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John Pruyn says he was struck, jailed, had his canes knocked away and was not given his leg back until he was released 27 hours later.
Toronto (12 Nov. 2010) - A federal public employee and a part-time Christmas tree farmer told hearings Thursday into police violence at the G20 summit that he was struck, jailed, had his canes knocked away and an artificial leg torn off.
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| Misleading Macleans headline with photo of John Pruyn. |
John Pruyn testified that he was knocked to the ground by police after being told to move. "One of them put a knee to my head. They said I was resisting arrest," he recalled, adding that an officer threatened to break his hand "if you don't move it."
At that point, Pruyn said his glasses were knocked off, his canes taken away and he was ordered to walk before police "grabbed this artificial leg and pulled it off."
He was then ordered to put the leg back on but could not do so because his hands were behind his back. So the police began dragging him.
"While they were carrying me around, the cops said 'You should not have come here' and they were hitting me," Pruyn said.
He was testifying at hearings into police violence being conducted by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA).
"They took us to the detention centre, I was detained for 27 hours in total," Pruyn said.
Police returned his artificial leg when he was released but not his walking sticks. Later, he said he was shocked to see his photo in Macleans Magazine under a headline that read, G20 thugs don't deserve a break.
When he finished his testimony Pruyn was given a round of applause by those gathered in the packed room.
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More information:
• Badgeless police officer booted G20 protesters
• Police created 'reign of terror' at G20, Rebick says