Activist charged after hate crime probe

Woman accused of mischief for reporting assault police say did not happen

KITCHENER — A woman who said she was attacked with red paint over her pro-choice activism has been charged with mischief. Police now say the assault never occurred. On March 6 a woman claimed a man shouted “murderer” at her and threw a can of red paint in her face at a Tim Hortons near downtown Kitchener. Police investigated it as a hate crime.

The attack reportedly happened near the office of the SHORE centre, formerly known as Planned Parenthood. The King Street office then went on lockdown to avoid any potential danger to its staff.

At the time, the alleged victim said she did not want to speak publicly, saying that she’d previously been harassed and threatened at her home because of her activism. She was described as a woman who is often involved in local rallies.

“At the conclusion of the investigation, detectives have determined the assault did not take place,” said Cherri Greeno, spokesperson for Waterloo Regional Police.

Charged is a Kitchener woman, 41. SHORE, which has ended its lockdown, issued a statement that said: “SHORE Centre would like to thank the Waterloo Regional Police Service for their support over the past few weeks and for their thorough investigation.” The agency is seeking Ontario approval for a legislated safe zone, roughly a block in all directions around its office, to prohibit protests, pickets, leaflets or interactions with staff or patients. Executive director Lyndsey Butcher said the office hasn’t seen any abortion critics, but expects it might soon attract more attention now that it helps to distribute a prescribed abortion pill.

“We think it’s sort of only a matter of time,” she said.