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NCCM TO BE PRESENT AT DISCIPLINARY HEARING FOR OFFICER ACCUSED OF ISLAMOPHOBIC SLURS AND EXCESSIVE FORCE
6-12-2019
(Edmonton – May 27, 2019) Today in Edmonton the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent civil liberties and advocacy organization, will be present the disciplinary hearing for Constable Nathan Downing in Edmonton. Const. Downing is accused of using Islamophobic slurs and excessive force against Mr. Nasser El Hallak two years ago, leading to facial fractures and other injuries. The defendant has denied all such claims.
In a statement of claim filed in 2017, Mr. Hallak accuses Downing of calling him a “f—king n—er”, and saying “You F—king Muslims, you’re killing our people and you think you can have a decent life? I’m going to make your life miserable.”
“These allegations are truly shocking to our collective Canadian conscience and, if true, deserve to be met with the full force of the law. Every Canadian should be able to feel safe and protected in the presence of law enforcement rather than racially profiled and insulted. All too often, though, this isn’t the case – especially for those belonging to minority groups such as the Muslim and Black communities,” says Mustafa Farooq, NCCM Executive Director.
Const. Downing was previously in the headlines due to excessive uses of force, and in 2015 was found guilty of misconduct and unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority.
Executive Director Mustafa Farooq will be available for immediate comment at the hearing today.
The NCCM is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization that is a leading voice for Muslim civic engagement and the promotion of human rights.
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