As students at Northern Secondary protested the presence of a police officer in their halls following a dramatic on-campus arrest posted online, undercover cops meandered through the crowd Thursday, apparently filming the demonstration and its participants.

A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody at Northern in early October. The hallway takedown was captured on multiple cellphones and eventually ended up on YouTube.

On the tape, the boy, who cannot be identified, is heard asking the police officer, “You have to let me know what I’ve done.” He was eventually charged with assault with intent to resist arrest after he allegedly hurled an insult at the officer. 

Teens at the school already wear identification lanyards and are constantly monitored by video cameras. Police officers, known as school resource officers, or SROs, are an extra pair of eyes that some students argue aren't needed.

Student protest organizer Max Naylor said teens being rude isn't new and the alleged action didn't merit the severity of the response.

"Really, the problem is, is that the officer came into the school and he hadn't been properly trained on the fact that (being rude) is something students do," he said. "The incident on YouTube could've been resolved if a teacher was dealing with it, by a detention, by a trip to the principal's office. Instead, now we have an arrest."

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair weighed in on the situation Thursday.

"It's not about police officers patrolling our hallways," he said. "It's about going into the school, working with young people, building a relationship with young people, earning their trust, earning their respect and showing them trust and respect."

Another student organizer, Willy Wilson, said protesting pupils managed to spot the undercover officers in the crowd Thursday.

"They're taking pictures of us, apparently, walking around with video cameras and getting our names, I think, as well," he said.

While the protest garnered a decent crowd, not every student was onboard with the message.

"I don't think that this is a good use of time. I think having a police officer is a good idea for our school," Nathan Hirst explained.

The student facing charges continues to serve his 15-day suspension and his parents have hired a lawyer in the hopes the charges will be dropped.