A member from Ryerson’s pro-choice group has been charged with assault and assault with a weapon.
Gabriela Skwarko, a member of Ryerson’s Reproductive Justice Collective (RJC) group, turned herself in to Toronto police on Friday evening.
The charges were laid following a confrontation on Oct. 1 between a woman and members of the Toronto Against Abortion (TAA) group.
A video capturing the incident, which happened on Ryerson’s campus at the intersection of Gould and Victoria Streets, had been circulating online and was being investigated by police.
A week after the assault occurred, the Ryersonian spoke with Blaise Alleyne, the assistant leader for TAA’s Ryerson team. Alleyne, along with TAA member Katie Somers, were the victims of the attack.
At the time, Alleyne had said he was quite confused about what had provoked someone to become violent. He said TAA members had been talking with RJC members and were packing up for the day when a woman got physical.
“I didn’t even see her. I just felt a kick against the stack of signs that I was leaning on and then the next thing I know I was shoved, and she came over the signs,” said Alleyne. Alleyne said the woman then tossed a metal dolly, which holds the signs, and sign clamps at Alleyne and Somers. Eventually, the woman began pushing and shoving Somers, throwing her water bottle on the ground.
After the altercation, Alleyne filed a report with Toronto police, campus security and Ryerson’s conduct office.
“We have faced a string of incidents from the Reproductive Justice Collective. This is not the first time I’ve had to contact police. I’ve probably filed 10 or more police reports.”
The Ryersonian has reached out to the RJC for comment but has yet to hear back.
Skwarko was released by police on certain conditions and is set to appear in court on Dec. 13.
Jennifer La Grassa is a health and science reporter who enjoys writing about the intersectionality between Canadian healthcare and socio-cultural issues. When she's not chasing down a story, she's still consuming copious amounts of caffeine while completing a puzzle or reading a good book.
