Police officer punches 15-year-old-girl at a cannabis rally in Australia

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
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A 4/20 pro-cannabis rally in Central Melbourne turned ugly on Saturday after a police officer punched a 15-year-old-girl in the head.

The violence, which was captured on film, took place at Flagstaff Gardens. According to other rally attendees, the girl was wrestled to the ground by police for an unspecified reason. The teenager is reported to have spat in the female officer’s face while being led away. The video then shows the officer throwing a punch that hits the right side of the teen’s head.

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The blurry video then shows more officers rushing over to the scene, as another female protestor empties a water bottle on to the fray in what appears to be an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“She was struggling to walk because the officers were manhandling her quite violently,” witness Greg Reiner told Victoria newspaper The Age. “Then about halfway through the walk out we saw she got punched in the face.”

Bystanders in the video are clearly disturbed, calling for officers to get off the teen, saying “This is not how you treat people!” and hurling insults at police such as “disgusting pigs.”

The Victoria Police Department says it has not received any complaints stemming from the incident, and as such will not investigate. The teenager has been charged with drug possession, drug trafficking, and assaulting a police officer. She will face the charges at a later date in Children’s Court.

Thirty protestors at the rally were issued a caution for possession of cannabis, which is prohibited in Australia for non-medical use.

 

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