Canada: Trudeau shocked by video of arrest of aboriginal chief

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday called for an independent investigation into a video "shocking" to him showing the brutal arrest by the federal police of an Aboriginal chief, in the midst of a debate on racism within the police force . The images, filmed and released by the police themselves, show a federal policeman from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) rushing at Chief Allan Adam as he gets out of his car, before tackling him violently on the ground and to hit him in the face.

"We have all seen the shocking video of Chief Adam's arrest and we need to shed light on this issue," said Mr. Trudeau in his daily press briefing. "I think everyone who has seen this video has serious questions to ask and that is why we are calling for an independent, transparent investigation which will give us the answers," he said. added.

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In this dozen-minute video, broadcast by several Canadian media, Chief Adam has heated exchanges with a police officer outside a casino in the province of Alberta, in the west of the country, where his wife is interrogated for expired license plates. The already tense situation degenerates when a second police officer rushes in his direction, the plate on the ground and strikes him a violent punch in the face.

"We know this is not an isolated incident, too many black or Aboriginal Canadians do not feel safe from the police," said Justin Trudeau. "It is unacceptable and as a government, we must change all that . " Chief Adam had released images of his swollen face over the weekend, saying he was hit by police during the arrest on March 10.

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Justin Trudeau admitted on Thursday that systemic racism affected "all institutions" in Canada, including the police. Debate has rebounded in Canada after the wave of protests to denounce racism and police violence caused by the death of George Floyd, an African-American, at the hands of the police in Minneapolis.