after assaulting steve for holding a single banner with two quotes written on it - one from the magna carta, and another by aristotle - police held him in a van for more than an hour with tight handcuffs behind his back. they then merely 'reported' him for unauthorised protest. was their violence really necessary?

jenny jones - green party mep, and member of the met police authority has promised to raise questions about this incident.

steve had been arrested and assaulted previously while holding a similar banner just two weeks before. his plight reached the front and first four pages of 'the independent' newspaper when it emerged that police used a copy of a 'vanity fair' article that steve had in his pocket as evidence of his guilt, claiming that he was carrying 'politically motivated material'. the author of the article, henry porter, wrote to sir ian blair asking him for assurances that carrying a copy of 'the independent' around in the designated zone was not an arrestable offence.