Several people claimed or repeated the claim that “the tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, […] was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services.”
“It seems [the] original claim is based on an article in the Morning Star from 1 June, which states: “At least 100 Minnesota police officers attended a 2012 conference hosted by the Israeli consulate in Chicago, the second time such an event had been held.””
“This description appears to be supported by a report from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) at the time of the event. By the MPR account, the conference took place in Minneapolis and was “put on by the Israeli consulate in Chicago, the FBI and Minnetonka police”. (Minnetonka is the neighbouring city to Minneapolis).”
“The Morning Star piece alleges that those attending the 2012 conference “learned the violent techniques used by Israeli forces as they terrorise the occupied Palestinian territories under the guise of security operations.””
“The article does not explicitly claim that Israeli forces taught American police to kneel on a person’s neck at the conference.”
“The article mentions a 2016 report by Amnesty which lists US police forces that have “all traveled to Israel for training” and “thousands of others” that “have received training from Israeli officials here in the U.S. [However,] Amnesty International told the New Statesman: “the precise nature of the training offered to US police forces by Israeli officials is not something we’ve documented”.”
According to the Israeli Embassy in London, ““The said 2012 event in the Israeli Consulate was on counter-terrorism training that involved information sharing and explosive disarmament training. No arrest tactics were taught as part of the event. “”
“According to Minnesota Public Radio, the 2012 conference was led by “top-notch professionals from the Israeli police”, including a “police chief” and a “bomb tech specialist”. There is no mention of “secret services” in their report.”
“The conference hosted by the Israeli consulate for US police officers took place in July 2012. We’ve seen evidence that “neck restraints” involving an officer’s leg were permitted by Minneapolis Police in 2010, and perhaps even as early as 2002.”
“Archived versions of the Minneapolis Police Department “Use of Force Policy” show that “neck restraints” and “choke holds” were written into the code in October 2002.”
“Note that officers were permitted to use “an arm or leg” as part of a neck restraint in the definition authorised on 1 October 2010.”
“In any case, it’s clear that using a leg during a neck restraint was permitted by Minneapolis Police before the July 2012 conference hosted by the Israeli consulate.”
“According to a 2002 newsletter from an organisation called Communities Against Police Brutality, Minneapolis Police used what they apparently described as a “legal neck restraint” on Christopher Burns, who died on 1 December that year. It’s not clear whether the neck restraint involved an officer’s knee, but the newsletter says officers “kneeled on [Mr Burns’] back” in the incident.”
“And Minneapolis is not the only US city where “neck kneeling” has a long history.”
“A 1995 report on the death of Jonny Gammage in Pittsburgh describes how an officer “stood and knelt on the back of Mr. Gammage’s neck”.”
“In 2002, Santiago Villanueva died after being restrained by four police officers in Bloomfield, New Jersey. In 2004, Amnesty USA reported the testimony of Nina Paulino, a friend of Mr Villanueva, at the AIUSA National Hearings on Racial Profiling in New York City. Ms Paulino is quoted saying that one of the officers “put a knee on his neck”.”
“Then there was the 2005 case of Donald Lewis. In its summary of the “background facts and issues”, the US Supreme Court said an officer “placed his knee on Lewis’ upper back and neck”.”
“A 2009 report from Amnesty on the death of Oscar Grant in the San Francisco Bay Area describes how “one police officer pressed his knee onto the back of Oscar’s neck” before another shot him. The San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time that in footage of the incident, an officer is “seen kneeling on Grant’s head”.”
Read more: Did Israeli secret service teach Floyd police to kneel on neck?
Related: Funded by taxpayers and Jewish organizations, thousands of US police are ‘trained by Israeli forces’
Illustration: The risks of police restraint
2021-week24
