Edmonton Police Say Arrests Were Made At Friday's Protest & A Cop Was Assaulted

A recent protest in Edmonton resulted in some police intervention. Edmonton Police Service (EPS) announced that a few arrests were made following the protest on Friday, June 5. In one of those altercations, a police officer was reportedly assaulted as well. 

In a statement sent to Narcity, EPS media officer Carolin Maran said that the first arrest was made after a male damaged a cop car. "One male was arrested and charged with mischief after a police vehicle had its window smashed," the statement read. 

On Saturday, June 6, at approximately 12:00 p.m., "a male demonstrator was reportedly blocking a police vehicle in the intersection and then smashed the vehicle with his sign," said Maran. 

The man was released a short time later with an appearance notice. "During this incident, a female demonstrator also reportedly struck a police officer in the face," said Maran. 

The woman was briefly detained and then released. According to Maran, "No charges have been laid in relation to the assault and officers continue to investigate." 

The EPS officer who was reportedly assaulted did not sustain any injuries. 

Outside of the two arrests, no other arrests were made and EPS did not issue any public health violation tickets at the event. 

The protest was called "A Fight For Equity" and it was organized by the Black Lives Matter chapter of Edmonton. The organizers said on a Facebook post that more than 15,000 Edmonontians turned up for the protest at the Alberta Legislature Grounds. 

Narcity reached out to the group for comment regarding the arrests and we will update this article when we have more information. 

According to Maran of EPS, following the main event at the Legislature, a "smaller group of a few hundred demonstrators marched throughout the downtown core, briefly stopping at several locations before proceeding south of the river to the Whyte Avenue area."

Edmonton Police was present to help with traffic as the smaller group marched, the statement said. 

The police also stated that they received a report of a "suspicious package" found at the Legislature during the event. 

"The EPS Explosives Disposal Unit attended and determined the package was a backpack that may have been left behind by an attendee," said Maran. 

This isn't the first protest in Canada following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota that resulted in arrests. In fact, a person showed up wearing blackface at Toronto's protest over the weekend and was reportedly arrested. 

This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.