RCMP Cpl. Nick Doyle confirmed on Thursday morning that the arrests of two men, a 24-year-old and a 28-year-old, took place on Wednesday. “They were both arrested yesterday and later released from custody,” Doyle said. “It’s an ongoing investigation, but, yes, we expect at least one more arrest.” No charges have yet been filed, he said. Assault and battery charges are pending. In the early hours of Saturday morning, after a dance at the Abram-Village held as part of the four-day Farm Fair and Acadian Festival, five people were involved in an incident that sent two people to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. tell the RCMP. The French-speaking Integration Cooperative of l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, which provides assistance to French-speaking immigrants in PEI, condemned the incident as racially motivated. These acts of violence do not at all reflect the vision and values of the Acadian and Francophone community of the Evangeline region.— Edgar Arsenault “We are relieved to be able to take the next steps and grieve for all involved,” said the organization’s director, Angie Cormier, upon hearing the news of the arrests. Prime Minister Denis King, Opposition Leader Peter Bevan-Baker and local MP Sonny Gallant have issued statements expressing outrage.
Pledge to ‘fight against these attitudes’
The Société acadienne et francophone de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, a group representing PEI’s Acadian and French-speaking community, also issued a statement Thursday condemning the attacks. “These acts are completely unacceptable and as president of SAF’Île, I offer my personal commitment to fight these behaviors so they don’t happen again,” said Edgar Arsenault. “We are shocked by what happened and it is important to emphasize that these acts of violence do not at all reflect the vision and values of the Acadian and Francophone community of the Evangeline region or Prince Edward Island.” Arsenault suggested that an ongoing conversation is needed for PEI about barriers to integration and immigrant integration. “We want the immigrants who settled here to succeed, so let’s commit, together, to doing the work necessary to make everyone feel welcome and know they have a place in our community, just like every Islander does,” he said. . At this stage of the investigation, Doyle said, it is too early to speculate on the motives of the two men, adding that racism has no place in the PEI community. RCMP are still looking for witnesses and Doyle urged anyone with information, particularly video of the incident, to come forward.
