Watch: Australian Police Officer Slams Some Kid Face-First into the Pavement at a Gay Parade
They didn't even bother to yell "Stop resisting!"
Every year, for the past 35 years, a big Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been held in Sydney, Australia, and it's pretty much what it sounds like it would be. The parade took place last weekend, but the coverage of the revelry has been dampened a bit by reports of police brutality.
Below is a video of an Australian law enforcement officer arresting a mostly unclothed young man who insists he hasn't done anything wrong and doesn't know why he's been targeted. Before the filming began, based on witness comments recorded on the video, he had already been slammed against the ground once. The camera does film some blood on the ground. At about 57 seconds in, it happens again, and the camera captures it. The kid is handcuffed and can do nothing about landing face-first on the concrete.
To be fair, something happens right before the officer slams the guy that doesn't get captured on film. Some commenters on the YouTube video seem to think the kid tried to kick the officer (also, it's not unusual for people who are publicly arrested to play dumb about it to passersby).
Police also try to order folks to stop filming them, which doesn't go over well.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the video is being investigated, as are other reports of police abuse that took place over the weekend:
Another gay activist spoke to smh.com.au and alleged that up to five police held him down and kicked him, after he ignored their instructions to not cross a road.
"I was kicked several times," he said. "I was handcuffed and had my face pushed into the ground.
"I had a police officer leaning on me. I told him I couldn't breathe. He said, 'If you can talk you can breathe".