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The dispute on tuition fees is between many students and to whatever extent of university staff on one part, and the Government on the other.
The Police obviously cannot be everywhere at one time to stop the breaking of windows, but one does trust and hope that anyone rioting in this way is not intent on harming people physically.
This behaviour comes under the term of civil unrest, or similar terms, and the Police cannot be expected to know beforehand where each person is who has decided to smash windows or storm buildings. And when many do this in civil unrest, the Police often do not react as if it were just four thugs at work, because there are thousands out there, and precisely so as not to hit those who are not breaking windows but are nearby, the Police might not intervene for a broken window, also because it could lead to much worse: broken bones, on both sides. So the Police have to take many aspects into account.
Let's not forget that the crowds are angry, and there are tens of thousands of demonstartors.
It is also obvious that the Police cannot allow the protesters to enter the House of Parliament, and yet the crowds came very close. The Police had to put up a stand, otherwise we could talk of puting our Country into shameful humiliation if any angry group of protesters could just storm the Parliament.
Howard, if in these conditions some Police have had to hit back at the front line of incited crowds, and hit someone who later claims not to have been intent on violence, although in the middle of a storm against the Police lines, sorry mate, it's not the fault of the Police.