Police dragged me from my wheelchair and attacked me with batons, claims tuition fees protester



A disabled man has described being dragged from his wheelchair twice during the tuition fees protests.

Jody McIntyre says that in the first incident he was dumped on the pavement and his chair was left in the middle of the road.

The 20-year-old political activist and blogger said: ‘I was at the front of the crowd in Parliament Square.

Heat of the battle: A riot police officer appears to grab and pull Jody McIntyre

One policeman struck me on my shoulder with his baton, quite badly bruising me.

‘Then four or five grabbed me, pulled me out of my wheelchair, carried me about 100 yards behind the police line and dumped me on the pavement.



'I was sitting there for five or ten minutes, until my 16-year-old brother was allowed through with my wheelchair.’



Mr McIntyre, who has been disabled since birth with cerebral palsy, said he was behind the police line when a second incident took place around half- an-hour later.

‘I was away from the crowd, on my own. One policeman asked me to move and I shook my head.



'Then another, standing about 30 yards away, recognised me from the earlier incident and came running over.



'He pushed me out of my wheelchair on to the road, and then dragged me across the road by my arms.’

Battle lines drawn: Mr McIntyre amid demonstrators clashing with police

Mr McIntyre, who can stand but struggles to walk 100 yards, and is not a student, was again reunited with his wheelchair by his brother.

He said he may have been targeted for being behind a line of police on foot but in front of mounted officers, preventing their advance.

Pictures of the incident were posted on social networking websites. One image on Twitter appeared to show him being pulled from his chair.

A police spokesman said: ‘This individual hasn’t made a complaint to us. If he does, it will be fully investigated.’