In no way should this be viewed as a retraction. I stand by my belief that the violence of last Thursday was caused by people in the protest bent on making trouble. Tension, as I say, was building throughout the day, and it was they who started throwing stones. Yet I was wrong to think it was completely their fault. When I left, just before all hell broke loose, the police were in a line between parliament and the protest, intimidating but calm. They let me through when I asked, and I assumed that they would not act without provocation. However, nothing – absolutely nothing – can excuse their actions here. They pulled a disabled protester from his chair not once but twice. It is thee equivalent of breaking his legs, and goes way beyond reasonable force.

I don’t know what happened to cause all this. frankly I am just relieved that I got out in time. My fellow disabled protester, Jodie Macintyre, having more balls than I did, stayed, and the police punished him for it. What he did to provoke the police is not clear, but I’m sure it was not that much. He gives – or tries to give – his account of what happened here.