Thank you to @CHCHNews @CHCHTV @MorningLive for covering the assault against me at @SACHAHamOnt's Take Back The Night march on September 21st. I am still recovering from the concussion. @HamiltonPolice are investigating an assault that took place at a march against gender-based violence as a potential hate crime. Officers were present at the Take Back the Night march in the downtown core around 8:25 p.m. Thursday when they were approached by multiple women reporting that a man had assaulted one of the participants. Investigators say that the suspect attempted to grab the victim’s sign and when he was unsuccessful, he assaulted the victim. In a video shared by the victim to social media, the man can be seen ripping the banner that read “Decriminalize sex work” and “Rights not rescue” out of the hands of Jelena Vermilion (@IsisIntrepid), an advocate for sex work, Executive Director of @SWAPHamilton Vermilion can then be seen pursuing the man before violently falling to the ground and being dragged while holding on to the banner. Chants of “Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe!” could be heard in the crowd as a police siren approached the scene. Police say the 29-year-old man [Corey Jeffery] has been charged with level one assault and the incident is currently being reviewed by the hate crime unit. The annual Take Back the Night event is hosted by Hamilton’s sexual assault centre, @SACHAhamont In a statement released following the incident, SACHA says the march is held each year to “raise awareness about how unsafe streets are for so many in our communities” and “to resist, to mobilize and fight for spaces where we can be safer and thrive.” Mayor @AndreaHorwath commented on the assault, saying the march is “all about ensuring women’s safety” and that there is “clearly much more work that needs to be done.” Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact police at 905-546-4725. CC: @cityofhamilton @NrinderWard3 @MatthewGreenNDP @MTaylorNDP @shaw_sandy @YWCA_Hamilton @CameronKroetsch @tammyhwang @PaulsEsther @JohnPaulDanko @jeffbeattie2014 @MarkTadeson @CraigCassar @alexwilson96 @mspadafora2022 @TedMcMeekin