Police pulled Jody McIntyre, revolutionary, out of his chair

Today many people were following the news of the students’ protests stuck to their television screens or to twitter for the alternative news stream from the students themselves.

News was streamed with overhead helicopters and split screens with the debate on tuition fees at Westminster. Much more immediate were from twitter with the students and I was following UCLOccupation, SladeOccupationand mostly PennyRed amongst others. I was startled to read her tweet

They’re beating up a guy they just dragged out of a wheelchair!

And then Goldsmith Occupation tweeted: Number of police officer who dragged man out of wheelchair -KF936

and someone supplied the link to the Guardian’s Students Live Coverage

4.42pm: We have an answer for the question posed at 4.02pm. The man pictured being pulled from his wheelchair is Jody McIntyre who, coincidentally, was interviewed in the Observer last month.

Photograph: Germaine Arnold

I spoke to his brother, Finlay, who says Jody was actually pulled from the chair twice. The first time was near Parliament Square when police insisted he move from close to the front of their lines. Three officers, he said, picked Jody up and dragged him away.
The second was nearer the river, when officers insisted he and Finlay were in danger near police horses. This time, Finlays says, his brother was pulled bodily on the ground across the street.

So who is Jody McIntyre  – why was he there? According to a profile of him in the Observer he’s a cyber radical. In his blog he says
One man’s journey on the path to revolution…

He writes:

We refuse to accept the government curriculum /
Labour and the Condems we are sick of ‘em /
Cameron, Clegg, Miliband’ll get Millibanked /
Militant, with a pen sharper than a Tory shank /

Lib Dem, arms embargoes turned to apologies /
Pro-Palestine turned to Zionism’s sodomy /
Silly me, to believe, no more tuition fees /
Nine grand, while we’re sending soldiers to the Helmland /

Now we gotta Blairite tryna say he is left /
What is left of your party is a legacy of death /
Iraq, Afghanistan and the Browne review /
So for the opposition, we say “Fuck you too!” /

Life on Wheels Poetry

So we say disabled people salute you Jody McIntyre, revolutionary! We need you to fight the fight for disabled people too! And let us know if you want us to help you get Police officer KF936 for doing what he did !

–eleanor lisney

Please refer to Busy Protest Days where DPAC members were also protesting in London.