Manchester police ask public to help identify criminal while blurring out image
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are enlisting the public’s help in identifying a man who brutally attacked a Sikh priest Thursday and left him for dead in the street. According to the family, the victim has suffered "permanent, life-altering brain damage.”
“Police are further appealing for information to help identify a man who savagely assaulted a local Sikh Priest in Manchester City Centre,” the department posted on its site, along with footage of the attack.
However, the police blurred the image of the attacker, making him unidentifiable and leading many to postulate that the attacker was dark-skinned.
Instead, the police have released the non-blurred images of two bystanders who the police are attempting to locate as possible witnesses.
Last year, former Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson warned that the public is “fed up” with “virtue-signalling police officers” and wants law enforcement to take a harsher stance against crime. Watson joined GMP after a damning report revealed that the GMP failed to properly record 80,000 crimes over the course of one year.
“Impartiality is in danger of being upset in our urge and desire to demonstrate that we would like to make common cause from time to time with people whose agenda is very difficult to disagree with,” Watson told The Telegraph.
“I do not think that things like taking the knee, demonstrating that you have a commonality of view with the protesters that you're policing is compatible with the standards of service that people require of their police,” Watson continued.
“Officers could put themselves in a difficult place because if you demonstrate you're not impartial, and you then have to make an arrest, how on earth do you assist the courts to come to just judgment as to you having executed your powers of arrest in an appropriately impartial professional manner?"
Social media users also weighed in on the GMP’s alteration of the attacker’s image.
“This is disgraceful. Shame on Manchester Police and on UK for playing by 'woke' book.”
“Blurred out the attacker? Let me guess: he wasn’t wearing a MAGA hat.”
“If they blurred him you can be pretty sure he isn't white.”
“They need to blur for the 'sake of diversity'.”
"HEY I KNOW THAT GUY! He is [Redacted].”
“Wtf. I think I know that man/woman/child. He/she/it is white or black or brown or yellow. And anywhere from 4’ to 7’ tall.”