ICE operations in Minnesota have been fairly controversial, and protests over them escalated after the high-profile deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January. Protesters have been denouncing the excessive use of force by immigration authorities ever since. Unfortunately, a recent anti-ICE protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, was met with police violence, as local authorities reacted violently to demonstrators.
In recent footage of the incident, a group of anti-ICE protesters can be seen in the streets of St. Paul while local police confront them. As the video begins, an officer appears to be using pepper spray directly into a protester’s face. In a later scene, another officer seemingly pushes a protester to the ground and continues forcing him down, causing his head to hit the pavement before arresting him.
While this happens, several individuals can be seen running from the police in the background, and one of them is knocked to the ground and arrested. At no point are the protesters seen acting violently toward the police.
Internet Reacts to Police Violence During Anti-ICE Protest in Minnesota
The online reaction to the video was largely negative, with many viewers criticizing the local police for being overly violent toward the protesters, considering the context. One user pointed to what they thought was a particularly cruel moment, describing “the way that person’s head got so forcefully pushed back into the sidewalk” as completely unnecessary, since the individual was already being detained and could have been seriously hurt.
Some folks also criticized the police enforcement for saying that they are “on the people’s side,” but then never losing a chance to act violently towards protesters. One viewer responded: “The police exist to protect the property and interests of the wealthy elite, nothing more. They are not, and have never been, on our side.”
Other folks also asked why governors do not simply direct officers to avoid doing this, as they have the power to do so, at least in theory. At the same time, others were not very hopeful, responding that “there are no ‘good’ cops. There are ICE, and there are ICE helpers. Period.”
