woman describes being swarmed by group of armed men at northeast calgary riot
'i just covered my face with my arms'
2 minute read
the windows and glass doors of a business at falconridge plaza were shattered and broken during a clash between two eritrean groups with conflicting views of their home country’s politics. photos were captured on monday, sept. 4, 2023.
azin ghaffari/postmedia
a group of stick-wielding and rock-throwing rioters attacked a woman outside a northeast calgary banquet hall, court heard wednesday.
tahani osman, who initially refused to be sworn to testify, gave evidence she was involved in a celebration of an eritrean holiday at the magnolia banquet hall when she was swarmed while heading home to change.
osman initially refused to affirm when she took the witness stand mid-morning, saying “no” when asked if she would provide “nothing but the truth.”
justice lloyd robertson then adjourned the trial until the afternoon sitting, advising the witness she should speak to counsel in the interim.
osman returned and gave testimony at the trial of five men accused of taking part in a riot during a clash of opposing members of calgary’s eritrean community.
along with a charge of participating in a riot, aman araya michael, musie estifanos, gebrekid hailemariam, yamin okubahanes and amanuel sium face allegations of possession of a dangerous weapon and assaulting osman with a weapon in connection with the sept. 2, 2023, incident.
okubahanes faces an additional charge of mischief to property.
osman told crown prosecutor martha o’connor she tripped outside the banquet hall and was attacked by 10 to 15 men wearing blue shirts to symbolize their opposition to the eritrean government.
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she admitted turtling, with her arms protecting her face and head while she raised her knees up over her chest, as the group descended on her.
“i saw a bunch of guys around the corner who came and started assaulting me, maybe 10 to 15 guys,” osman said.
“i just covered my face with my arms,” said the witness, telling o’connor she was assaulted “with rocks, with sticks and poles.”
she said she was able to identify one of her attackers as the assault began, pointing out okubahanes in the courtroom.
she also said she had nothing in her hands at the time, including any bear spray or aerosol.
the windows and glass doors of a business at falconridge plaza were shattered and broken during a clash between two eritrean groups with conflicting views of their home country’s politics. photos were captured on monday, sept. 4, 2023.
azin ghaffari/postmedia
in a statement to police by sium played in court monday, det. david hsu showed him a video clip where he repeatedly appeared to strike a woman with the accused indicating she had discharged something like bear spray at his group before he hit her.
under cross-examination by defence counsel alain hepner, who acts for all five accused, osman said she had seen okubahanes on a live tiktok video from an earlier protest in edmonton so she was able to recognize him.
“no, i’m sure,” osman said.
o’connor closed the crown’s case at the conclusion of osman’s testimony.
hepner told robertson he will know by thursday whether he plans to call any evidence but will ask the judge at that time to adjourn the trial to a later date for either more testimony, or arguments on the admissibility of statements given by the accused.
