Tue 24 Feb 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Police say they sought medical attention for a woman injured in a protest at Auckland Pride Parade as soon as she complained of pain in her arm. The trans woman says her arm was fractured while she struggled with security guards who were removing her from the parade route. She was then handcuffed by a police officer and detained on grass in the Glamstand. A police spokeswoman says the handcuffs were removed about three minutes afterwards, when the protestor complained of pain in her arm. “An officer was then tasked with approaching an ambulance nearby and he brought a paramedic back with him within five minutes.” This is backed by multiple witnesses, who have supported the account of Auckland man Steven Oates, who saw the entire incident from a hotel balcony above. Members and supporters of the protest group have claimed it took 25 to 45 minutes for police to get the injured woman medical attention. The group of three protestors was from No Pride in Prisons, which say the injured protestor, a Maori trans woman, was brutally treated. They were protesting the participation of Corrections and police in the parade, saying they “did not want to see the violence of the settler colonial state ‘pinkwashed’ by the inclusion of uniformed police and Corrections officers”. Police are continuing their inquiries into the incident. They say allegations of improper action by police are unfounded, but “enquiries into the culpability of any other persons are ongoing”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 24th February 2015 - 4:08pm