV
Earlier this week, a disturbing video emerged from the UK, in which a young Asian boy could be seen being kicked and punched while he lay defenceless on the floor of Manchester Airport. Most reports said that three Greater Manchester police officers were first assaulted - one of whom was left with a broken nose - and that this led to the police response. One officer has been suspended after the incident - which, by the way, the right-wing Reform Party took no time in politicising as it praised the police action.
No national outrage followed the incident, barring some feeble debate about the alleged police brutality. Had a similar act been committed by an Indian police officer, the Western media would likely have judged the entire police force, emphasising India's poor human rights records.
Akhmed Yakoob, the lawyer for the Asian boy, described it as police brutality against people from BAME (British Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds. A few people took to streets to protest the police action as the incident reminded them of the George Floyd assault in 2020, which spurred the Black Lives Matter movement across the West.
