Look at the officers at the back of the embassy as they are covered in red paint and can clearly be seen offering non-aggressive open-hand gestures to the crowd, some of whom are masked. None of these officers are in riot gear. George Galloway accepted that items had been thrown at police for much of the day but said that was OK because we were wearing "protective clothing and what have you". Well, no George, it's not and we weren't. I'm not paid enough to have anything thrown at me and just stand there and take it. But for hours on Saturday that's exactly what we did. It's also worth noting that this came from the same George Galloway who was "concussed" having been hit by a rubber stress ball thrown from an office window while campaigning in the mayoral elections and tried to sue the culprit!! Galloway doesn't like things been thrown at him, apparently, but it's OK for us?.... As for the "underpass incident" the week prior the baton charge was the result of a lone female sergeant - in everyday kit - being dragged into the crowd and given a good kicking by a large group.

The fact is - and this may surprise some of you - the majority of us don't like, relish or particularly enjoy public order events be they marches, demos, football, concerts, whatever. The work is dull and laborious and you invariably end up working them on a cancelled rest days. 7 nights stood in a field in Sipson? Out of choice? No thank you very much. In my time in the police i've not met a single person who joined up so they could get involve in riots. They are not something to look forward to and Upthera's assertions about public order officers being "trained to view the people they attack as scum" are so ridiculous they don't warrant a response. But then this is coming from a man who calls himself "Upthera" - presumably a reference to the IRA - and bangs on continually about the Poll Tax Riot, but that's to be expected from the ACAB/ schoolboy nihilist armchair warriors who all too often populate this site. Upthera, the Poll Tax Riot was 18 years ago and the IRA disbanded in 2005. You're obviously an intelligent man. Move on and grow up.

The fact is that - as is all too usual and as has been pointed out by some of the more reasoned contributors on here - these events attract a rabble who are intent on causing trouble and provoking a response from the police from the outset. I've been on demos as a protester and I've policed demos. Police don't live in a vacum. Of course the vast, vast majority simply wanted to protest peacefully and i'm genuinely sorry for any bystanders who were inadvertently caught up in the melee at the tail end on Saturday night but it was clear to see the way things were going to progress from very early on in the day.

Smashed up shops, faces covered fireworks being fired at us. There is only so long that you can tolerate this. And I didn't see and demonstrators being dragged away unconcious having been knocked out cold by some missile or other. I'd like to have seen the reaction on here were this to have happened to a demonstrator. Is violence from you acceptable but violence from us not? The reaction when it came was never going to be pretty but please at least have the courage to admit it wasn't all one-way traffic. Again, look at your own photos. The aggressors in many are the demonstrators.

You might not like it but we had a duty to protect that embassy and we did it. It is untenable that it was allowed to be ransacked. God only knows what would have happened to those inside. What next? Our very own Kritsalnacht? I've no truck with Israel but equally i've no truck with violent morons intent on bringing destruction and fear onto the streets of my city. And I've acted the same were a rabble trying to force their way into the Palestinian "embassy", should one day they have one.

It's nothing to do with "protecting Israel". Half my colleagues couldn't find Israel on a map. If we're the savage morons that so many on here portray us as then why does every demo or football match not descend into chaos? Because, just maybe, at the vast majority of events the crowd don't go looking for it. No one threw anything at me on the Israeli march yesterday, no one got hit with a baton and no one got charged by a horse.

Someone on here once posted the following and it's something I'd like to think is broadly true:

"Cops = working class kids who want to make a difference in society. Turn up at a demo, shout abuse, throw things at them and give them a hard time you get a punch in the face from them.

Explain why you are there, treat them with the same respect any other human deserves and you get in most cases a reasonable conversation with some body who comes from the same background you do."

So, there you have it. Doubtless most of you won't agree but a view from the opposite side never hurt anyone did it?