The incident occurred on December 9, 2010, when Meadows was a 20-year-old student participating in a demonstration against university tuition fee increases in central London. Subsequently, he was wrongly accused of violent disorder during the protest but was later acquitted by a jury.
In an official statement, the Met Police acknowledged that Meadows suffered "very serious injuries" when an officer used their baton to strike him on the head. Despite the chaotic and threatening atmosphere in Parliament Square at the time, the police recognized that Meadows had been peacefully protesting, and the use of force against him was unwarranted.
Unfortunately, the officer responsible for striking Meadows could not be identified, and there have been no consequences for their actions.
The Met Police stated that they had apologized to Meadows in June and had reached a civil settlement following a claim he filed in August 2020. While the financial details of the settlement were not disclosed, British media reports suggest it includes a payout potentially in the six-figure range.
Additionally, the police emphasized their commitment to preventing such incidents from happening in the future. Since 2010, they have implemented measures such as equipping officers with body cameras to record interventions and enhancing self-defense training for their personnel.
