In October, Roosevelt police used pepper spray and batons on supporters performing the haka at a high school football game. The police of the small town in Utah have been cleared of charges. According to reports it was the first time the policemen had seen the haka, which is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge performed by the native peoples of New Zealand, the Maori. Officer Luke Stradinger who used pepper spray on the group said ‘I have never seen such an event, or even heard of such a thing,' Stradinger said. The police were concerned that the group could start a riot and therefore felt the use of pepper spray and batons was appropriate in stopping the supporters. Among those supporters was a 4 year old child and dozens from a Polynesian family who had driven 200 kilometers to watch a relative play in his final game of the season. Despite the haka being performed regularly by at least a dozen additional American football teams at US high schools, the investigation conducted by Roosevelt police said the actions of their officers were appropriate because they feared an imminent threat from the haka. The Utah branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is calling for an independent investigation regarding the use of excessive force against haka performers at the match. Joe Cohn, Interim Legal Director of the ACLU of Utah said the report issued by police is “troubling in a number of respects”. “Most importantly, it completely ignores the many accounts and statements provided by witnesses and victims, as well as the video recording of the incident, as if these pieces of evidence were not provided at all.” “In fact, the report relies almost exclusively on the accounts of the two officers involved, which must be considered necessarily self-serving, despite the existence of competing evidence,” said Cohn. As of yet the only action taken by Roosevelt police in response to the report will be the additional training for police in cultural diversity and customs. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/C3lpc Tags: Haka, Maori, Pepper Spray, United States, Utah Section: Human Rights, Latest News, North America
