Demand Justice For Robert Dziekanski
- by: Shannon McKarney
- recipient: Hon. Christy Clark, Premier of the Province of British Colubmia, and Hon. Barry Penner, Attorney General of British Columbia
In October of 2007, Robert Dziekanski landed in Vancouver, British Columbia from his native Poland, hoping to immigrate to Canada and start a new life.
Less than 12 hours later, Dziekanski was dead - a victim of repeated Taser blasts from the RCMP. He never even left the arrivals lounge.
The RCMP claimed their use of force was justified. However, a bystander's video of the incident showed a very different story.
A public inquiry found that the RCMP had no justifiable reason to use Tasers on Dziekanski, and moreover, that the testimony the officers gave the court in trying to defend their actions was "wholly unbelievable".
On Friday, a Special Prosecutor for the Attorney General's office of British Columbia announced that no criminal charges would be laid against the RCMP officers involved in Dziekanski's death - only perjury charges for lying to the inquiry.
Robert Dziekanski deserved better.
These men no longer belong in the RCMP.
Let's tell the Province of British Columbia that Canadians - both new and old - deserve justice.
We the undersigned do strongly object to the decision not to pursue criminal charges against four RCMP officers who took unjustified and ultimately lethal action against Robert Dziekanski, a new immigrant to Canada, in October of 2007.
We call upon the Premier of the Province of British Columbia and Attorney General Office of British Columbia to press criminal charges against Constable Kwesi Millington, Constable Gerry Rundel, Constable Bill Bentley and Corporal Monty Robinson in the death of Dziekanski, in addition to charges of Perjury for lying under oath to the inquiry in to the death of Robert Dziekanski.
We also call upon the Government to remove these officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in that they have displayed poor judgement and lack of respect for their duty, their uniforms, and the people they serve, and to see to it that they are not left with any benefits or pension that may have been due to them had they fulfilled their duty to the people of British Columbia and of Canada to the fullest extent of their duties and obligations.
