Yellowknifers gather to condemn verdict in Jian Ghomeshi trial
'We've got a large group of people who are very unhappy about the outcome,' organizer says
About two dozen people in Yellowknife gathered at Somba K'e Park Saturday to show support for victims of sexual assault in the wake of the acquittal of former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
Ghomeshi was found not guilty Thursday of four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking.
Organizer Nancy Vail said many people in the N.W.T. are angry at the verdict.
"We've got a large group of people in Yellowknife who are very unhappy about the outcome of the Ghomeshi trial and proceedings and they want to give voice to what happened," she said.
Vail said people are also angry at the way the justice system treats victims of sexual assault in general, adding last week's verdict only makes it more difficult for survivors to come forward.
That's especially a problem in in the N.W.T., Vail said, where the rate of sexual assault is more than five times higher than the national average.
"It's often the most vulnerable who end up in these situations and it's hard for them to come forward anyway," she said.
Saturday's protest was hastily organized and promoted by word of mouth and social media. Vail said organizers also got a boost from Yellowknife singer Greyson Gritt, who promoted the event during a Friday concert.
"I hope this is the first of more to come," Vail said.
Since the verdict, similar protests have taken place in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.
With files from Mardy Derby and Sara Minogue