Organizers of a pro-Palestinian demonstration accused officers from the Toronto Police Service of treating them brutally, but the police denied this occurred.

Meanwhile, the Toronto branch of the "Palestinian Youth Movement" (PYM), one of the organizers of a demonstration in downtown on Sunday, posted pictures on social media platforms of a police officer appearing to immobilize a man lying on the ground by pressing his knee on the latter’s neck.

The branch claimed in a written statement that the protester was subjected to brutal treatment and was arrested, and considered that the use of this restraint technique reflects "the violent methods used by police around the world."

However, the police in Canada’s largest city denied the claims of the local branch of the global Palestinian group.

"Upon reviewing the available photos related to this case, we maintain our statement that the officer did not place his knee on the suspect’s neck," said Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer in an email.

Sayer described the incident as "sudden and unexpected," and said police officers are trained to use the necessary force in situations that change rapidly in order to make the situation "safe for everyone involved, including the public and the officers."

Toronto Police also accused the man who was arrested of assaulting one of its officers and obstructing his work.

The police said in a statement about the incident that a vehicle belonging to them was heading south on "University" Street around 2:25 PM on Sunday and tried to turn left onto "Armory" Street in downtown. They added that officers were accompanying the vehicle while about 500 protesters were in the area. Police investigators claimed that one of the officers was then pushed off his bike, causing him to fall to the ground.

A video from Sunday, posted by the Toronto branch of the "Palestinian Youth Movement" on the "Instagram" platform, showed several officers pinning a man to the ground.

The video starts with the man on the ground, so it does not show what led to the altercation. The footage shows one officer seemingly punching the man repeatedly while another officer appears to place his knee and leg on the same man’s head.

Later in the video, several officers surround their colleagues who are handling the man’s arrest, obscuring the camera’s view.

The 32-year-old man will appear before an Ontario court on the upcoming January 25th.