FRAMED
Edmonton police deny statue vandalism charge an attempt to 'discredit a critic'
Jonny Wakefield - Yesterday
Duncan Kinney at a demonstration outside the Alberta legislature in 2017. He is currently charged with mischief for vandalizing a statue of Roman Shukhevych at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in 2021.© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Edmonton police are responding after the man accused of vandalizing a statue he later wrote about claimed the charge was an attempt to intimidate a critical journalist.
On Monday, Progress Report writer Duncan Kinney addressed the mischief charge laid against him Oct. 14, claiming it “appears to be an attempt by the EPS to silence and discredit a critic.”
Police responded to Kinney’s claim Tuesday.
“The Edmonton Police Service sees this as a serious allegation,” spokeswoman Cheryl Sheppard said in an email.
“(EPS’s) general counsel and head of professional standards branch has reached out to Mr. Kinney through (Tom Engel, Kinney’s lawyer) asking for information about Mr. Kinney’s conspiracy allegation,” she said, referring to the branch of the service that investigates misconduct allegations.
“Unfortunately, they are refusing to provide any information or clarification to substantiate this accusation,” Sheppard said. “We do note that EPS did consult with the Alberta Crown Prosecution (Service) prior to laying the charge against Mr. Kinney.”
The charge relates to vandalism of the Ukrainian Youth Unity Centre’s statue of Roman Shukhevych, which in August 2021 was painted with the words “Actual Nazi,” a reference to the nationalist figure’s collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
A screenshot of an Aug. 10, 2021, article on the Progress Report regarding the vandalism of a statue of Roman Shukhevych at Edmonton’s Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex.© Screenshot
Kinney wrote about the statue before and after the vandalism, claiming in a story on the Progress Report that an “ unknown person or persons” had defaced the monument.
Engel confirmed he had been contacted by EPS’s lawyers. “I simply said that he would not be commenting.”
“I’m not sure why they’re characterizing this as a conspiracy,” he added. “But in relation to Mr. Kinney’s comment, all I can say would be ‘stay tuned.'”
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Kinney said Tuesday that Engel is still waiting to receive full evidence disclosure from the Crown. He said he could not discuss specifics of the case but vowed to “ mount a vigorous defence, if it comes to that.”
Kinney’s first court date is Nov. 10.
Progress Report describes itself as an “independent and proudly left-wing media project produced by Progress Alberta.” Edmonton police revoked the site’s media accreditation in February.
Jonny Wakefield - Yesterday
Duncan Kinney at a demonstration outside the Alberta legislature in 2017. He is currently charged with mischief for vandalizing a statue of Roman Shukhevych at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in 2021.© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Edmonton police are responding after the man accused of vandalizing a statue he later wrote about claimed the charge was an attempt to intimidate a critical journalist.
On Monday, Progress Report writer Duncan Kinney addressed the mischief charge laid against him Oct. 14, claiming it “appears to be an attempt by the EPS to silence and discredit a critic.”
Police responded to Kinney’s claim Tuesday.
“The Edmonton Police Service sees this as a serious allegation,” spokeswoman Cheryl Sheppard said in an email.
“(EPS’s) general counsel and head of professional standards branch has reached out to Mr. Kinney through (Tom Engel, Kinney’s lawyer) asking for information about Mr. Kinney’s conspiracy allegation,” she said, referring to the branch of the service that investigates misconduct allegations.
“Unfortunately, they are refusing to provide any information or clarification to substantiate this accusation,” Sheppard said. “We do note that EPS did consult with the Alberta Crown Prosecution (Service) prior to laying the charge against Mr. Kinney.”
The charge relates to vandalism of the Ukrainian Youth Unity Centre’s statue of Roman Shukhevych, which in August 2021 was painted with the words “Actual Nazi,” a reference to the nationalist figure’s collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
A screenshot of an Aug. 10, 2021, article on the Progress Report regarding the vandalism of a statue of Roman Shukhevych at Edmonton’s Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex.© Screenshot
Kinney wrote about the statue before and after the vandalism, claiming in a story on the Progress Report that an “ unknown person or persons” had defaced the monument.
Engel confirmed he had been contacted by EPS’s lawyers. “I simply said that he would not be commenting.”
“I’m not sure why they’re characterizing this as a conspiracy,” he added. “But in relation to Mr. Kinney’s comment, all I can say would be ‘stay tuned.'”
Related
Police charge journalist with 2021 vandalism of controversial Edmonton Ukrainian centre statue
Kinney said Tuesday that Engel is still waiting to receive full evidence disclosure from the Crown. He said he could not discuss specifics of the case but vowed to “ mount a vigorous defence, if it comes to that.”
Kinney’s first court date is Nov. 10.
Progress Report describes itself as an “independent and proudly left-wing media project produced by Progress Alberta.” Edmonton police revoked the site’s media accreditation in February.
Jonny Wakefield - Monday
The operator of a left-wing news website charged with vandalizing a statue of a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator has broken his silence for the first time since his arrest.
Duncan Kinney, executive director of Progress Alberta, speaks at an Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission hearing in 2017. Kinney is currently charged with mischief for allegedly spray painting a statue he later wrote about.© Provided by Edmonton Journal
On Monday, Duncan Kinney said he intends to plead not guilty to the charge of mischief under $5,000 police laid against him Oct. 14, claiming in a post on the Progress Report news site that the charge “appears to be an attempt by the EPS to silence and discredit a critic.”
“However, the advice from my lawyer on this is clear,” Kinney said. “I (cannot) talk about the substance of the case. But I can promise you that I will mount a vigorous defence, if it comes to that.”
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In August 2021, a statue of Roman Shukhevych outside the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in north Edmonton was marked in red paint with the words “Actual Nazi.” Shukhevych, a Ukrainian who fought alongside Nazi Germany, has been implicated in massacres of Jews and Poles but has been reclaimed in some circles as a heroic nationalist figure for his resistance to the Soviet Union.
Local Ukrainian groups have dismissed criticism of Shukhevych as Russian misinformation. A memorial at St. Michael’s cemetery to Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the Second World War was also painted with the words “Nazi Monument 14th Waffen SS,” though no one has been charged in that incident.
A volunteer washes spray paint off the Roman Shukhevych statue at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex, 9615 153 Ave., in Edmonton on Aug. 10, 2021.
David Bloom/Postmedia
Kinney, a writer and editor with Progress Alberta, wrote about the Shukhevych statue both before and after the 2021 vandalism, writing in an Aug. 10, 2021, post that “an unknown person or persons” painted the statue. He added, “It’s unclear when this happened but pictures of both defaced monuments were sent to the Progress Report on Aug. 10, 2021.”
Kinney has since wrangled with the Edmonton Police Service over Progress Report’s media accreditation, which was revoked in February. Kinney claimed the move was in response to critical reporting on the service.
Kinney interviewed by police for half-hour
In his statement Monday, Kinney said he was arrested outside his office around 9 a.m. by a constable with the EPS hate crimes and violent extremism unit. He said he was handcuffed, placed in an unmarked police vehicle and taken to police headquarters where he was “interrogated” by another officer for around a half-hour.
Kinney said he refused to answer any questions and was released on an undertaking. He said his Nov. 10 court date is a “purely administrative event” because his lawyer has not yet been given evidence disclosure by the police.
In a statement last week, Edmonton police spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout said EPS consulted with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service before laying the charge, an extra step which only occurs in some cases. EPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
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