(Dec 21, 2011, Herald Sun)--POLICE are facing another racism row with officers accused of abusing and assaulting a young Ethiopian man suspected of stealing a car.
Nasir Bare claims he was handcuffed, kicked and had his teeth chipped by officers who pulled him over in February 2009. Mr Bare, who was 18 at the time, claims the arresting officers said: "You black people think you can come to this country and steal cars" before he was sprayed with capsicum.
Mr Bare, who is backed by the Young People's Legal Rights Centre, complained almost a year later, claiming Victoria's Human Rights Charter gave him the right not to be "treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way". "He said that one or more police officers had used force against him; pushed him against a car; handcuffed him; kicked his legs from under him ... and kicked him in the ribs," court documents allege.
The allegations were aired in the Supreme Court this week during legal argument over the Office of Police Integrity's decision not to investigate directly, but refer the complaint to the police ethical standards department. The court rejected arguments the OPI had abused its power, but the incident is the latest in a series of racism rows involving Victoria Police and the state's African community.
Nasir Bare claims he was handcuffed, kicked and had his teeth chipped by officers who pulled him over in February 2009. Mr Bare, who was 18 at the time, claims the arresting officers said: "You black people think you can come to this country and steal cars" before he was sprayed with capsicum.
Mr Bare, who is backed by the Young People's Legal Rights Centre, complained almost a year later, claiming Victoria's Human Rights Charter gave him the right not to be "treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way". "He said that one or more police officers had used force against him; pushed him against a car; handcuffed him; kicked his legs from under him ... and kicked him in the ribs," court documents allege.
The allegations were aired in the Supreme Court this week during legal argument over the Office of Police Integrity's decision not to investigate directly, but refer the complaint to the police ethical standards department. The court rejected arguments the OPI had abused its power, but the incident is the latest in a series of racism rows involving Victoria Police and the state's African community.
Last month, two African men launched a compensation claim with the County Court alleging they had been called "black c---s" during a raid over a stolen packet of chips in 2009.The compensation case is at least the third launched this year by Africans claiming racial abuse by police.
African youths living in the Flemington area also have complained they have been subjected to racial taunts by police after being backed by community legal groups. Despite the allegations aired on Monday, Victoria Police said it had no record of Mr Bare's complaint.
Source: Herald Sun
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