A violent weekend clash between the Aryan Guard and anti-racist protestors has a Calgary activist calling for an independent review of police conduct.
Grant Neufeld, a well-known local social activist, claims he was assaulted by a member of the Aryan Guard at a raucous showdown between two groups Saturday, and his pleas to police to charge his assailant, he says, were ignored.
“I’ll be calling on city council to open an inquiry into police conduct — the police were not fulfilling their responsibility and decided to ignore violent actions that took place,” he said, noting the same applies to anti-racist activists who went too far.
“Whether it’s the protestors I was there with or the Aryan Guard, anyone committing violence should be held to account for it.”
Ald. John Mar, a former Mountie and member of the Calgary Police Commission, said city council stays at arms length from police operations and any review would have to be sought through its professional standards section.
“The police were there to keep the peace and if they weren’t there, you’d have 500 protestors to 60 neo-nazis, and what do you think the odds are on that one?” he said, noting any review would have oversight from the civilian police commission.
