'Police beat me around the head until I was unconscious'
LONDONER Ian Wright remembers a violent visit to the Maltby protest. He is a friend of George Bell, then-branch secretary of Shireoaks Colliery:
I VISITED the pickets at Maltby Colliery with my friend George Bell. The police circled around the picket line and attacked us from behind.
They beat me over the head with a truncheon until I was unconscious. My head was split open and I needed stitches, but then they started to attack the first aid people too.
I was taken to Rotherham Hospital and it was absolute chaos. The police were arresting anyone there.
I think the police were being used, they didn’t have any collar numbers, and we know some of the army were brought in.
They were behaving like animals, completely out of control. I was only in South Yorkshire for a few days and had to get back to my family.
But the police were still threatening George, and said they knew where he lived and that they’d come after him. I still have really vivid memories of the attack and find it difficult to talk about.
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Weather for Dinnington
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
