Disabled protester makes official complaint about police at Brentwood abattoir demo
�A protester says she has contacted the Independent Police Complaints Commission after her wheelchair was damaged at an abattoir protest in Warley.
Debbie Deboo was one of about 20 protesters who gathered at Cheale Meats, also known as Elmkirk, on Little Warley Hall Lane, on Thursday last week.
They were protesting against inaction by the authorities over alleged abuse of pigs at the abattoir.
Protesters, who in recent weeks have prevented lorryloads of pigs from entering the slaughterhouse, were told to stand in an area away from the entrance.
Mrs Deboo, 43, said: “I was forcibly moved away from the previously designated protest area where we had all been standing peacefully.
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“The policeman moving me away showed no consideration, and when the footrest of the wheelchair broke and my feet fell down, he turned the wheelchair to drag it backwards, dragging my feet along the ground.”
Housebound
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Mrs Deboo, who suffers from ME, said she has bruised legs and is virtually housebound while waiting to buy a replacement footrest
Three weeks ago, police had to lift her away from the abattoir entrance after she put her feet down to stop her wheelchair being moved.
But Mrs Deboo, from Collier Row, said this time she didn’t deliberately stop them moving her and was surprised at their “aggression”.
“I realise they had to do their job and I didn’t have any hard feelings. I even took cakes along for them but decided not to give it to them when they were so rude.”
She denied the protesters were blocking the highway.
A Essex Police spokesman said they were unaware of damage to the wheelchair.
He added: “There was a cordon constructed by the company on their own land and we made a safe area for the protesters, but some decided not to stay there.”
Elmkirk said that it had sacked two workers over the alleged abuse.
