The Fredericton Police Force says an investigation is underway into a reported physical altercation at Friday’s Take Back the Night event, which led to three police cars responding to a downtown call.
No charges had been laid in connection with the incident by Monday evening, however.
The annual walk to call for an end to sexual and gender-related violence was marred by the actions of several young men who interacted with the event, organizers say — leading some to question whether heightened political tensions south of the border are spilling over into New Brunswick.
Sexual Violence New Brunswick’s director of operations, Jenn Gorham, said a group of five to seven young men on motorized scooters followed participants throughout the night.
“[They] were really violently, aggressively interacting with our marchers, things they were yelling, they were riding into the crowd alongside the person leading the march — really getting up into her face and her personal space,” she said.
Take Back the Night event ends in police action, but attendee undaunted
Gorham said nothing like this had happened in the 40 years that a Take Back the Night event has been held in Fredericton, though she said marchers typically draw a few negative comments in passing.
An incident outside O’Hickey’s Irish Pub on Queen Street led to a police response in the middle of the march. Gorham said the group encountered several men who came out of the bar and began interacting aggressively with people marching.
“One of our participants had kind of stepped [up to] the person leading the march to intervene because one of the men got very, very alarmingly scary close to her. And so he stepped between them and the man pulled back and pushed him,” Gorham said.
She added: “The police were there very, very quickly.”
In a video shared by Sexual Violence New Brunswick, an organizer with a megaphone can be heard asking someone to “get out of my way” as participants start passing the bar.
Later, the video shows the woman with the megaphone and a man sticking his hand up to the megaphone. Shortly after, someone wearing an orange reflective vest can be seen forcefully falling out of the frame.
Several participants are shown reacting with surprise and anger, but the video does not show the interaction leading up to the fall.
Police spokesperson Sonya Gilks said the matter remains under active investigation.
“At approximately 9 p.m. [Friday], members of the Fredericton Police Force responded to a report of a physical altercation in progress on Queen Street involving multiple individuals,” Gilks said by email.
“The Fredericton Police Force recognizes and respects the right of individuals to gather and engage in peaceful protest. However, any incidents of violence or unlawful behaviour will be addressed in accordance with the law.”
Fredericton Pride co-chair and longtime Fredericton resident Antoinette Del Vasto attended the walk on Friday. She said it’s concerning to see anger coming from some community members in response to an event about ending sexual violence.
“When people are like, ‘Smile, a smile is contagious,’ unfortunately, hatred is also very contagious. And that’s just not something that I ever thought Fredericton would be a part of,” Del Vasto said.
“I’m kind of like, oh, maybe I was wrong about Fredericton. I’m, I’m unsure.”
Del Vasto believes that U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric has stoked a high level of anger and division, and worries about how that could escalate even in Canada.
“I see it being more violent, unfortunately, and I don’t want that. I don’t think anyone wants that,” she said. “But where everyone is so divided at this point, unless we start empathizing with each other, I think that’s unfortunately where it may lead.”
Gorham also believes people have become more “emboldened” by the growing political polarization next door.
“Some of the rights and freedoms that we’re seeing stripped away from, from folks in the United States — these are our closest neighbours and we share so much culture,” she said.
“There just feels like there has been a shift in that sense, of feeling emboldened to be violent, to be aggressive, to discriminate, to, to behave in ways that are violent towards marginalized groups.”
Luke Randall, the Liberal MLA for Fredericton North, said in a Facebook post that he attended the event, and that what happened during it “should shake every one of us.”
He added: “Rage is being fuelled by stories about people no one has ever met, while real acts of violence against people in our own community are met with silence. Where is the outrage for our own safety, for the safety of our loved ones?
“I love this city, but we need to wake up. Violence directed against women, immigrants, 2SLGBTQ+ community members, or against men who step forward as allies is not only reprehensible, it is a symptom of a deeper illness. We cannot afford to look away.”
Randall was not available for an interview on Monday.
“It was discouraging and upsetting to learn of this incident,” Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said by email, but she declined to comment further, citing the ongoing police investigation.
