New video has emerged from Manchester Airport showing police officers being punched just moments before an officer was filmed kicking a man in the head.
A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was suspended on Thursday after the initial footage was shared widely on social media, leading to protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre.
However, new footage, posted by the Manchester Evening News, shows the lead up to the incident inside a car park at Terminal 2.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham urged people to “take a step back” and allow the authorities to carry out their investigations.
New footage appears to show the lead up to a viral clip where a man was stamped in the head
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In the footage, three police officers appear to walk through a group of people towards a man, dressed in light blue, who is facing a machine. One officer appears to grab the man's hands in an attempt to restrain him. After breaking free, he threw a number of punches at the three officers.
The male officer then appears to push the man's head down as his two female colleagues stand beside him. A number of people from the group then walk over to the scene.
In light of the new footage, Akhmed Yakoob, the solicitor who is said to be representing the family involved in the incident, has said he "does not promote violence."
He added: "I have been behind the de-escalation of the whole situation, I urged protesters at Rochdale police station to go home. I attended a protest in Manchester city centre where protesters were threatening to stop the trams from operating. I urged them not to do so and I calmed them down and they went home. No, we want justice for the family and it will happen."
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Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called for calm
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Andy Burnham told Sky News: "It’s a complicated situation, a very violent situation actually, and there were issues on both sides. That’s why I asked other people not to rush to judgment because of the complexity of it and, simply, everyone who’s having their say, nobody has got all of the facts. Nobody is in possession of the complete picture."
Asked when some kind of conclusion could expected to be reached by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Mr Burnham said: "I know it’s a frustration in the world we live in, everybody wants instant conclusions, but life’s not like that, is it?
"We have in the last few days people making complete judgments on the one side or the other. You’re picking a side in this whole thing and the truth always lies somewhere in between. Life’s more complicated than sometimes people portray it to be on social media.”
The mayor said there were three stages to the incident, with a prior dispute taking place on a plane before the footage seen by the public.
Greater Manchester Police has confirmed they are investigating and appealing for witnesses in relation to three incidents that occurred on the evening of Tuesday July 23 in Manchester Airport Terminal 2.
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.
