The Police Federation of England and Wales began lobbying for the introduction of riot shields following the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival riot, during which many officers were injured with thrown stones, bricks and bottles. At the time riot shields were already common in Northern Ireland and mainland Europe; British forces deployed them during the Cyprus Emergency in the 1950s, French police used them during the May 1968 riots, and British forces had been using them in Northern Ireland since at least 1969. Riot shields were first used in England during the 1977 Battle of Lewisham. While the Metropolitan Police Service designed them to be a passive and defensive item only, "New Scientist" reported "the production of the shields [at Lewisham] was part of what can only be described as an extremely aggressive operation". Many protesters were deliberately struck with the shields. A police spokesperson stated that a police officer who feels threatened would strike with whatever he had in his hands, adding "I don't see how you can stop him using the riot shield to hit a person".