Adora Nwofor, the 47-year-old president of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) chapter in Calgary, has been charged with one count each of assault and mischief following a physical skirmish last month near Western Canada High School.
Another prominent activist, Taylor McNallie, 32, also faces charges, including two counts of assault, one count of sexual assault, and one count of unlawful confinement.
Calgary police stated that the incident occurred during a protest on May 17, where nearly 80 people had gathered, some in support of and others against “radical gender ideology.”
Authorities have attributed “hate motivation” as a contributing factor to the altercation, which involved several individuals with differing views.
Among the victims were a young student, Josh Alexander, 17, and another unidentified man.
Exclusive footage from Rebel News shows Nwofor appearing to lay hands on Alexander multiple times but refraining from shoving him.
McNallie, however, is alleged to have shoved Alexander repeatedly and to have committed sexual assault.
The video also shows that Nwofor and others seemingly prevented Alexander from moving through the crowd.
During his attempt to exit, another activist raised a so-called “Pride” flag.
Alexander’s legal representative, James Kitchen, Chief Litigator at the Liberty Coalition of Canada (LCC), expressed his surprise at the charges brought against Nwofor.
“The two charges make perfect sense upon review of the video evidence,” he told Rebel News.
Kitchen added that the charges epitomize the current issue with violent activism.
He remains optimistic that these charges will not be dropped, despite a hate-crime charge against Nwofor being dismissed earlier in the month from a separate incident at another Calgary high school.
The litigator noted that a Crown Prosecutor typically pursues charges if there is a reasonable chance of conviction and it serves the public interest.
According to a statement from Calgary police, after several minutes, they intervened to separate the opposing groups and establish distance between them, with no further assaults happening.
However, the Rebel News footage shows Alexander being detained and escorted to the back of a police cruiser.
Kitchen criticized this move, stating, “While peacefully exercising his Charter rights on public property, he was assaulted. Instead of restraining those committing criminal offenses, Calgary police seized Josh and demanded he leaves the area.”
Alexander recounted his detention, “I was handcuffed and put in a paddy wagon for offering students Bibles on a public sidewalk in Calgary. I continued handing out bibles, for I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”
His lawyer also shared that the police threatened to arrest Alexander for breaching the peace.
However, they decided to continue with the protest, believing the threat to be unlawful.
Kitchen confirmed that the protest continued without further police interference and pledged that his client would “resolutely resist tyrants and the selective policing they rely on.”
Calgary police, in a previous release, highlighted their commitment to maintaining peace and ensuring public and officer safety.
They emphasized their respect for everyone’s Charter rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, stating that their enforcement efforts target behavior, not beliefs.
The court proceedings for Nwofor and McNallie are scheduled for July 27 and July 7, respectively, as the investigation continues.
