Last night a video surfaced showing a Quebec City police officer, later identified as Charles-Scott Simard, SPVQ badge number 3143, firing a teargas canister directly into a student anti-austerity protester’s face:
The canister hit Naomie Trudeau-Tremblay on the jaw, as can be seen in these photos by 99Media.org.
Trudeau-Tremblay will be taking legal action and there is a Facebook page up calling for Simard to be removed from all duties.
If the aim had been a little higher, things could have been much worse. Regardless of what you think of the protests, it is clear that shooting a teargas canister at someone’s face is wrong, disperses the teargass no differently than shooting it at the ground, and just plain dangerous.
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This pathetic excuse for a man should be up on a charge of wilful endangerment/ assault with intent and attempted manslaughter. Don’t let him or his Department sliver and squirm their way from their responsibilities and do the RIGHT thing. From him, throw your hands up and admit, that in the heat of the moment, you overreacted, aimed and fired DIRECTLY at the protester’s face for which you NOW are abjectly sorry. Furthermore, his Department should immediately take action AGAINST this officer and suspend him from all duties pending a disciplinary hearing. PLUS he should be arrested for whichever charge is equivalent over there in Canada ( I’m a Brit living in England, UK ). The video evidence is proof positive that he aimed the weapon AT the female protester’s face in direct contravention of the usage rules and therefore guilty on a prima facie basis. We all know that the Police will lie, cheat, obfuscate, circumlocute and invent all kinds of reasons to legitimize his ( the Officer’s ) actions. It’s about time CORRUPTION within the world’s Police Forces is exposed and wheedled OUT. STOP protecting your own arses and openly admit when you get things so badly wrong. You will be surprised at just how much respect you will gatner from the public if they/we, can see truthfulness is at the heart of ALL Forces.
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