Woman arrested after altercation with anti-racism protesters outside Richmond courthouse, RCMP say
Police in Richmond say they are still investigating after an altercation between anti-racism protesters and a woman outside the city's courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.
The 44-year-old woman from Vancouver has been arrested and released on a promise to appear in court on Oct. 20, Richmond RCMP say in a news release issued Thursday.
Police have not named the woman. They say she faces possible charges of assault and mischief.
The arrest stems from an incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. outside Richmond provincial court.
Several protesters were outside the courthouse because the two people accused in an alleged hate incident in a Steveston coffee shop in March were scheduled to appear in court that afternoon.
A separate confrontation between protesters and the man facing a charge of mischief in that case was caught on camera Wednesday afternoon.
Police say demonstrators told them that the woman exited the courthouse and confronted them, "hitting several of them and damaging at least one cell phone in the process."
No one was seriously injured in the incident, police say.
Richmond RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Ian Henderson says in the news release that reports that the woman's motivation for confronting the protesters was anti-Asian sentiment "may be inaccurate."
“Initial information suggests the accused had been at the courthouse on a completely unrelated matter, and took offence to being video recorded by demonstrators," Henderson says. "Richmond RCMP investigators continue to investigate this matter fully, and we encourage the public to reserve judgment at least until the investigation is complete."
Multiple protesters have contacted CTV News Vancouver to say that the woman was a passerby. They allege that she started the confrontation by smashing protesters' signs near the street before entering the building, and became violent when the demonstrators attempted to ask why she had done so.
“Hate has no place in Richmond, and we support those in our community who are standing up against it," Henderson says in the release. “But initial media reports alleging that this matter was yet another hate incident may be inaccurate."
CTV News did not describe the incident as an anti-Asian hate crime in its reporting on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.