(Quebec) Five police officers from the same squad of the Service de police de la Ville de Quebec (SPVQ) were suspended with pay in the wake of the violent arrest of two young blacks last weekend in Quebec.
The announcement came as the pressure mounts on the SPVQ, with the indignation of many elected officials and the media coverage of a new video that shows another arrest that occurred the same evening in a restaurant in Sainte-Foy.
Among the five suspended police officers, three had participated in the two interventions, either at Dagobert and Portofino. They are part of the GRIPP squad, assigned to bar surveillance.
The suspensions come “following the events that occurred on the night of November 26 to 27 and as part of our evolving investigation,” said the SPVQ in a press release. They are suspended with pay, as provided for in their collective agreement.
Ethnic profiling, argues his lawyer
The “excessive force” used by the police to restrain Pacifique Niyokwizera, 18, is a typical example of ethnic profiling, according to his lawyer, Mr.e Fernando Belton. “It is totally unacceptable that black people continue to be treated in this way […] When we talk about racial profiling, you have the most perfect example here, ”he said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
Images captured that evening show the muscular arrest of two young blacks. Pacific Niyokwizera is hit by an officer. A policeman throws snow in his face.
Me Belton says his client was then driven back in a patrol car away from the bar and abandoned at 3 a.m. on the street, without his phone or ID cards.
For mee Fernando Belton, this is an illegal arrest. “He did not receive any tickets. He has no court date. He is not criticized for any gesture, adds the lawyer. Quebec police are silent on the reasons why he was arrested. ”
The Brotherhood of Police Officers of Quebec City (FPPVQ) said it was “surprised to say the least” at the suspension of five of its members.
“We hope that this decision does not result from political pressure,” wrote its president, Martine Fortier, in a written statement.
“Our police officers have the right to fair and equitable treatment, and in order to do so, this treatment must at no time have been influenced by an interested person. ”
Other intervention under the magnifying glass
The SPVQ also announces that an internal investigation was launched to shed light on another arrest that occurred the same evening, a few hours before that of young Niyokwizera and a few kilometers further. It was an intervention of the same squad.
A video posted online shows several police officers from the SPVQ trying to control Jean-Philippe St-Laurent in the Portofino restaurant. The man has his head covered by his sweater and resists. The officers hit him a few times.
Mr. St-Laurent had not spoken to us on Tuesday, but a friend assures us that before the video there had been “no blow, no jostling”.
“He is lying on the ground and overpowered by three police officers with great punches and knocks with his knees,” says Sébastien Gauthier.
“There you are going to say ‘he just had to put his hands behind his back’. Have you ever eaten punches in the ribs and in the face without trying to protect yourself? ”
Mr. St-Laurent would have had his face cut by shards of glass on the ground, when the police knocked him to the ground.
Dagobert: an EIB investigation requested
Opposition parties in Quebec also called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the arrest of Pacifique Niyokwizera.
The strong intervention is already the subject of an internal investigation by the SPVQ. Quebec also asked the Police Ethics Commissioner to launch an investigation.
But this is not enough for the opposition, which is unanimously demanding that the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) intervene.
“We would much prefer an independent investigation, which means an investigation by the BEI. It would be much more transparent, independent, ”believes the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“This investigation must be carried out by the Bureau of Independent Investigations. It is the least of the things in a file like this one where the public must have confidence in its police force ”, added the Liberal MP André Fortin.
The Premier of Quebec did not want to commit to using the BEI. François Legault reiterated his confidence in the SPVQ on Tuesday. He believes that the police force “understands very well that the bond of trust between citizens and the police is fragile”.
However, he is not yet ready to request an investigation from the BEI. “If it’s necessary, I’m ready to go further,” he said. What I want to tell the people of Quebec is that we are going to get to the bottom of things. ”
For Québec solidaire, we must go much further. The party is asking for an independent study on the relations between the SPVQ and people from racialized minorities.
“We have taken note of numerous testimonies from racialized people residing in Quebec City who denounce the racial profiling of which they are victims. This is extremely worrying, especially when we know that there are no black police officers out of more than 800 agents at the SPVQ, ”remarks solidarity deputy Sol Zanetti.