A video appearing to show a young white man being knocked to the ground by two black men before being arrested by police as the other men walked away has gone viral on X, prompting renewed debate over “two-tier policing” in Britain.
The incident took place on Broad Street in Birmingham at around 1:30 a.m. on June 21. Footage circulating online appears to show the young man being pushed to the ground and struck before officers intervene. Police are then seen arresting him while the other men leave the immediate area. The video does not show the full sequence of events leading up to the confrontation.
After the footage attracted over a million views online, West Midlands Police said officers had responded to reports of disorder and found “a group of men fighting.”
“As the incident was dealt with, an officer was punched,” the force said. “One man was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer.”
In a subsequent statement, the force said it had reviewed the incident and found “no concerns” about the officer’s conduct. Police added that they did not want the footage to be shared further while legal proceedings were ongoing.
However, Reform UK shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick said the footage appeared to show “a young white man being attacked and then arrested,” adding that it was “baffling” that “the two black men who attacked him weren’t.” He also questioned why Birmingham Police had described the incident as “a fight” and said any additional footage explaining the officers’ actions should be released.
Jenrick said the incident would not be viewed as a one-off, pointing to the response of Hampshire Police in the Henry Nowak case. Last month, bodycam footage released by the force showed officers handcuffing the fatally stabbed 18-year-old while he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe. The footage prompted widespread criticism of Hampshire Police’s handling of the incident and intensified the political debate over alleged “two-tier policing.”
