Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that black and indigenous people in Canada do not feel safe around police after a police dashcam video emerged of the violent arrest of a Canadian Aboriginal chief.
The arrest has received attention in Canada as a backlash against racism grows worldwide after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck.
The 12-minute police video shows an officer charging at Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam with his arm and elbow up as he tackles him to the ground.
It also shows the officer punching him in the head.
Mr Trudeau called the video "shocking".
"I have serious questions about what happened," Mr Trudeau said.
"The independent investigation must be transparent and be carried out so that we get answers. At the same time, though, we also know that this is not an isolated incident. Far too many black Canadians and Indigenous people do not feel safe around police. It's unacceptable. And as governments, we have to change that."
Pictures show Mr Adam was left bloodied with his face swollen.
Alberta's police watchdog agency is investigating.
Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in May 2014. Source: The Canadian Press
Police charged Mr Adam with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police dash camera video was released publicly as part of a court application to get criminal charges against Mr Adam removed.
The video earlier shows a different officer approaching Mr Adam's truck outside a casino in Fort McMurray, Alberta, early on the morning of 10 March.
Police have said Mr Adam's truck had expired plates.
The video shows Mr Adam getting in and out of the vehicle, removing his coat and taking a karate-like stance and using expletives as he complains about being harassed by police.
His wife and niece get in between him and the officer at times.
Mr Adam's lawyer, Brian Beresh, has filed a court motion to have criminal charges dropped over violation of Mr Adam's constitutional rights.
"All of this resulted from an expired licence plate tag. The video speaks for itself," Mr Beresh said in a statement.
The RCMP said in a statement that the dashcam video had been reviewed by supervisors and "it was determined that the members' actions were reasonable and did not meet the threshold for an external investigation".
