The head of the Black Lives Matter movement in the Canadian city of Calgary is facing hate crime charges after allegedly impeding access to a Catholic school.
Court records show that Adora Nwofor, who is also a prominent abortion activist, was charged on June 2nd in connection with an incident that occurred on May 26. The charges claim that Nwofor was “wilfully obstructing and interfering” with the use of a property “primarily used for religious worship and educational purposes.”
The documents, first obtained by The Calgary Herald, add that her justification for interfering with St. Thomas Aquinas School in Calgary was “for reasons of bias, prejudice, or hate based on race or ethnic origin.”
She made an appearance through a video connection before a justice of the peace. She was granted release on a non-cash bail, with the stipulation that she maintains no contact with the staff and faculty of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Nwofor holds the position of president for Black Lives Matter YYC and has been a vigorous advocate against the right to life. In May 2022, she led a demonstration at Olympic Plaza to object to the anticipated overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision that had previously granted the legalization of abortion in the U.S.
During a rally in May last year, Nwofor also expressed concern that the U.S. decision might ultimately have repercussions on the pro-choice movement in Canada. Abortions are currently decriminalized and paid for with public funds, although the provision of services is regulated by individual provinces.
“Very often the decisions that are made in the States impact Canadians,” Nwofor said at the time. “They are planning to keep pushing their pro-life point of view.”
Nwofor is not the only local Black Lives Matter activist facing charges of misconduct. Among them is Taylor McNallie, who will receive her verdict on Thursday over claims she assaulted an off-duty sheriff outside the Calgary Courts Centre.
She stands accused of assaulting Elena Cunningham with a megaphone in April 2021, at a demonstration against the assault of a Black woman by a Calgary police officer.
However, she testified that she was merely attempting to recover her cell, which Cunningham had taken while McNallie was attempting to film her. She claimed this led her to inadvertently strike Cunningham. McNallie is also facing charges for dousing a photographer with water and damaging his glasses a week prior to the aforementioned incident.
The Black Lives Matter YYC website describes itself as having “began humbly as a collection of activists and advocates who share a single vision: the empowerment of all members of the Black community and to continue the fight to end systemic discrimination in all of its forms.”
The website’s About section continues:
We seek to centre Black voices in everything we do, whilst simultaneously engaging with the many intersections that exist underneath the Black umbrella. BLM YYC seeks to engage with the Calgary community to build up the foundation of an inclusive, equitable, and safe city that every Calgarian deserves. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
