Calgary police are vowing to hold to account those responsible for one of the worst bouts of “political violence” in the city’s history, according to the city’s top cop..Chief Mark Neufeld told reporters on Tuesday the Calgary Police Service (CPS) has formed a special unit to begin reviewing cell cam video and CCTV footage to find those responsible for a weekend brawl that sent 12 members of the Eritrean community to hospital on Saturday..“As police, our main goal is to keep Calgary safe and to hold those who commit criminal acts accountable and we will do that,” he said. .“This is really the largest violent event to happen in our city in recent memory. If you think about the numbers of people that were involved in this, we are actively investigating this incident and we will hold those responsible for the criminal activity that took place there.”.The “clash” — in Neufeld’s words — erupted after rival factions either for or opposed to the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, who has presided over a repressive regime in the African nation since 1991, confronted each other in a Falconridge parking lot with bricks, bats — and even hockey sticks — at what was ostensibly billed as a "cultural festival.".It follows similar clashes in the Eritrean communities of Toronto, Edmonton and even Tel Aviv in recent days. Neufeld admitted the CPS was expecting a similar incident here, but just didn’t think it would erupt in Falconridge..“I think it's fairly clear to me that after what happened in Toronto and after what happened in Edmonton that violence was pretty much a predetermined outcome here,” he said..Neufeld repeatedly described the violence as “bananas” and said it has “no place” in Calgary. Officers who arrived on scene — by bike — had no protective gear such as shields, unlike the perpetrators, who donned hockey equipment..That said, no officers or bystanders were injured as they tried to separate the two sides. Neufeld confirmed all 12 people admitted to hospital were participants..Although he would have preferred to see arrests made on scene, Neufeld said it is important to single out only what he called a “small minority” and not the broader community which he said remains cooperative with local authorities..He was reluctant to single out local politicians and community members for a tepid response, but said it’s important to have that discussion at some point. On Monday Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek called the incident “troubling” without singling out any particular group or community..“It's an interesting question I think because this is a very much a politically driven bit of violence,” Neufeld said. .“We don't pick a right or wrong in discussions with the community. I do appreciate how complex this issue is and how how deeply emotional it is. I think some of our political leaders and community leaders will probably engage the community around this and be able to tell some of those stories better than anybody can tell it on social media or print media.”.“At the end of the day we're not policing ideologies, we don’t get on one side or the other of this. This is around behavior for us, and the very same behaviour that we've seen in other cities and it's not okay. It's not okay in our city.”
Calgary police are vowing to hold to account those responsible for one of the worst bouts of “political violence” in the city’s history, according to the city’s top cop..Chief Mark Neufeld told reporters on Tuesday the Calgary Police Service (CPS) has formed a special unit to begin reviewing cell cam video and CCTV footage to find those responsible for a weekend brawl that sent 12 members of the Eritrean community to hospital on Saturday..“As police, our main goal is to keep Calgary safe and to hold those who commit criminal acts accountable and we will do that,” he said. .“This is really the largest violent event to happen in our city in recent memory. If you think about the numbers of people that were involved in this, we are actively investigating this incident and we will hold those responsible for the criminal activity that took place there.”.The “clash” — in Neufeld’s words — erupted after rival factions either for or opposed to the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, who has presided over a repressive regime in the African nation since 1991, confronted each other in a Falconridge parking lot with bricks, bats — and even hockey sticks — at what was ostensibly billed as a "cultural festival.".It follows similar clashes in the Eritrean communities of Toronto, Edmonton and even Tel Aviv in recent days. Neufeld admitted the CPS was expecting a similar incident here, but just didn’t think it would erupt in Falconridge..“I think it's fairly clear to me that after what happened in Toronto and after what happened in Edmonton that violence was pretty much a predetermined outcome here,” he said..Neufeld repeatedly described the violence as “bananas” and said it has “no place” in Calgary. Officers who arrived on scene — by bike — had no protective gear such as shields, unlike the perpetrators, who donned hockey equipment..That said, no officers or bystanders were injured as they tried to separate the two sides. Neufeld confirmed all 12 people admitted to hospital were participants..Although he would have preferred to see arrests made on scene, Neufeld said it is important to single out only what he called a “small minority” and not the broader community which he said remains cooperative with local authorities..He was reluctant to single out local politicians and community members for a tepid response, but said it’s important to have that discussion at some point. On Monday Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek called the incident “troubling” without singling out any particular group or community..“It's an interesting question I think because this is a very much a politically driven bit of violence,” Neufeld said. .“We don't pick a right or wrong in discussions with the community. I do appreciate how complex this issue is and how how deeply emotional it is. I think some of our political leaders and community leaders will probably engage the community around this and be able to tell some of those stories better than anybody can tell it on social media or print media.”.“At the end of the day we're not policing ideologies, we don’t get on one side or the other of this. This is around behavior for us, and the very same behaviour that we've seen in other cities and it's not okay. It's not okay in our city.”
