Political activist complains to police watchdog after being pepper sprayed at protest
Speaking to
Stuff on Monday, the pair said they were not harming anybody during the protest. Minto said he was livestreaming the protest from the footpath and side of the road at the time. He alleges a police officer shoved him violently and when he “called him out” the officer shoved him again.
“And as I remonstrated with him he lifted his left hand and sprayed a stream of pepper spray directly into my eyes,” Minto alleges.
Incapacitated, Minto spent the next thirty minutes recovering before attempting to film from the footpath again. He alleges four officers “grabbed him”, told him he was under arrest and “violently dragged” him across to a police car.
“It was a deliberate targeting of myself,” he alleges. “If people are blocking the road in a civil disobedience protest they can expect to be arrested and charged but they should not be assaulted and pepper-sprayed. And if they are on the footpath as I was, they should be left alone.”