Charges laid following alleged assault on journalist at anti-M-103 rally
Kevin Metcalf was allegedly assaulted and threatened last month at Nathan Phillips Square
Police have charged one man and are hoping to identify another suspect in connection with the assault of a journalist in Toronto last month at a rally against M-103 — a parliamentary motion condemning Islamophobia, religious discrimination and racism.
According to Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu with Toronto Police, a 22-year-old Richmond Hill man turned himself in to police on Tuesday and has been charged with assault.
Officers are still looking for another person involved in the attack.
Kevin Metcalf, a promotions and communications coordinator for Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), was filming at a demonstration on May 6 in Nathan Phillips Square, when he says he was greeted by name by opponents of M-103, clad in body armour and paramilitary-style fatigues.
Metcalf said they physically assaulted him and threatened him with death.
"We're not f--king around here. You're going to get killed," one person is heard saying in video footage of the incident.
M-103 was tabled in the House of Commons in December 2016 by MP Iqra Khalid to "condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination." The House of Commons passed the non-binding motion in March by a vote of 201-97.
Those opposed to the motion have said it is a threat to free speech, and have held demonstrations in cities across the country, including on Saturday, to voice their concern.
In Toronto, demonstrators on both sides have faced off in the square in front of city hall on the first Saturday of every month for the past five months.