NDP Statement on violent police encounter in Edmonton

We are shocked to learn about the outrageous treatment that a Black Muslim man was subjected to, at the hands of local police officers in Edmonton last Friday after Eid al-Fitr prayer.

Edmonton Police Services (EPS) needs to ensure that officers are not using undue force or dangerous knee-on-neck restraint on people in our city, and that officers are acting with respect in all their interactions with members of the Muslim community and others.

New Democrats call for an independent investigation into this incident and for EPS to hold their officers accountable for their actions. It is particularly disturbing to learn of this incident, considering the release today of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team’s (ASIRT) report finding an EPS officer “showed a shocking lack of judgment and disregard for… life” when he kicked an Indigenous teenager in the head in 2020.

We are deeply concerned by the rise in hate-motivated attacks across the country, especially in Edmonton. Members of religious minority communities and racialized individuals are entitled to humane treatment and equal protection by law enforcement officers. Anything less is unacceptable.

We are committed to the fight to eradicate Islamophobia and all forms of racism and discrimination so that all Canadians feel safe in their communities.