Calgary police used ‘reasonable’ force at 2023 protest that concussed teen: ASIRT

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/09/2025 (190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY – Officers who responded to an Israel-Palestine protest in Calgary two years ago have been cleared of wrongdoing after a teen was forced to the ground and concussed, Alberta’s independent police watchdog ruled Thursday.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, or ASIRT, says police lawfully arrested the 13-year-old boy at the downtown protest in November 2023 for assault after spitting at an officer.

It says the teen was part of a group of people who broke away from the main protest and arranged a sit-in at city hall. Officers told ASIRT some protesters were aggressive towards police and spit landed on an officer’s leg.

The watchdog says officers forced the boy to the ground, and he landed on his right side with the side of his face against a pile of icy snow and his knees bent.

Acting executive director Matthew Block says the teen sustained visible minor injuries during the arrest and got a concussion after a “hard collision with another volatile arrestee.”

“Each of the subject officers were required or authorized by law to control the (teen) and acted reasonably in doing so,” Block says in the report.

Police told ASIRT the protest, which saw crowd sizes of up to 2,000 people, was orderly until the large splinter group started behaving “derisively and aggressively” towards police.

The report says the teen yelled profanities at police and spat at an officer. He was pulled behind a police line, and a second officer pushed the boy’s head. The boy was taken to the ground and handcuffed.

The teen told investigators he and his friend were selling flags and shouting protest slogans when he was arrested. He described being grabbed “pretty hard” and being hit two or three times in the back of his head.

“He indicated that police were applying a lot of pressure to him,” the report says. “The (teen) recalled telling police that he couldn’t breathe, but that they wouldn’t do anything.”

At one point, the officer asked the teen, “How’s that spitting working out for you?” and told the boy the arrest was a consequence of his actions.

The report says he was held in custody for about 90 minutes before being released.

He denied spitting on the officer, telling police through tears that he didn’t realize he’d followed a splinter group. He also said he didn’t know spitting was a form of assault.

“The (teen) confirmed he did not go to the hospital straight away. He went home and slept,” the report says.

“His parents took him to the hospital after observing that he had a fever, his face was swollen, he was vomiting, had an episode of nighttime incontinence, and was complaining of body pain.”

A head scan confirmed he had a concussion and he spent almost two days in hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.

— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton