OneBC group ‘facilitated’ off UBC campus by RCMP amid safety fears

VANCOUVER — The University of British Columbia says RCMP officers “facilitated” a group of people from the OneBC party off its Vancouver campus after they failed to follow instructions to leave for their own safety, with one of the group being carried away by police.

The group led by B.C. MLA and party leader Dallas Brodie — who has disputed accounts of unmarked graves at residential schools — had shown up for what UBC called a “protest event” in front of its Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

They were met by a large group of counter protesters, who can be seen on social media videos jeering at the OneBC group.

Brodie said in a social media video that although the event generally “went really well,“ she was later assaulted multiple times by a “mob.”

She had appeared with OneBC candidate Jim McMurtry and former Mount Royal University professor Frances Widdowson, who was seen on social media videos being picked up and carried away horizontally by three RCMP officers.

UBC said in a statement that when it “became clear that there were potential safety risks,” Brodie’s group was told to leave.

“As the visitors were not following these instructions, RCMP then facilitated their departure from campus,” the statement said.

“The university is not aware of any arrests or injuries during this protest and any questions about RCMP actions are best addressed by RCMP.”

UBC said it is “fundamentally committed to upholding free inquiry, the free exchange of ideas and opinion, academic freedom, diversity of perspective, and reasoned debate.”

RCMP said in a news release one person was arrested and later released without charges.

The release said Mounties were present to ensure everyone’s safety.

“During the course of the event, a group in protest of the event was also present. The situation escalated to a point where police intervention became necessary to maintain public safety. As a result, the involved parties were separated to prevent further escalation,” the release said.

Brodie did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both McMurtry and Widdowson have questioned a May 2021 announcement that more than 200 suspected unmarked graves had been identified on the grounds of a former Kamloops residential school.

Social media videos showed McMurtry being jostled at Thursday’s event before a counter protester snatched a placard out of his hands and someone ran away with it.

In December, one person was arrested after Brodie and others tried to hold a similar event at the University of Victoria without the school’s permission.

At the time, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs said it was deeply concerned that the unsanctioned event, under the guise of freedom of speech, would promote residential school denialism and cause further harm to survivors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2026.