By Josh Hall

“Albertans have spoken up"

Organizers say anti-racism events will continue in Red Deer

Sep 24, 2020 | 5:33 PM

Anti-racism advocates say they won’t be bullied out of holding future events after their most recent community discussion in Red Deer was disrupted by agitators.

The event on Sunday turned violent when the opposing groups clashed in Rotary Recreation Park.

“The [events of Sunday] are not going to stop us,” says Kisha Daniels, founder of Black and Indigenous Alliance Alberta (BIAA). “Albertans have spoken up. We’ve had many messages from people who fully support our movement. We have outside and online events planned, including at least four in the next few weeks.”

Event organizers described agitators as representing yellow vesters and organizations such as Soldiers of Odin and Canadian Infidel.

RCMP has stated that charges were pending, but that more evidence of the alleged assaults was needed.

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Mounties also said they weren’t present when violence broke out prior to the scheduled start time of the anti-racism rally, adding that they did not witness any physical assaults, nor that they knew about change of venue.

Organizers disagree and stressed during an online news conference Thursday afternoon that they did inform RCMP of a change in venue, and of threats coming in on social media, well ahead of time, and that police committed to arriving earlier than they actually did.

After what transpired on Sunday, Daniels says she has very little confidence in the RCMP going forward.

“I’m still of the mind that the police weren’t going to do anything until media got involved and it went viral,” she says. “I was there, police were there, and there were plenty of assaults happening which they witnessed.”

BIAA has been contacted by the office of Justice Minister Kaycee Madu, which Daniels says gives her hope that charges will eventually be laid.

Taylor McNallie, co-founder of Rural Alberta Against Racism, whose boyfriend was punched in a video seen widely since Sunday, said he has been in contact with police and intends to pursue criminal charges. She claims RCMP have now issued a warrant for a suspect.

rdnewsNOW has contacted Red Deer RCMP to confirm whether a warrant has been issued and are awaiting a response.

McNallie says the last five months have consisted of death threats and being stalked on social media, as well as threats to burn her boyfriend’s shop down.

“We’re all scared for our lives, and are constantly living in fear. We can’t take police the anonymous emails, unknown phone calls, or hundreds of Facebook messages. So when something happens that is so public and police still won’t do anything, we feel up against the wall,” said McNallie.

Cheryl Jaime, founder of Red Deer Against Racism, said their group wasn’t there to protest, therefore it’s not right to describe those who showed up later as ‘counter-protesters.’

“[We] reiterated to police about the threats. My partner spoke to [an officer] the morning of, on the phone, and she had reiterated that these people would show up with the sole intent of committing violence against us,” said Jaime. “We stated we’re not anti-police, just pro-police accountability. At first, there was just two officers [at the event site], and it wasn’t until about 4 p.m. they had six out there. That was inexcusable.”

Callum Daniels with BIAA shared his dismay with the inaction of police, statements from Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer and Justice Minister Kaycee Madu, as well as the lack comment from Premier Jason Kenney regarding what happened Sunday.

“The response from Jason Kenney fell short,” said Daniels, adding that the premier’s reaction to a statue in Montreal was greater. “To Mayor Veer, you’ve failed to take action. RCMP did not protect the citizens of Red Deer. RCMP were shown video [of an assault] and did nothing to remove the violent agitator.”

Daniels called cited The City of Red Deer’s Community Standards Bylaw that includes rules against noise, fighting and bullying. He questioned the point of such a bylaw if it won’t be enforced.

Jaime also called out the mayor’s statement that mentioned “travelling protests,” pointing out that yellow vest rallies/protests have taken place downtown for nearly two years, and the City has said nothing about anti-immigrant sentiments or otherwise displayed by the group.

When asked on Thursday about the criticism towards her response, Veer said the City of Red Deer recognizes systemic racism is a challenge many communities face, and that the City has substantial work underway in terms of ongoing effort to make the community welcoming and inclusive.

“The tensions that have arisen on the weekend have highlighted the need to continue to elevate our local efforts. Any time there’s a major occurrence in our community, the city debriefs in terms of our local response to that, and I certainly know in the weeks to come, council will be identifying our concerns specifically with respect to both racism and violence,” she said. “We have to be mindful that it is very likely there will continue to be protests in the community, so our focus in the short terms is ensuring that citizens’ right to peacefully protest is maintained, that law and order is upheld, and that above all our citizens are safe.”