Posted on 11/15/2007 5:39:32 PM PST by fanfan
VANCOUVER — Revulsion, anger, sadness and support have greeted the release of a video showing a Polish immigrant’s confrontation with RCMP at Vancouver International Airport, an encounter that ended in his death.
Millions of people around the world have watched the video of Robert Dziekanski’s final moments on the Internet or TV via Canadian broadcasters and foreign outlets such as CNN, ABC and BBC.
Traveller Paul Pritchard of Victoria, arriving in Canada from China, shot the footage of the Oct. 14 incident but it was not released until Wednesday evening.
The video, which spread globally within hours, triggered thousands of email responses to media outlets and filled Internet blog sites both criticizing and supporting police actions.
It also created a political storm, with opposition politicians demanding a full-blown review of Taser use and ministers warning against a rush to judgment.
“I think we should wait until all the evidence is in,” B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said while attending a meeting of provincial justice ministers in Winnipeg.
Public reaction to what some commentators have compared with the videotaped Rodney King beating in Los Angeles has been strong and varied.
“I was truly shocked and saddened by this terrible incident at the airport,” a reader wrote to The Canadian Press.
“Why was the Taser used at all?”
Wrote an Alberta man referring to the RCMP: “Mr. Dziekanski was posing no threat to these Rambo wannabes.
“Reach for your wallets folks because by the time the lawyers get through with these liars we will all be paying big bucks in a settlement.”
One comment posted on the Globe and Mail’s website read: “RCMP — A farce to reckon with.”
Added someone who identified himself as Dolby Thomas from Calgary: “This man did not deserve to die.”
“It is very shameful that our so called `finest’ can act like a bunch of hyenas, just out for a kill,” wrote one man at the PolishForum.com. “There must be a public inquiry into this. Robert Dziekanski could have been any of us.”
“I hope those RCMP officers never go on a day without thinking of the innocent they killed,” said another posting on the forum.
However, another reader wrote The Canadian Press to say it was not necessary to criticize police for doing exactly what they’ve been hired to do.
“We as citizens of this city, province, country and world rely on the efforts of the RCMP ... to protect us from those viewed as a threat to our safety.”
The video of Dziekanski’s last minutes alive could be found on the Internet everywhere from YouTube to the websites of Australia’s The Daily Telegraph.
Some people criticized the media’s widespread distribution of the video, which ends with a man in a suit bending over a now still Dziekanski to see if he has a pulse.
“I’m disgusted at Yahoo and the press for showing this video,” said someone identified as Langille-Mic posting on Yahoo.ca’s news site.
“Give the man’s family some respect. They don’t need to be reminded of this unfortunate situation by the public’s need to view others’ misfortunes. Society is crumbling!”
Piotr Ogrodzinski, Poland’s ambassador to Canada, said Thursday that he was shocked by the video and said Canada’s ambassador to Poland will meet with Polish officials on Monday.
“It requires answers immediately,” Ogrodzinski told The Associated Press. “The video creates a strong impression that the police officers’ reaction was not suitable to the circumstances.”
Ogrodzinski said Dziekanski appeared helpless and made no move that would indicate that he was trying to hit anybody.
“It is really shocking. It’s so sad,” he said.
The video drew strong exchanges in the House of Commons.
Liberal Bonnie Brown said Canadians want answers after seeing the extremely disturbing video.
“Is it standard operating procedure for the RCMP to use Tasers when there is no obvious physical threat?” she asked.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he had already asked for a review related to the use of Tasers — something he did with little fanfare four days after Dziekanski died — and said both RCMP and the independent public complaints commission are investigating the death.
New Democrat public safety critic Penny Priddy said it made no sense that the RCMP is investigating itself.
“Has the government not learned lessons from the RCMP pension scandal, the Arar affair or the Ian Bush case?” Priddy asked, reminding politicians of recent RCMP controversies.
Oppal said he was shocked by the newly released video but still supported the use of Tasers.
“I think our system is based on fairness and I would want to hear what the police side of the incident is before any of us rush to judgment,” he said.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said he had not seen the entire video but called it disturbing.
“I think the important thing is to recognize first of all it’s a human tragedy, it’s going to affect everyone that’s involved in it,” he said.
“There are four separate investigations taking place right now. Obviously we want to find out how we can do much better in the future.”
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion told reporters in Victoria he had not seen the video but he called for the Mounties to review their use of the weapon.
Dion stopped short of calling for an all-out ban on Tasers.
“We know that the RCMP are reviewing the use of the Taser and this must be done because of unfortunate accidents and I want to carry the sympathy of our party to the family,” Dion said. “This unacceptable situation should be corrected.”
Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh said an RCMP review of Taser policy is not enough.
“While we understand the need of law enforcement to be able to subdue suspects in dangerous situations, Mr. Dziekanski’s tragic death and other incidents have led to questions about whether Tasers are being used appropriately,” he said in a news release.
Clear guidelines for the use of Tasers need to be formulated, said Dosanjh.
“Don’t taze me, arrrrgggghhhhhhh!”
Ping
I’m critical of tazer use, old women, wheelchair bound people, sleeping men. In this case I don’t really see fault. He was not acting rationally and looked ready to fight.
For those of us who don’t care to watch someone die, what is the verdict?
so what reason does the RCMP give for using the taser... nothing in the article tells me anything about what led up to the taser use...
Like they say when you have a hammer in your hand, everything looks like a nail.
I don’t understand the vid. Why was the guy baracading himself?
The main thing that worries me is the fact that a taser killed someone. Obviously they are not harmless weapons. Maybe they should be taken away from LEOs. At least people will recognize a gun for what it is and react to it accordingly. A taser is ambiguous/uncertain and that makes it more dangerous.
The man flew from Poland, and was held for 18 hours without an interpreter.
He was pretty stressed, so they killed him.
Well the guy’s acting very, very strange, speaks something that sounds like Russian to the cops, becomes agitated... at that point one of the three officers tazes him, and they descent to cuff him. I’m figuring he had a heart attack. Nothing in the video suggests anything was done outside of normal bounds (to my untrained in such matters eye).
In my mind... don’t act like a deranged person moving chairs through the automatic door (which is opening and closing on you) in an airport and you won’t get tazed. He was a very big man, a head above any of the officers. I’d say he constituted a viable threat.
Nothing in the video tells us why they tasered him either.
He didn't.
That's where he was being held.
He did seem to be a bit out of his mind, possibly on drugs, but with no weapons in has hands and no aggressive moves toward officers I don't see why they needed to use the taser on him.
I don't blame the officers for his death. He was obviously not in his right mind, and he tried fighting the officers even after they had him on the ground. I don't see any reason to believe that the result would have been different had they tried to physically restrain him without the taser, nor did they have reason to believe that their actions would result in death or serious harm to the guy.
I agree; I can’t watch the video.
Ok I watched a little before the police came. He appeared to be ill; sweating and really short of breath. Do you think he was having a heart attack or stroke?
Airport Security was there, but afraid to do anything.
The RCMP made contact with the man after being told that he speaks Russian. They ordered him only in English. 24 seconds after the first contact by the RCMP they tazored him.
No training, no supervision, only macho
They shot a teenager while he was handcuffed and in a police station just a few moths ago.
The RCMP needs a shake-up from the top all the way down to the patrolmen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.