The president of a Labrador Indigenous group is calling for an investigation after a video surfaced on social media that shows a municipal enforcement officer throwing a handcuffed man to the ground.
A Facebook video posted Friday by Labrador Progressive Conservative legislature member Lela Evans appears to show an officer holding an Inuk man against the hood of a Happy Valley-Goose Bay municipal enforcement vehicle.
The man turns slightly to his right and the officer throws him to the ground.
NunatuKavut Community Council president Todd Russell issued a statement Saturday saying the video shows a troubling example of violence against Indigenous people and is evidence of the structural racism that exists in Canadian law enforcement.
He is calling for a thorough investigation into the incident and commends whoever first posted the video to social media.
The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay also issued a statement Saturday saying a municipal enforcement officer had been put on administrative leave in connection with the video and the town is seeking an independent investigation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.