Frances Widdowson was arrest at the University of Victoria on Tuesday after being told that she and OneBC leader Dallas Brodie were not welcome.The pair and their crew had planned on holding an event to discuss the claim that Canada committed genocide against indigenous people, however they were told by school officials 24 hours earlier to stay off campus.."This event has not been submitted through our booking processes and there is not enough time between now and your event to ensure adequate safety planning is in place," Campus Security Services Director Jess Maclean told Widdowson via email on Monday. "As such, you are not permitted to attend University of Victoria property for the purpose of speaking publicly, nor is this event permitted.".Widdowson and the OneBC team showed up on campus shortly after noon..Just minutes later, they were confronted by members of the Saanich Police Department, Central Saanich Police Department, and Victoria Police Department. Following a brief, peaceful altercation, Widdowson was arrested and escorted off the property to a nearby police station..According to witnesses on X, dozens of people showed up to protest Widdowson and OneBC's presence, many of them wearing Orange Shirts and carrying signs..OneBC Outreach Director Kris Eriksen explained that a notice of trespass had been issued, and Brodie made the call to abide by it and not get arrested themselves.."The police could easily control this crowd," Brodie told Rebel News' Drea Humphrey before shifting her attention to the BC NDP. "This administration needs to be called out for this behaviour ... They're very afraid, because if there was no fear, they'd just allow people to speak."She went on to suggest that "when you've been told a lie, the truth is very scary," and that people are "struggling to understand that they've been told a lie.".Widdowson began teaching at Mount Royal University in 2008, and was granted tenure three years later. In 2021, however, she was fired for going against the prevailing narrative on issues such as Black Lives Matter, transgender rights, and truth and reconciliation.Since then, she has focused almost exclusively on the latter, countering claims that 215 bodies were found in a mass grave at Kamloops residential school and arguing that Canada did not commit a genocide against indigenous people.In 2024, an arbitrator ruled that MRU's decision to fire her was disproportionate to her conduct, and while she was not reinstated, financial compensation was awarded.Wherever Widdowson tries to speak, protestors seem to follow, often preventing her from expressing her views. Nonetheless, she has found allies in OneBC and Brodie, who has championed her cause.
