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Minnesota riots prompt people in Japan to protest against racial profiling by police【Videos】

SoraNews24 Jun 1, 2020
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Shibuya protest comes eight days after a foreigner was filmed being detained by police on the road in Tokyo.

As people around the U.S. come out in protest against the death of George Floyd on 25 May by a police officer in Minneapolis, here in Japan tensions are rising following an incident many are condemning as racial profiling by police.

The incident, which occurred at around 1 p.m. on 22 May on Meiji Doori in Hiroo, in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, was captured on video and has since been shared widely online. The short clip shows two police officers holding a man down in front of a police vehicle on the busy road while another stands beside the vehicle that was stopped, with a passenger still inside.

In the video, the man, who was later revealed to be Kurdish, can be heard saying repeatedly in Japanese, “I didn’t do anything” and “run, run!” before asking the person filming to help him. The police officers repeatedly tell him to “stop” while keeping a firm grip on him.

5月23日に投稿したクルド人への警察の威圧行動映像。理由不明で威圧され怪我したことで、本人は本日警察を提訴したようだ。事件当時、物々しい現場を周辺で撮影した人もいて、クルド人男性は頼んでその映像を入手。クルド人男性は何度も「なんにもしていないのに！」と訴えている。 pic.twitter.com/QRSoyNj1Na

— 樫田秀樹 (@kashidahideki) May 27, 2020

This video shows the older police officer forcing the Kurdish man to his knees. Japanese police officers are trained to use “taiho-jutsu” (“arresting techniques”), which employs judo moves in order to restrain individuals without the use of guns, tasers, or pepper spray.

一応保存用に貼り付けておく。2020/05/22 東京クルド人男性に対する日本警察の酷い対応。 pic.twitter.com/j92NHAcUyi

— ダダ・デヴァラ@ #入管解体 (@PTNLSMdada) May 24, 2020

In Japan, when a car is stopped by police on the road, speakers are used to instruct the driver to pull over and once the car has stopped, a police officer will approach the vehicle on the driver’s side and explain the reason why they were pulled over. If a road violation has occurred, the driver will usually be asked to leave their vehicle to sit inside the police car while the paperwork is completed and handed to them. Fingerprints are also taken inside the car during this time, even for minor traffic violations, like failing to stop at a stop sign.

As drivers are required to drive on the left in Japan, it remains unclear as to why this particular vehicle came to a stop in the far right lane, and why the doors of the car were open and the man was being restrained on the road.

Freelance journalist Hideki Kashida says the Kurdish man was released by police a short while after the video was filmed, and that the man was restrained after he greeted the police with “gokurosama desu”, which translates to “thanks for your work”, although it’s a phrase usually only used when speaking to a subordinate.

実際、数十分後に解放されるので、本当に何もしていなかったのだ。目が合った警官に「ご苦労様です」と挨拶しただけ。この件で、市民団体が5月30日(土)15時に渋谷駅ハチ公前集合で渋谷警察署への抗議デモをするそうだ。横断幕、プラカ歓迎とのこと。被害に遭った本人が来るかもしれない。

— 樫田秀樹 (@kashidahideki) May 27, 2020

Kashida’s tweet above reads:

“Actually, tens of minutes later he was released so he really didn’t do anything. He only said “gokurosama desu” to an officer he made eye contact with. It appears that a citizens’ group will be meeting at the front of the Hachiko statue at 3:00 p.m. on 30 May and heading to Shibuya Police Station for a protest demonstration. Banners and placards are welcome. The person who was injured (by police in the video) might attend.”

While what actually happened in the lead-up to the events seen in the video remains unverified, the incident highlighted the larger issue of racial profiling in Japan. Spurred on by the protests against police currently taking place in the U.S., a group of approximately 200 people joined the protest in Tokyo, walking through the Shibuya scramble crossing on their way to the police station with placards that read “f*ck the police” and “punish racist cops” in English and Japanese.

クルド人の方スピーチ中です#0530渋谷署前抗議 #0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/j8mJ2qQau7

— 𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔬𝔬 𝔰𝔞𝔰𝔞𝔦 (@moto_ssi) May 30, 2020

警察の真ん前ではやはりみんな怒りが高まるわよね
#0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/llhKbmSfV8

— 長島/岩松結 (@tokyo_sabako) May 30, 2020

Protestors drew comparisons between what happened in Tokyo and police brutality in the U.S.

#0530渋谷署前抗議 #0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/TOq79o0jxW

— Paul Gascoigne💛 (@Newcastle1881) May 30, 2020

Japanese politician Taiga Ishikawa spoke to protesters on the day to show support. He later took to Twitter to condemn the “violent actions” of police against the Turkish man, saying one of the officers involved in the incident seized the phone when he realised they were being filmed and erased the footage. The video was able to be retrieved as it was backed up in the cloud.

https://twitter.com/uwucchi/status/1266638405426790400

Using the hashtag #0530渋谷署抗議 (0530 Shibuya Station Protest), protestors shared photos and videos of what occurred during the demonstration.

Citizens chant "Dismiss violent cop(s)!" and "Dismiss racist cop(s)!" in today's protest against #Tokyo police brutality at #Shibuya. #0530渋谷署抗議 https://t.co/hXIphyCUhk

— Thulium (@t_thulium) May 30, 2020

渋谷警察署前で猛抗議中✊✊#0530渋谷署前抗議 #0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/IDvwioCHKJ

— 𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔬𝔬 𝔰𝔞𝔰𝔞𝔦 (@moto_ssi) May 30, 2020

According to this Twitter user, a male protestor was arrested after breaking through the police line and entering the police building at 5:03 p.m.

17時03分頃、デモ参加者男性1名が建造物侵入で現行犯逮捕。

参議院議員・石川大我さんと秘書が渋谷署の阿部衛警務課長から直接署内で説明を受けました。#0530渋谷署前抗議 #0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/QFaUuJyhbq

— koneco🏳️‍🌈平らけく安らけく (@koneco_sk) May 30, 2020

▼ This video shows the clash that occurred between protestors and police.

植え込みに入っちゃって警官と揉み合い。そういうのは...。
#0530渋谷署抗議 pic.twitter.com/VqYmlFu7Sf

— 橋本宗洋 (@Hassy0924) May 30, 2020

In Japan, it’s not uncommon for people with non-Japanese features to be stopped by police on the street and asked to show identification. This practice largely affects non-white foreigners in Japan, with police reasoning pointing to the fact that a number of low-skilled workers — brought over from other parts of Asia as part of a government initiative to alleviate severe labor shortages — have overstayed their visas.

▼ Even the New Zealand-born captain of the Japan national rugby team has been asked to show his I.D. to police.

Docu-drama "The Brighton Miracle" features a scene with Japan national team rugby captain Michael Leitch, reflecting on times he was stopped for questioning by police pic.twitter.com/1WWLijp1GP

— Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) October 22, 2019

This targeting of individuals based on their appearance has long been an aspect of life in Japan that continually sparks concern and anger amongst the foreign community. This weekend’s protest, spurred on by events in the U.S., shows that more individuals, including Japanese, are losing their patience with racial profiling and are now prepared to take more of a stand against improper treatment of foreigners by police.

Source: Twitter/#0530渋谷署抗議
Featured image: Pakutaso
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