UK police wrestle Muslim couple to ground after row over water

Rasa - In what appears to be a grossly racist act, a Muslim couple has been dragged to the floor and arrested by police officers at a shopping mall in the northwestern British city of Greater Manchester following a row over how much water they are allowed to purchase.

News ID: 440764

Date: 30 September 2018 - 13:55

RNA - Footage taken on Thursday in Tesco supermarket in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, showed the pair was forcefully wrestled to the ground after scrapping with security guards over the issue.

The row allegedly broke out after the staff at a Tesco checkpoint counter refused to allow Nasir and Mahira Hussain, both 28, to buy more than 20 bottles of mineral water after they had filled up a trolley with flavored Volvic.

The incident was recorded on camera by Mahira, and her husband can be seen having an argument with a police officer.

At the beginning of the video, Nasir is filmed as he explains how the staff refused to sell them bottled water in bulk while they could buy as many as they liked in the past.

“So, we're in Tesco, Rochdale, and for some reason they've got a different policy to every other Tesco up and down the country. Every other Tesco we managed to get these Volvic bottles, as many as we want,” Nasir said, speaking to the camera.

"We're not retailers, we're not wholesalers, we just want them for our home but unfortunately in this Tesco we've been told that we're only allowed ten bottles each,” he added.

A security guard then approaches the couple and asks them to stop filming, saying it is forbidden on private property. After a brief argument the cop tried to twist Nasir’s hand and when he failed, he aggressively started punching him.

Seconds later, the footage shows Nasir on the floor and the police officer kneeling on top of him holding his hands. Another police officer gets hold of Mahira standing at the till counter and drags her as she screams for help.

"I didn't do anything. When are you allowed to punch someone for doing nothing?" Nasir is heard shouting. "You wanna know what racism is? This is what it ... looks like."

Customers are seen watching in alarm as the man and his wife are viciously restrained by the police before being hauled away.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said the couple were arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer following the incident.

“Nasir Hussain and Mahira Hussain both of Oldham, have been charged with assault of a constable and have been bailed to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 30 October 2018,” the spokesman said.

According to Press TV, Greater Manchester Police said they had received a complaint to their Professional Standards Branch regarding the incident. Nasir had told the media he would file a complaint following his arrest for "excessive force.”

Anti-Muslim hate crimes and incidents have been steadily rising across the United Kingdom in recent years.

A new report shows that hateful behavior has reached unprecedented levels in the Greater Manchester area, with more than a third of residents in Britain’s second-most populous urban area reporting that they have been targeted with hate crimes because of their religion, race and ethnicity.

The results of the report published by the Guardian suggested that some 33 percent of respondents to a survey carried out in the city said they had experienced hate crime and some 16 percent said such experiences have been “frequent.”

The attack on the concert hall in May 2017, which killed 23 people, has allegedly helped intensify Islamophobic campaigns in Britain and Manchester, leading to more hate crimes against Muslims.

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