A 28-year-old man appeared in court on Monday to face charges related to a demonstration outside a Halifax jail where inmates had been staging a peaceful protest for weeks.
Police say about 30 people gathered outside the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on Sunday night and some reportedly shot fireworks at the facility and also tried to climb a fence surrounding the property.
About 20 people were outside the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Dartmouth this morning to show their support for the man who spent the night in police custody and has now been charged with causing a disturbance, property damage, obstructing a peace officer, assaulting a police officer.
After appearing before a judge the man was released on bail and is due back in court in October.
READ: N.S. union calls for investigation after 2 correctional officers assaulted in Burnside jail
Members from a group known as Industrial Workers of the World were present at the protest and released a statement of their own last night following the arrest. They claimed that police used pepper spray on protesters and arrested the man before any order to vacate the property was given.
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson, Const. John MacLeod, declined to comment on the allegations, stating that police cannot comment on matters before the courts.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia inmate protest rare and effective, national advocate says
Inmates at the correctional facility joined a prisoner strike in the United States on Aug. 21, and circulated a 10-point plan for basic improvements in health care, rehabilitation, exercise, visits, clothing, food, air quality and library access.
The protest was set to conclude over the weekend.
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