How long will it be before a former serviceman of Britain’s armed forces take out one of the rainbow nation’s violent but otherwise inept cops? A protest against Covid-19 vaccine passports in Newcastle, England, turned ugly only after state police showed up and attacked protestors with horses, batons were drawn and attack dogs, one of which mauled a man who was being tackled and subdued by several officers.

Footage posted on social media from Sunday’s protest shows a police attack dog biting and gripping a man near the base of his neck while he’s being taken to the ground and arrested by at least three officers.

In the disturbing video that requires viewer discretion, the trained attack beast continued to maul the man, until another officer finally pulled the dog off the prone suspect. An anguished woman standing near the scene pointed at the dog and repeatedly screamed at police to get the animal off the man.

Ironically, the brutal scene played out in front of a police van with the words ‘proud to protect’ on the side. It’s not clear what transpired prior to the arrest and the dramatic scene captured on camera. The suspect is seen at the beginning of the video running down the street towards Newcastle’s St Mary’s Place before being confronted by police and tackled from behind by an officer in riot gear.

Some observers said the man had been among a group of protesters who were ‘confined in groups known as kittling by police and escaped the cop cordon. It is not suggested that the man attacked by the police and their attack hound had committed any offence.

Northumbria Police told Newcastle’s Chronicle newspaper that 12 arrests were made at Sunday’s protest. Bizarrely, the cops claimed their action was caused by the ’violent behaviour of some of the individuals taking part.’ 

Superintendent Steve Wykes didn’t comment specifically on the arrest of the man mauled by the police dog, but he said the large law enforcement presence was needed to ’deliver a proportionate policing response to the protest activity.’

An estimated 1,000 protesters participated in the demonstration, which was near the city’s civic centre, and planned to walk through the city, the Chronicle said. Hundreds of police with riot gear, dogs and horses flooded the area, creating blockades on both sides of the protesters.

Clashes with protesters ensued, with demonstrators being hit with batons and, in some cases, pinned to the ground and dragged away. Twitter user Clare Davidson said she also witnessed police violently pushing a woman who was holding a child.

One of the horse-mounted officers stirred outrage by apparently taunting protesters with his baton as they passed and chanted, ’Shame on you, shame on you!’ The same officer was purportedly seen in another clip riding his horse into a group of protesters pinned against a wall and swinging his baton, as people in the crowd yelled at him.’