Geoff Pearson

Prof of Law at Manchester Uni. Researcher on Policing, Public Order, Human Rights and Football Crowds. @N8PRP Academic Director. Also on BlueSky.

[nazir afzal @nazirafzal]

Black people are
9 times more likely to be stopped & 7 times more likely to die following police restraint
Twice as likely to be arrested on SAME EVIDENCE
There have been 800+UK Chief Constables,1 was Black
There is a Race issue in Policing & it ain’t the one being protested over

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

The misrepresentation around what the Police Race Action Plan says, following the murder of Henry Nowak, has been appalling. And politicians are reckless in prejudging what the IOPC investigation will or won't find regarding the police response and use of force in this incident.

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

At 750k-1m, numbers on the #ArsenalFC parade were more comparable to previous massive football gatherings (Liverpool 2022, MUFC 1999) than initially claimed. It was still *possibly* the biggest gathering in the UK and the number of arrests was incredibly low given the crowd size.

[Rob Harris @RobHarris]

The Met Police denies announcing the 1.5m Arsenal parade crowd figure that’s being attributed to them in posts shared widely online.

While it might not appear major, it’s another reminder about how unverified info spreads in appealing-to-share social posts, not from media

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

You know the World Cup is just around the corner when this story is recycled. FBOs following conviction for a serious offence are a sensible tool for mitigating domestic risks, but mostly irrelevant to the chances of disorder abroad involving England fans.
https://t.co/JHNzMzyvaC

[Mike Keegan @MikeKeegan_DM]

📺TNT Sports say 7m watched Saturday's CL Final across platforms after they resisted pressure to make Arsenal v PSG free to view. Figure was 12.6m for Liverpool v Real Madrid in 2022 (when it could be watched for nothing). More @MailSport soon.

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

@davidoncricket Indeed. I was highly sceptical about the numbers but didn't even think to check that the image might have been AI.

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

So we need to recognise the significance of these kinds of sporting gatherings, and their importance in terms of both culture and human rights. However, "2-2.5million"? I would be staggered if it was anywhere near that and I can't find anywhere the MPS have confirmed that number.

[Molly @Molly_AFC]

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Met Police just confirmed that more than 2 million people have gathered for the Arsenal parade:

Total number estimated to reach 2.5 million as the largest crowd ever following a trophy 🏆 ceremony.

The bus of champions 🏆 Arsenal 🍾 PremierLeague 🥳

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

@chrisrumfitt I'd assumed that was St Buckingham's Cathedral.

[Fans against VAR @FansAgainstVAR_]

Only 3 of Arsenals starting line up are English.
2 of the PSG starters play for France.

PSG are owned by Qatar
Arsenal are owned by Americans.

It's hardly the Napoleonic wars fella

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

If this happened in the UK, Germany, NL, or Scandinavia, there'd be an independent inquiry into what went wrong. The French should be asking why this always happens; instead they'll just continue as usual until the next major incident, learning nothing.
https://t.co/hHeAIVxFIA

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

@KieranMaguire Congratulations Prof Maguire!

[AllAboutLeagueOne @LeagueOne25]

Wembley had one job!!!

Who says Nottingham County ⚫️ ⚪️

#Notts #NottsCounty

[Foxes Trust @foxestrust]

If you’ve attended WSL games this season and taken part in the drinking in seats ‘Fans Choice’ pilot, the @WeAreTheFSA want to know your views. Please take a few minutes to complete their survey. Thanks. ⚽️🍺🍷

https://t.co/PBNLFjlmJR

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

#VAR was sold to us as necessary because, "what if" there was a bad decision that cost a team a vital game? We've all been had.

https://t.co/GAZFL6VusR

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

An unmitigated disaster of a week for #VAR. Inconsistent, baffling, slow, and deciding titles. It was always going to be terrible for matchgoers, but it's also managed to increase inconsistency in decision-making (adding an extra layer of inconsistency in when it intervenes).

[The Athletic | Football @TheAthleticFC]

This has been a terrible week for VAR.

The events at West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Motherwell proved as much.

And to think its introduction was designed to “get rid of headline mistakes and scandals”. Instead, they have not been removed from the game but have in fact been piling up like never before.

Mistakes and scandals that are not just one-off errors, misses, lapses of judgment, but rather an inevitable part of the VAR system.

There is one clean clear simple solution for this, @JackPittBrooke argues.

That is full abolition without delay.

🔗 https://t.co/Upt9cS7FL1

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

@DiscoMirror @ODonnellDale @sportbible That response is AI, isn't it? Meaningless word soup. But difficult to interpret it in a way that suggests MUST have committed to running with, or even gauging interest in, the idea.

[Wokerati Marty @WokeratiMarty]

Here’s Daniel Levy on the “appalling suggestion” that there should be a moratorium on pro-Palestine peace marches:

“There is not an incompatibility between Jewish safety and civil liberties. We can’t create that false binary.” 🎯

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

In short, this would be a slippery slope that would require significant legislative change, a massive departure from our longstanding position on human rights/civil liberties, and put in jeopardy everyone's right to peacefully assembly.

[Geoff Pearson @Geoff_Pearson]

It's difficult to see how a chief officer could justify banning a pro Palestinian march on the grounds of its impact upon the Jewish community without also banning far right matches on the grounds of their impact upon the Muslim community.

https://t.co/OwQKLZGmqd