Video of Montreal police kneeling on black teenager spurs outcry

A photo from March 27, 2018, shows Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas berthed at a port in Malaga, Spain. PHOTO: REUTERS

MONTREAL (NYTIMES) - For some Canadians, the 90-second video evoked memories of George Floyd: A white police officer appears to be kneeling on the neck of a Black teenager who is face down on the ground on a Montreal street.

The police said on Saturday (June 19) that they were investigating what happened after a video of the encounter drew an outcry from politicians and human rights advocates, many of whom expressed alarm over the way the 14-year-old appears to have been restrained.

Montreal police said the encounter took place on June 10 after officers were called to the scene of a fight among 15 young people near a high school in Montreal's Villeray neighbourhood. They said that two of the youths were armed.

It was not clear what happened in the lead-up to the encounter between the officer and the teenager. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the teenager was subdued by officers' knees for less than a minute and that one officer said the youth had what appeared to be a stun gun.

Canada has been undergoing a national awakening about institutional racism, including among police forces, that has been fuelled by the Black Lives Matter movement.

"This brings back memories of what happened to George Floyd, as police are using the same technique," said Balarama Holness, a human rights advocate who is running for mayor of Montreal.

"Police need to be held accountable," Mr Holness continued. "These forms of techniques should not be allowed, period."

Mr Fernando Belton, a criminal defence lawyer who is representing the teenager in the video, said his client and another teenager, also 14, were apprehended after police officers arrived on the scene and the teens began to run away.

He said one teenager was overtaken by two police officers, while the second was arrested by six officers. He said both had had knees placed on their necks.

"Why do you need that much police force on teenagers?" asked Mr Belton, who teaches a class on racial profiling at University of Ottawa. "These are not criminals we're talking about, but teenagers being arrested in broad daylight."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.