Minto should never have been pepper sprayed or arrested – why this matters
Veteran activist John Minto unlawfully pepper-sprayed and arrested at protest – IPCA
Police unlawfully pepper-sprayed and arrested veteran activist John Minto at a pro-Palestinian protest in Christchurch in February 2024, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found.
The 70-year-old was charged with obstructing and resisting police during a Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa protest in Lyttelton on Waitangi Day, though charges were later dropped.
A police investigation concluded their actions were lawful, but that the officer had failed in his duty “to provide aftercare” after pepper-spraying Minto.
But the IPCA has found both the pepper-spraying and the arrest itself were unlawful.
In a letter from IPCA chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC, he stated the authority found “a number of inconsistencies” between the account of the officer and video footage of the incident, which “led us to doubt the genuineness” of the officer’s version of why he had used the pepper-spray.
The IPCA did “not accept” the police version that Minto had moved from where he was standing, or that the officer could have perceived Minto presented a real threat.
The cops bashed and illegally pepper sprayed John last year at a protest against Israel’s war crimes.
It’s fascinating that the Cops are there to protect the war criminals and hurt protestors.
The IPCA, who are usually a lickspittle for the cops, found Minto’s case to be so extreme, they were forced to actually disagree with the cop report.
Here are their findings…
…this matters.
This matters a lot.
John Minto is the conscience of this country, he is one of the best known protestors and fighters for social justice.
If the pigs can bash John, pepper spray him and illegally arrest him, then the pigs can do it to anyone of us!
The Cops are not your friend.
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John is doing a great job standing up for people who are suffering while most of our politicians and authority figures would prefer to ignore the issue. I was surprised that he got such a decent decision from the IPCA as I am more used to them providing tame decisions.
Grow up Trumpet!
Tricky for them to believe the pigs when they had seen the footage. He was one of four people who were pepper sprayed on the day. Not for protesting but for filming and being at the protest. Most of it was done by one cop.
Police smack around Pro-Palestine protestors but not Brian Tamaki’s thugs.
On a larger scale, just finished watching a documentary. United States veterans of the “Battle of Mogadishu’ stated that United States military intervention in Somalia was necessary because Somali warlords prevented distribution of United Nations food aid to starving people.
What is another place where a warlord is preventing food from going to starving people? Not in Africa but near – starts with G – Ga something, Gaz….Anyway this evil warlord called Netanyahu is starving people by denying them food and medicine – like in Somalia.
So when can we expect the United States to intervene then?
I think Brian’s boys are a bit bigger, and a bit more enthusiastic.
Bit late with this comment dude.
We should all stand in solidarity with John Minto. He was singled out as the victim of a vicious assault by the forces of evil precisely because he is a force for good. The judgement of the IPCA is also a tacit recognition that the world is watching how it deals with both John, his assailant, and the assault. In a democracy the police officer who assaulted John would have been charged and convicted for his crime. The IPCA would not go that far, but its ruling is still an admission that John’s moral standing in the community makes untenable the normal cover-up of wrong doing by the New Zealand police.
Police won’t be worrying about the result.
Police have weathered far worse, they’re not trying to make friends.
None of them suffer personal expense over the affair, their objective is intimidation, expense and maximum personal grief to the object of their ire. They will, because they can. Job well done in their eyes, little will change.
Hundreds of similar incidents occur regularly, without repercussion.
I agree with Bradbury’s last sentence.