(Jeremy Russell)

By Troy Gillard

UPDATE

Calgary woman charged with assault with a weapon at Sept. 20 anti-racism event

Oct 23, 2020 | 3:33 PM

RCMP have released the name of the second person charged in relation to altercations at an anti-racism demonstration last month in Red Deer.

After reviewing numerous pieces of video evidence and interviewing witnesses, the Red Deer RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) determined that two separate assaults occurred at the Sept. 20 demonstration at Rotary Recreation Park.

Mounties say the first assault occurred while organizers were arriving to set-up for the event. RCMP were not yet on site when it occurred but say they did speak with the victim upon their arrival.

Police announced on Oct. 7 that Trevor Lyle Roy, 42, of Penhold had been charged with assault in relation to the incident and is scheduled to attend Red Deer provincial court on Nov. 17.

The second assault, according to RCMP, took place during the event and video of it was posted online. RCMP say they did not witness this assault but that once officers became aware of what had happened, they separated the parties, provided assistance to the victim and identified the suspect.

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Taylor Michelle McNallie, 29, of Calgary has been charged with assault with a weapon in relation to the second incident and is scheduled to attend Red Deer provincial court on November 10.

RCMP released her name on Friday after she was served with a court summons.

McNallie, a prominent anti-racism activist, said in a social media post that she was not informed of the summons and will be “filing a complaint against Red Deer RCMP for their actions on the matter.”

McNallie also called the charge “a joke” and said she’ll be fighting the charge in court.

“This matter will take months in court, and it’s honestly a huge waste of time and tax dollars,” she suggested.

“These groups stalked our events online, and showed up to anti-racism community discussion throwing fists. Then the RCMP allowed them to stay in the park with us for an hour or two before our team cleared the area safely.”

McNallie feels her case will bring attention to how RCMP acted on Sept. 20 and how the “continue to treat racialized folx in Canada.”

“The Alberta RCMP would like to remind citizens that they are afforded the right to peacefully demonstrate; however, this does not mean unlawful behaviour will be tolerated,” the RCMP said in a release on Friday. “The role of police is to ensure those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property will be held accountable in accordance with the laws of Canada.”

(This is an updated version of a story first published Friday, Oct. 23)