Protester claims police punched him and gouged his eye

The man identified in a video posted to social media as Phil claims police punched him and gouged his eye. Photo / George Heard

A protester claims police gouged his eye in an incident earlier this week, but police say they have only used force proportionate and relevant to the circumstances.

The incident has been recorded on video footage. It followed an early morning police operation that saw a protester arrested for driving a car into a crowd, as police moved in on the occupation in and around Parliament, now into its third week.

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The man caught up in the aftermath of that event has spoken out about the incident in a video posted to Facebook.

The man claimed he had nowhere to go and was pushed back against portaloos when the incident occurred.

He said he was grabbed by police immediately after a protester directly beside him tossed an officer aside.

The man, identified as Phil in the Facebook video, said he couldn't retreat when police punched him and gouged his eyes.

A police spokesperson said it was an extremely difficult working environment for frontline staff.

"However, police have been exercising their powers fairly and professionally, and have used force proportionate and relevant to the circumstances."

The spokesperson said images and videos often did not provide the full context of the protest activity and the situation police staff faced.

Police would not comment on individual arrests, the spokesperson said.

The man issued a message to other protesters saying "the cops are not our enemies" and urged them to remain peaceful.

He also revealed that Auckland socialite Gilda Kirkpatrick had gifted him a new phone, after claiming police "stole" his.

Kirkpatrick said Phil was a friend.

"He was in distress and pain so that was the least I could do," she told the Herald.