Pro-Palestinian protesters support excessive force and police surveillance in Vancouver

Vancouver’s police board has agreed to order an inquiry into police surveillance of pro-Palestinian demonstrations after protesters and legal advocates filed complaints about privacy concerns and excessive use of force.

The complaints followed a May 31 pro-Palestinian demonstration at the CN Rail tracks in East Vancouver, where police arrested more than a dozen protesters.

The group representing the protesters, the Pivot Legal Society, claims that police used excessive force that day, while the Vancouver Police Department says those taken into custody first refused multiple requests to be moved and resisted arrest, one person allegedly punched an officer.

On Thursday, advocates presented their concerns at a police board meeting at Vancouver police headquarters.

“We strongly condemn the VPD’s attempts to criminalize and suppress people’s rights of expression,” Simone Akyianu, staff attorney at Pivot Legal Society, said before the board meeting.

The company detailed some of the alleged use of force in a statement issued Thursday.

“The extreme use of force included the deployment of military-grade pepper spray; standing on the backs of handcuffed persons and placing knees on necks (in violation of VPD policy on restraints); and strangulation and suffocation of a person,” it said.

STOP | Protesters arrested at the May 31 pro-Palestinian rally

14 arrested in pro-Palestinian protest in East Vancouver

About 100 people blocked traffic and a rail line in east Vancouver demanding Canada cut diplomatic ties with Israel. Vancouver police say 14 have been arrested.

Protesters and legal advocates also claim there has been surveillance of demonstrations and individual protesters.

“Surveillance activities — via drones, personal cell phones and body-worn cameras, potentially — violate Vancouver Police Department policy,” Meghan McDermott of the BC Civil Liberties Association said outside VPD headquarters.

Advocates spoke to the Vancouver Police Board, outlining their concerns about the surveillance.

They called for an independent inquiry led by someone with experience in human rights and anti-Palestinian racism.

“The role of the police at protests should be to keep the peace and protect the safety of everyone,” Meena Dhillon, managing attorney of the South Asian Legal Clinic of BC, told the board.

The board agreed to proceed with an investigation, citing serious privacy concerns.

It recommended that Bob Rolls, a retired Vancouver police deputy chief, lead the investigation into the surveillance allegations.

Still, McDermott questioned whether a high-ranking former VPD officer could be impartial.

“That’s not how you do a proper investigation,” she said. “You don’t hire an ex-cop who is so closely tied to the police department doing that.”

The police board adjourned the excessive force complaint pending the conclusion of the criminal trial surrounding the May 31 protest. Those who were arrested are currently facing criminal charges. Police said at the time that the protesters were arrested for mischief and obstruction.