Calgary police are investigating a “violent conflict” between two groups involving 150 people on Saturday evening.
The Calgary Police Service said officers responded to the community of Falconridge around 5 p.m. Saturday for reports of two groups engaged in violence. Police said they believed 150 people were initially involved and when they arrived, they separated the two groups who were in conflict and de-escalated the situation as many individuals involved were using weapons.
An EMS spokesperson told Global News that 11 people with non-life-threatening injuries were taken to hospital.
Superintendent Cliff O’Brien of the Calgary Police Service’s north division spoke at a press conference Saturday night and said, “Our officers responded to the northeast community of Falconridge for reports of two groups actively engaged in violence. It is believed that up to 150 individuals were involved and upon arrival, officers separated the groups that were engaged in the conflict and de-escalated the situation as many of those individuals in the groups were brandishing weapons.”
Police also said the conflict was likely between two Eritrean groups.
There is growing anger and opposition among some sections of the Eritrean diaspora over the government of Eritrea and the situation in the northeast African country.
Demonstrators oppose Eritrea’s government and are against the staging of these festivals in Canada because they claim they are used to collect money for the “repressive regime” and promote propaganda.
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Calgary police said they considered this to be a serious event and dedicated resources to keep the peace. They also said it was not a protest but instead a violent conflict between two groups with opposing views.
In a press release issued late Saturday night, police asked Calgarians to avoid the community of Falconridge in the areas officers were assessing. The release also said officers are working with the involved groups to maintain the peace.
According to a Calgary Transportation post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the incident happened on McKnight Boulevard and Falconridge Boulevard Northeast. Falconridge Boulevard was closed in both directions between Castleridge Boulevard and McKnight Boulevard Northeast earlier in the day.
The post also said various roads are closed in the area and motorists are advised to use different routes.
Police said they continue to work with partners to ensure public safety and are actively investigating all associated criminal activity including violence and property damage.
Lambros Kiriakakos, chairperson of the Coalition of Eritrean Canadian Communities and Organizations, said the group is concerned about the attacks against Eritrean communities across Europe, Israel and North America.
“Unless arrests are made by the police and charges laid, I’m afraid these violent attacks against us will continue,” the statement read.
Michael Teclemariam, host of the Eritrean Radio Show on CJSW 90.9 FM in Calgary, said the conflict isn’t new and has been going on for years.
“They’ve seen a lot things. They’ve seen war and torture and imprisonment, so when they come here and they see a festival they take their frustrations out,” he told Global News. “However, this doesn’t mean they should be using violence.
“The festivals are legitimate if they’re actually teaching kids the culture and providing entertainment, but if you celebrate with propaganda to spread the regime, they are saying it’s a no-no.”
Teclemariam said a lot of Eritrean community members feel divided and scared.
“I’m not happy with what happened. I’m saddened because they are all fleeing and becoming refugees in Canada and now they are fighting each other. It’s unfortunate,” he said.
“We are all brothers and sisters. We can have different ideologies about the regime, whether it’s right or wrong, but we cannot fight each other. We cannot be violent with each other here because we have a purpose why we are here.”
On Monday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek called Saturday’s clash “incredibly troubling” and thanked Calgary police for having a plan to handle the violence that quickly escalated.
“There’s been a lot of damage done to private property and I would encourage Calgarians to ensure that they’re contacting their insurance companies to have that taken care of,” Gondek said. “And the police service, from what I understand, are investigating, continuing to figure out what happened and how to mitigate this type of thing in the future.”
She noted police are speaking with members of Calgary’s Eritrean community as part of the investigation and future mitigation.
“I think we’re all very aware that global politics does play out in local venues as well, but we need to make sure that it’s not doing this in a violent way.”
–With files from Saba Aziz and Adam Toy, Global News.
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