Matt Kieltyka, Vancouver, B.C. (24 Hours) - The RCMP is encouraging UBC students to file official complaints if they feel police “mishandled” a protest that led to 19 arrests Friday night.
RCMP spokesperson Sgt. John Ward told 24 hours Monday that officers were well within their rights to make the arrests after a group of students prevented firefighters from putting out a bonfire during an on-campus event.
“We’re quite satisfied with the processes used,” he said. “The level of force used was appropriate. We never had to use pepper spray or other measures to effect the arrests.”
A number of charges, including obstruction and assaulting a peace officer, have been laid against some of the students who were arrested.
UBC student Steven Klein is one of the students demanding an inquiry into the police’s actions.
He claims the arrests were unnecessary and excessive.
“There was no threat of violence or aggression,” he told 24 hours Sunday. “People were being arrested for no reason.”
But Ward maintains the officered “needed to do something” after firefighters asked for help and when students later blocked a police car to protest the original arrests.
“If they feel they were mishandled there are processes to deal with that,” he said.
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