Officers who responded to an Israel-Palestine protest in Calgary have been cleared of wrongdoing after a teen was forced to the ground and concussed.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, or ASIRT, said police arrested the 13-year-old 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 gathered at city hall, blocking an intersection.
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Officers told ASIRT that some protestors were aggressive towards police and the teen had spit on one of them.
Two officers forced the teen to the ground, landing on his right side with the right 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.”
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