EDMONTON – Police are defending their actions in relation to a gathering of protesters rallying against the Ethiopian government Saturday afternoon.
It was around 3 p.m. on Saturday that tensions began rising at the Belmead Community Hall – and what started as a presence of four police officers, soon turned to 40, with at least a dozen of them donning riot gear.
Inside the hall, a meeting was being held which included representatives from the Ethiopian government; outside, about 100 demonstrators were showing their discontent over what’s happening in their home country.
“We are not threatening anyone, we are not…pushing or violating anyone. It is a peaceful demonstration for our right, for the right of the people in our home country,” said Dereje Geleta on Saturday.
However, the police presence soon grew.
“Initially when the first four officers responded, they didn’t quite know what to expect. They were surrounded by a large number of protesters and they were pushed, just by the sheer magnitude of the group,” said Edmonton Police spokesperson Patrycia Thenu.
After calling in backup, officers formed a human blockade to stop protesters from entering the hall. They also stopped the meeting inside and escorted the attendees through the back onto a waiting bus.
Both sides felt wronged by the response.
“The police didn’t want to provide…resources to curb that demonstration; but rather, for a peaceful gathering, they say you can’t have it,” said coordinator Desalegn Abera. “Rather than limiting the demonstrators, aggressive demonstrators, they pushed us out of the hall, to say the least it was very disappointing.”
Protest organizer Mohammed Fatobadaso, meanwhile, felt the police favoured those inside the hall.
“They didn’t offer equal service,” he argued.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is staunchly defending its auctions.
“The EPS is aware that there are a lot of sensitivities around this for the community, and it is a sensitive issue. But in the end, our goal is the public safety for everybody,” said police spokesperson Patrycia Thenu.
One area resident, who lives across the street from the hall, questions the need for the heavy police presence.
“You could see that it was getting tense but it wasn’t like violence, like people were about to start fighting or anything like that,” he said. “It kind of shocked me that they got their riot gear out and everything.”
Thenu explained, though, that police must always prepare for the worst.
“Not to say that they were predicting or they were saying that things would escalate to a violent level, but they were prepared for the worst to ensure everyone’s safety.”
In the end, Saturday’s protest ended peacefully, and eventually the meeting resumed.
With files from Jenna Bridges, Global News
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