[Secret.]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/au...?newsfeed=true



That is just wrong...

[ESPORTIVA]

what the....

[Secret.]

(Original post by ESPORTIVA)
what the....

I know right?!

[EonBlueApocalypse]

Sounds like something that would happen in a police state.

[dinrah04]

That's just terrible, I feel so bad for him, the officer should give him compensation from his wages.

[MissBlueskys]

That is absolutely ridiculous.

[rattusratus]

why did he have rubber knives with him

[morecambebay]

Why are you allowed to pre-emptively arrest people?

[F Ellen]

I feel like I've stepped into a George Orwell novel.

[Tobia_s]

[ccm.blake95]

People, calm. They didn't actually arrest him for not smiling.
They arrested him because he was acting in a way that meant he looked like he could be a threat. This means being shifty, standing in odd places, observing things other than the race, anything else.
These guys are highly trained to look out for this stuff, and if this training kicks in and says "this person could have a gun/knife/bomb", do you want to explain why they had to arrest someone, have a chat and let them go, or explain why 500 people died that day?
Add to this that he was carrying things that look like weapons; whether they're real or not is of no consequence, if he'd wanted to cause a scene and terrify people he could have.
The man in question has written to the police force saying he 'fully understands and appreciates the action taken by officers' and that he 'appreciated and thanked both the arresting officers for their apologies and explanations', so it can't have been a hugely traumatic torture scene...

[chrislpp]

Did the guardian just turn into the Daily Mail?

[Xotol]

That's an odd arrest, which leads me to believe that there's more to it than just being arrested for not smiling.

And, if you read the article, that wasn't really the reasons:

Spoiler:

Show

Surrey police said: "There were a number of factors which led officers to make this arrest, including the fact that the race was rapidly approaching, the heightened level of security due to the high-profile nature of the event and the sheer number of spectators in attendance. These were fully explained to the individual concerned. He was given words of advice and released with no further action."

They added that Worsfold had had "a number of knives" in his possession, but that these turned out to be made of rubber and for use only as display items.

The statement said: "Surrey police has received a letter from the man in which he has said that he 'fully understands and appreciates the action taken by officers'. He has also said that he 'appreciated and thanked both the arresting officers for their apologies and explanations' following his release."

Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said: "Officers were policing huge numbers of people during the Olympic events and in the interests of public safety they acted quickly and decisively based on the information available to them."

If the guy fully understands and appreciates the actions following his release, I don't really see the need for the guardian to make an article about this.

[PopaPork]

This is the brother’s account:

Mark had served in Northern Ireland and appreciates full well the stresses involved in assessing responses in tense situations. He was concerned that the newspaper reports (It was in the Guardian as well) were reflecting this as a case of police brutality which, if the full background were known, it would be apparent it was not.

The group of protesters near where he was standing were from Fathers 4 Justice (groan from my Family Law lecturer sister sitting alongside me). To make matters worse, a woman protester next to him trying to join the other demonstrators and who was haranguing the police as imperialist lackeys, etc, looked as if she was with him.

“This is all going to kick off” he thought, and he needed to get to his daughter’s birthday. With that he jumped off the wall to leave. Bad move, worse timing, open to misinterpretation. When he was jumped on, he tried to say he had been to a Taekwondo demonstration and needed to get to his daughter. What the police heard, in the presumably noisy environment, (said the brother), was “demonstration” and “getting to his daughter”- a reasonable impression of a Father 4 justice with access issues.

He would be grateful if I could convey to others a more rounded perspective.

And so, with the glow of a glorious flawless day in the Olympic park still fresh, I am happy to disrupt the narrative link with North Korea this story is carrying in the twittersphere.

http://hurryupharry.org/2012/08/10/m...t-smiling-not/


LOL the truth is out there

Peace

[affleming]

They added that Worsfold had had "a number of knives" in his possession, but that these turned out to be made of rubber and for use only as display items.

what the bloody hell rubber knives!

[RobertWhite]

This is ridiculous... he must have done more than just not smile? The Guardian can't be providing the whole truth to exactly what the man was doing, surely.

(Original post by affleming)
They added that Worsfold had had "a number of knives" in his possession, but that these turned out to be made of rubber and for use only as display items.

what the bloody hell rubber knives!

In the article it said the man was a martial arts instructor. Typically they use rubber knifes to practice with, which is possibly another reason he had them in his possession in the first place.

[PopaPork]

(Original post by affleming)
They added that Worsfold had had "a number of knives" in his possession, but that these turned out to be made of rubber and for use only as display items.

what the bloody hell rubber knives!

he had been to a Taekwondo demonstration

Peace

[affleming]

(Original post by RobertWhite)
This is ridiculous... he must have done more than just not smile? The Guardian can't be providing the whole truth to exactly what the man was doing, surely.



In the article it said the man was a martial arts instructor. Typically they use rubber knifes to practice with, which is possibly another reason he had them in his possession in the first place.

(Original post by PopaPork)
he had been to a Taekwondo demonstration

Peace

Still its a bit odd to keep them with him whilst watching a race, you can see why police may be reasonably suspicious after finding them however they should have straightened it all without need of taking him to the station.

[RobertWhite]

(Original post by affleming)
Still its a bit odd to keep them with him whilst watching a race, you can see why police may be reasonably suspicious after finding them however they should have straightened it all without need of taking him to the station.

I know, very odd to be carrying around a few plastic knifes. I was just stating why I thought he had them in the first place

I agree, taking the man to the station was ridiculous - either that or the whole truth isn't being told.

[tsnake23]

Completely ridiculous headline. I have no trust in the Guardian to make a balanced story if they use such a sensationalist claim. Take it with a pinch of salt.