Veteran activist John Minto given $10k compo after pepper spraying

Well-known Christchurch activist John Minto says he has been paid $10,000 in compensation after officers pepper-sprayed and arrested him at a protest in Lyttelton.

The non-confidential payment was received after the Independent Police Conduct Authority ruled on his complaint last year, Minto said.

The IPCA found police unlawfully pepper-sprayed and arrested Minto at the pro-Palestinian protest in February 2024.

He was charged with obstructing and resisting police during the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa protest in Lyttelton on Waitangi Day, though the charges were later dropped.

An earlier police investigation concluded their actions were lawful, but the officer involved had failed in his duty "to provide aftercare" after pepper-spraying Minto.

But the IPCA found both the pepper-spraying and the arrest itself were unlawful.

IPCA chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC said last year the authority found "a number of inconsistencies" between the account of the officer and video footage of the incident, which "led us to doubt the genuineness" of the officer's version of why he had used the pepper spray.

In a statement, Minto said he would donate the $10,000 to the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.