No excessive force used in arrest of pregnant protester, says police watchdog

Alberta’s police watchdog found no wrongdoing in how a pregnant protester was arrested at a heated rally in Calgary two years ago. (Image courtesy ASIRT)

Alberta’s police watchdog found no wrongdoing in how a pregnant protester was arrested at a heated rally in Calgary two years ago.

The woman was brought to the ground and held by an officer before being handcuffed and taken away.

Allegations of excessive force were made.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was called in to investigate.

On Wednesday, ASIRT released its findings.

“(The protester) was lawfully arrested for assaulting a police officer, obstruction and resisting arrest,” ASIRT’s report says.

“The arrest occurred in the context of an ongoing protest, which was obstructing a busy downtown Calgary intersection.

“(The officer) was required or authorized by law to control (her).

“The use of force by (the officer) and other officers assisting with (the arrest) was proportionate, necessary and reasonable.”

The woman was among those protesting in the area of city hall on Nov. 19, 2023, in support of the people of Gaza.

ASIRT says some protesters “blocked the four lanes of one-way traffic at the intersection of Fourth Avenue S.E. and Macleod Trail.”

Police broke up the protest.

The woman’s husband was the first person arrested, ASIRT says.

She was arrested soon after.

ASIRT says the woman stated she was pulled to the ground by her hijab, struck her head on a vehicle on the way down and suffered physical ailments in the aftermath.

Her evidence, ASIRT says, was “not entirely consistent” with video evidence.

“(She) framed her initial interaction with officers in a way that suggests she was just benignly standing in the officers’ vicinity, expressing concern with respect to her husband’s arrest and being unnecessarily shoved by police,” ASIRT says.

“She described that she was in the midst of turning away from officers, seemingly implying she was complying with their direction to ‘move back,’ when she was grabbed by her hijab and thrown to the ground.”

Footage from 19 police body-worn cameras and seven civilian devices was viewed by ASIRT.

“The videos confirm (the protester) was among a group of people who were following behind her husband as he was arrested,” ASIRT says.

“The group’s continued persistence in trying to interfere with that lawful arrest constituted obstruction.”

ASIRT says the woman:

• verbally antagonized police;
• refused to follow police directions to “move back”;
• waved her hands around;
• aggressively resisted efforts by others to pull her away from officers; and
• continued to advance toward officers when physically pushed back.

ASIRT also says she:

• does not appear to have been pulled to the ground by her hijab, though it did later become dislodged; and
• was knocked into a vehicle and was on her stomach briefly as a result of her “continued efforts to resist arrest.”

According to ASIRT, the officer later asked the woman if she wanted medical attention.

She declined, ASIRT says, stating in her investigation interview she was afraid.

She requested medical attention after getting to a police station, ASIRT says.

Medical records confirm she was taken to Rockyview hospital.

“Upon admission, (the protester) advised medical staff she was four months pregnant and had been involved in an altercation with police during which she had been pushed against a car and hit the left side of her head,” ASIRT says.

“She further advised she was then forced onto the ground, handcuffed and pressure was placed on her lower back.

“She was reporting abdominal pain and cramping. (She) was not observed to have any abrasions, and an obstetrical exam did not note any concerns.”

ASIRT says the woman “delivered a healthy baby.”

“She noted she underwent lots of additional testing, including x-rays and ultrasounds, because of the incident that she believed placed her baby at additional risk,” ASIRT says.

“Overall, (she) felt the way police interacted with the protesters on that date was aggressive, degrading and humiliating—particularly when they were ‘shoving them like sheep.’”

Rally became heated

CTV News previously reported four adults were arrested and charged during the protest on Nov. 19, 2023.

A 13-year-old boy was also arrested but released without charges.

He was later admitted to the children’s hospital.

He was treated for a concussion and checked for internal bleeding—CTV News at the time viewed prescribed medications.

The boy was part of a number of protesters who split off from the main group to block the intersection.

“I only saw the police come, and they didn’t warn us,” he said in 2023.

“They came and they hit us, and we were on the ground, so I couldn’t get up.

“It was my first time being very, very scared.”

The boy can be seen in witness video being pulled from the group by police.

In the footage, an officer’s baton appears to contact his head.

Police at the time said officers tried to talk the group into getting out of the road.

They said when that failed and some protesters tried to break their line, officers took action.