'We are shocked': French community leader condemns attack at P.E.I. festival

Prince Edward Island's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Monday, July 6, 2020. Another essential worker has tested positive for COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

The president of a group representing Prince Edward Island’s Acadian and francophone community says the attack on two people at an Acadian festival in the Evangeline region last weekend is “absolutely unacceptable.”

Edgar Arsenault, president of the Société Acadienne et Francophone de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard (SAF’Île), says the incident does not reflect the values of residents in the area.

“We are shocked by what happened,” said Arsenault in a news release. “Our community prides itself on its openness and works hard to create a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment,”

The statement comes after reports that an employee and a client of a group that helps French-speaking newcomers settle in the province were assaulted at the Acadian Festival and Agricultural Exhibition in Abrams Village, P.E.I.

“I am confident that as community members we will rally around those who have suffered these acts and offer to support them with the generosity that I know we have,” said Arsenault.

The incident highlights the need for “sustained conversation” about the issues faced by immigrants in the region, he says.

He adds that Acadians and francophones want newcomers to the region to be successful, and he hopes to make everyone “feel welcome and know they have a place in our community, just as every Islander does."

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King condemned the attack in a statement Wednesday, calling it “an act of racism and hate.”

“The news of the events that transpired in the Evangeline region this past weekend are deeply troubling and concerning,” said King.

“This is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in our province.”

The RCMP has confirmed that officers responded to a disturbance outside the Evangeline Recreation Centre in Abram-Village, P.E.I., around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

When officers arrived, they learned at least five people had been involved in an altercation in the parking lot.

Two men were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. They have since been released from hospital.

According to the Francophone integration cooperative (CIF), an employee and immigrant client were assaulted on the weekend. The group alleges the men were “physically and verbally attacked” after a dance Friday night.

In a statement Sunday, the CIF condemned what it says were “acts of racist violence.”

“These acts of violence do not reflect the heart of the community, and it is the entire community that rejects them,” said CIF President Yvonne Gallant.

“The people of the Evangeline area do not accept this kind of violence and racism.”

King echoed that sentiment, stating that the festival, which celebrates P.E.I.’s Acadian and Francophone community, has “been tarnished after an act of racism and hate.”

“No matter how you identify, who you love, who you worship, what color your skin is, where you are born, or what language you speak – everyone in this province has the right to celebrate who they are and who they desire to be,” said King.

“I’m calling on all Islanders to condemn any acts of violence and hate and speak out when these acts occur. Intolerance and discrimination have no place in our province.”

Meanwhile, police are urging anyone who witnessed the altercation, captured images or video of the incident, or has information that could help with the investigation, to contact the East Prince RCMP at 902-436-9300.