Canada indigenous chief battered during arrest
Video of a great indigenous chief's violent arrest has shocked Canada, turning a spotlight on systemic racism in the country's police force.
The footage shows Athabasca Chipewyan First of all Nation Chief Allan Adam being floored and repeatedly punched by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer.
The confrontation took place in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on 10 March.
Protests demanding law enforcement reform have pass on across Canada recently after spilling above from the US.
Although RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki primarily said she "can't say for certain" whether systemic racism is a problem with the authorities, on Fri afternoon she released a statement saying "systemic racism is portion of each institution, the RCMP included".
"Throughout our history now, we have not always treated racialized and Indigenous persons fairly," she wrote.
What does the video recording show?
Before the public relieve of the footage on Thursday night, the neighborhood RCMP division said they had examined it and found the officer's actions "reasonable".
The incident starts when an RCMP officer approaches Mr Adam and his wife over an expired licence plate.
The nearly 12-minute long video, recorded by a dashcam from the RCMP officer's vehicle parked behind Mr Adam's lorry in a casino carpark, starts with Mr Adam having a heated and profanity-laden debate with the officer.
"I'm tired of appearing harassed by the RCMP," he says.
Mr Adam and the officer continue steadily to have a good heated argument. At about the 4:45 tag, the officer attempts to arrest his wife, twisting her arm behind her back until she says: "Ow!"
Then Mr Adam gets out once again, shouting: "Leave my partner only!" He pushes the officer apart. Everyone gets back the vehicle.
Backup is named, and Mr Adam gets out of your lorry. The officer commences to arrest him, and Mr Adam says "don't touch me", using an expletive. Then a second officer runs at him full speed, knocks him down, and repeatedly punches him while shouting: "Don't resist."
The incident has been investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which oversees incidents involving police where someone is hurt.
What do Allan Adam and his legal professional say?
Mr Adam told Canadian media: "Because we are a minority and nobody speaks up for us, everytime our people conduct wrong and the RCMP head out and make their phone, they always seem to be to use excessive pressure.
"And that possesses to avoid. And enough will do."
Mr Adam's lawyer Brian Beresh wants his client's charges, such as assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, to be dropped. Mr Adam can be next due in court on 2 July.
Mr Beresh has practised law for 44 years, and says law enforcement violence against indigenous persons has been a frequent issue.
"I've seen this from the first of all day I've started to practise," he told the BBC.
"I would like there to be some great action taken by the RCMP, with regards to how they can prevent this from going on again. If this may happen with my customer who's a respected chief, what about the First Nations person who is certainly living on the road, who doesn't have my client's standing?"
What's the political reaction?
Calls for a finish to racial injustice are actually gaining traction. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on Fri he has "serious problems" after enjoying the video.
"We have all today experienced the shocking video tutorial of Chief Adam's arrest and we should get to underneath of this," he said.
The other day, he marched in a Dark-colored Lives Matter protest and has reported Canada has a problem with systemic racism "in all our institutions, including in every our police forces, including on the RCMP".
But Mr Trudeau likewise faces serious criticism both personally and politically, especially after photographs surfaced during last autumn's election campaign of him in black encounter.
He in addition has been under scrutiny for not building greater strides at indigenous reconciliation.
This past year, a government report into murdered and lacking indigenous women found that Canada was complicit on "race-established genocide" against indigenous women. Most of the report's recommendations have however to be implemented.
