“The Met agreed that the actions of that armed officer had been unlawful and in clear breach of article 10 of the European convention on human rights, which deals with freedom of expression. As the article states, all citizens have the “freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority”. In an apology of unprecedented frankness, the police not only admitted liability, but went on to comment too on the wider implications of their actions.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/jun/26/metropolitan-police-apology-journalists