Canada: Muslim Man Targeted with Violent Police Arrest Set to Lodge Complaint
His arrest, before the eyes of his family members, came as he was for driving 47 km/h in a playground zone last week as they were returning from Eid al-Fitr prayers.
In a one-minute clip the National Council of Canadian Muslims shared on social media, the man can be seen being restrained by two Edmonton Police Service officers. One of the officers can be seen with his knee on the back of the man's neck, a use of force that has been highly criticized over the years particularly following the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the United States.
"Having a knee violently pinned on the back of a man's neck over an alleged minor speeding infraction — there were no criminal code charges — could have, as all Canadians know, produced far more tragic results," said Said Omar, NCCM's Alberta advocacy officer.
Omar said the man is filing a complaint to the EPS professional services branch.
"One of our goals is to really to ensure that the Muslim community have their voices heard. These type of incidents unfortunately will cause mistrust between EPS and the Muslim community at large," Omar said.
NDP members of parliament, Blake Desjarlais and Heather McPherson, released a statement expressing their concerns over the rise in hate-motivated attacks in Canada and particularly in Edmonton.
"Members of religious minority communities and racialized individuals are entitled to humane treatment and equal protection by law enforcement officers. Anything less is unacceptable," the statement read.
Kevin Walby, a University of Winnipeg associate professor of criminal justice, said the video "represents the violence of policing in response to a very minor transgression."
"They can just mail out a speeding ticket … you don't have to drag someone out of a car and choke them out," Walby said.
Source: cbc.ca
