A 71-year-old legal observer has alleged that a group of police officers deliberately knocked her down during a Gaza ceasefire protest in London, leaving her covered in blood and unconscious.

As a phalanx of about 30 police officers stormed Westminster Bridge during the first pro-Palestinian demonstration of 2024, Lesley Wertheimer wore a T-shirt with “Law” emblazoned on the back. Observer” reflective bib and hit the road face down.

“No one should be charged, knocked down and injured by police and then have to rely on strangers for help,” said Wertheimer, who has monitored policing at protests since 1990. “The legal observer’s job is to do a job.” Because police officers are there to do a job. The police cannot target us. They have no right to try to intimidate us. “

Video clips, share with observerPolice move along Bridge Street towards Westminster Bridge on January 6. At least two male officers appeared to hit Wertheimer as they ran past her, causing her to fall face first on the road. Not a single officer stopped to check if she was injured, although at least two officers looked down at her as she lay motionless.

Wertheimer, a pensioner and beekeeper, has no memory of the immediate aftermath of her fall and believes she lost consciousness. Eventually, she stood up with the help of passers-by. During a protest organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, some doctors cleaned blood from her face and examined wounds inside her mouth. Then, with the help of another observer, she limped to the nearest emergency room, where they removed debris from her cheek and took an X-ray of her sprained knee. “If I had done that to the police, I would have been in court the next day,” she said. “They can’t continue to treat the public like this.”

Wertheimer complained to the Metropolitan Police two weeks ago. Police said they were investigating her complaint. Sergeant Gerry Parker, one of the senior police officers responsible for the London protests, said: “Anyone who sees this video will be understandably shocked. We are urgently working to find out what happened. We know the man The woman was unfortunately injured.”

Wertheimer’s attorney, Eva Roszykiewicz, said the case was particularly egregious because other officers failed to help Wertheimer. “Not only did the officer hit Leslie, causing her to fall, but no other officer stopped to check on her,” she said. “Whether you’re a legal observer or a member of the public, this is horrific.”

Legal observers are trained volunteers who monitor protests and provide basic legal advice to protesters. Although they have no special status, the Met recognized in 2021 that they have an important role to play in the independent review of policing.

Wertheimer believes she may have been targeted because she was documenting police actions during the protests, during which police prevented hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters from marching across Westminster Bridge. “There’s no one else there [in the street when it happened].You won’t miss me,” she said. “The first two lines [of officers] Run past me. The third and fourth rows knocked me over. They could have followed the rows ahead, but they chose not to. “

Despite her thirty years of experience monitoring protests, she is now too scared to work alone. “Since I [the incident] Because if something like this happened to me, who would help me? “

Netpol, a campaign group that monitors policing, told reporters observer Attacks on legal observers appear to be increasing. “We are seeing an increase in police attacks on legal observers,” said the group’s Kate Hobbs. “This is driven by growing hostility towards the protests by the police and the Conservative government.”

Last month, two legal observers claimed they were attacked while monitoring policing at an anti-fascist protest at the University of Manchester. One man claimed he was hit on the back with a baton and fell to the ground. When he stood up, he claimed he was thrown back to the ground by police. Another observer claimed she was pushed back and punched twice by police. The alleged attack left her with bruises on her face and a suspected perforation of her eardrum. Both men are preparing to make a formal complaint to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

A GMP spokesman said: “Any allegation of assault by police is concerning and should be reported so that it can be assessed to ensure appropriate action is taken.”

Last week, Rishi Sunak claimed the country was slipping into “mob rule” and asked police chiefs to crack down on protests outside parliament, town halls, MPs’ homes and political offices.