The other day I published the horrible violent arrest of a man who wasn’t wearing a mask. This man was kneeling with his hands behind his back when he was gang tackled and then wrestled to the ground, pinned by a Police officer kneeling on his neck.
Other media have failed to report this massive over-reach by Police in light of the George Floyd controversy over arrest procedures where they kneel across the neck of detainees.
Over the weekend they did however discover their voice regarding Police over-bearing behaviour, but probably because it involved a Green candidate who filmed their over the top arrest procedures:
Former Green Party candidate and climate change activist Luke Wijohn has filmed police threatening him with arrest after he came across a group of officers pinning a man to the ground in Wellington.
Wijohn was heading to pick up his girlfriend from work at the supermarket on Friday night when he heard a man scream in pain, he said on Twitter Saturday morning.
The first video Wijohn posted showed a group of seven policemen, two of them pinning a man face down on the ground.
“I kept my distance (in fact kept having to ask the cops to social distance from me). I was wearing a mask,” his post had said.
A man’s voice can be heard saying several times, “Get the f*** off me.”
At this point in the video the officers noticed they were being filmed. Three came towards the camera at some speed and asked for Wijohn’s personal details “under the Health Act”.
Wijohn retreats 10 to 20 metres as the officers advance towards him.
In a second video, a police officer was heard asking him why he was out, told him to go home and “If you fail to comply with the instructions, you’ll be arrested”.
“You were getting a video which is not an essential thing to be doing,” one female officer says.
“You need to supply us with your details. As soon as you give us your details we’ll leave you on our merry way.”
Another male officer then says while moving forward again: “At this stage mate I’m warning you for obstruction, okay. At this stage you are stopping us from doing our job and enforcing the Covid lockdown. So you are required to give me your details.”
Wijohn then says, “I am going for my legal daily walk to pick up my girlfriend because she’s just finished being an essential service worker and I don’t want her walking home at 10pm.
“I’m on one walk, I’ve only been on one walk today.”
After explaining himself further Wijohn says: “I just heard someone scream so I walked over and it looked like someone was on his neck, so …”
This tough fearless climate warrior has subsequently deleted his videos, for unknown reasons, but most likely due to abject cowardice in the face of threats from an increasingly hostile Police force.
I saw the videos Wijohn posted. The Police officers shown were over-bearing and clearly enjoying their little power trip. Though why seven Police were required to arrest just one man is beyond me.
Meanwhile, we have illegal roadblocks in Northland, marauding criminals in our cities and continued shootings during the lockdown, but somehow the priority of the Police is harassing and violently confronting people for not wearing what is essentially a piece of paper over their face.
The sad decline of public confidence in the Police continues, especially with the growing evidence that some of them quite like the fit of the jackboots Jacinda Ardern’s Government has bought them. I wonder when they will contract Hugo Boss to design their new uniforms?
Once could be a mistake, twice shows this overreaction could be systemic. Enough with the Police over-reach, enough with arresting people for not wearing masks. The Police should go out and arrest real criminals.
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