INCOMMUNITIES has launched an investigation after a staff member allegedly shared comments on social media about a recent incident at Manchester Airport.
A video emerged last month of what looked to be a police officer kicking and stamping on a man’s head at the airport, in an altercation on July 23.
Greater Manchester Police revealed it was investigating a number of incidents at the airport on that day and said three police officers were assaulted in the Terminal 2 car park pay point area at 8.28pm, which led to head injuries including a broken nose.
A spokesperson for GMP said: “The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is independently investigating the use of force by GMP officers that directly followed these events and is shown within the footage on social media.”
Four men were arrested during the scenes shown on the video footage and remain on police bail as enquiries continue.
The video caused protests to break out and speculation swirled on social media in the aftermath, fuelled by new footage emerging of the lead-up to the original clip.
An Incommunities tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the Telegraph & Argus last week to raise concerns about comments a staff member made on Facebook about the incident at Manchester Airport.
One of the comments said: “He violently attacked 3 officers so he got exactly what he deserved. Brown, black, white, or purple he got what he deserved, hope he has to eat through a straw.”
The staff member also apparently said in reply to someone else: “Police aren’t there to be abused or have their nose broken either. Little boy tried acting tough and got shown up.”
The tenant said he feels “strongly” about the comments made and believes someone in that position should not be saying such things.
He thinks their position is “untenable” and questioned “what kind of confidence does this give to tenants like myself” when the staff member is “condoning the behaviour and actions of the police officers involved”.
A spokesperson for Incommunities said: “We are aware of comments made online by an employee of Incommunities about the recent incident at Manchester Airport.
“We are currently investigating the matter and will take appropriate action based on our findings.
“Condoning violence, in any form, is not aligned with the standards we expect from our employees and does not reflect our organisational values.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
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