A 72-year-old Edgewood, B.C. woman says she was attacked outside her home last month in an incident now linked to ongoing protests at the nearby Universal Ostrich Farm.
Lois Wood, who lives next to the farm, said the assault happened early on the morning of Sept. 22. According to her, she opened her front door to find a man reaching for a lighter after pouring gasoline across her property.
She says she bit the man’s arm in an attempt to stop him, but was punched and left soaked in fuel.
“I had gas poured all over me, face, hands, shoes, coat. I got my flip phone out and he ran away. Called a few friends to call 911 for me,” said Wood.
RCMP say officers were made aware of the alleged assault and attempted arson shortly after arriving at the farm.
“Shortly after Crew BC arrived at the farm, we became aware the Nakusp RCMP had received a report of an alleged assault and arson attempt at a neighbouring property,” said Staff Sgt. Kris Clark of the BC RCMP.
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Clark confirmed the suspect was released on conditions, including no contact with the victim and a no-go order for the property.
“Certainly a concern,” he added. “However, mitigated by police presence.”
Protests have been ongoing at the Universal Ostrich Farm for several months, with demonstrators calling on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to reverse a cull order affecting nearly 400 ostriches. This is the first confirmed violent incident connected to the protests.
Farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney said the individual involved in the incident is no longer connected to the farm.
“That person has had no more contact with this farm, our family, or our cause,” she said. “That person was escorted out.”
Pasitney condemned the attack and said it does not reflect the values of those involved in the protest effort.
“Our family farm and supporters were heartbroken by the incident,” she said. “It was a senseless act of violence that does not at all hold a place in anything that we’ve been fighting for for the last 10 months. Nobody should ever have to go through that.”
Wood told Global News the attack came after months of harassment from individuals associated with the farm’s supporters. Pasitney said steps have been taken to remove anyone displaying aggressive or extreme behaviour.
“If there is anybody here that has had any kind of aggression — or we even can see is not meshing well with everybody else because they might have extreme views — we have isolated those incidents and asked them to leave,” she said.
RCMP are continuing to investigate.
Officers are maintaining a presence at the property. That will continue, according to authorities, until the CFIA directs otherwise.
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