Nigerian-Canadian journalist Chief Olufemi Shodunke has staged a one-man protest in Fort McMurray, Alberta, against what he described as anti-Black racism within Canada’s justice system.
Shodunke, a former Deputy Editor of the Nigerian Compass, staged the protest on Friday outside a courthouse and along Franklin Avenue in Fort McMurray, carrying a placard that read: “Stop anti-black racism in Alberta & Canada’s justice system.”
The journalist, who is a Canadian citizen and former two-term President of the Olumo Progressive Association Canada Inc. (OPAC), accused predominantly white judges and decision-makers in Alberta tribunals and courts of treating Black people unfairly.
Dressed in a traditional Nigerian agbada and wearing chieftaincy beads, Shodunke said he decided to protest after becoming concerned about what he described as discriminatory treatment of Black people within the justice system.
At the courthouse, he said the demonstration was intended not only to express his opposition but also to draw public attention to the issue.
“Definitely, I am just protesting today against anti-Black racism within the justice system in Alberta and in Canada. I am doing this because I have experienced it and I am still experiencing it,” he said.
Shodunke said he had previously written to government authorities at different levels about his concerns but had not received what he considered an adequate response.
“And I have written to government about it. Nothing has been done, and that is why I am sensitising the people of Fort McMurray, Alberta and Canada, and across the globe on what is going on in Canada,” he said.
The journalist, who said he survived an assassination attempt in Nigeria in 2010 before relocating to Canada, maintained that his allegations were based on his own experiences and those of others.
“There is anti-Black racism within the justice system. I know what I am talking about. I have pieces of evidence to support this,” said Shodunke, a former chairman of the Correspondents Chapel and Nigerian Compass Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council.
He also previously served as National Public Relations Officer of the Egba National Association USA and Canada.
Shodunke said he was prepared to continue campaigning for greater awareness of what he described as racial discrimination, even if he had to do so alone.
“That is why I am protesting today. I am embarking on one-man protest. If it is only me that is sensitising the people I am ready, I am ready to do it,” he said.
He stressed that equality before the law should apply to everyone in Canada.
“Justice is for everybody; we are all equal in this country,” said Shodunke, who is also known as the Baaroyin of Igbeinland and Oluwo.
He said Canada’s status as a country built by immigrants made respect for different cultures and religions particularly important.
“This is a country of immigrants, both Black and White and we have to respect our cultures, we have to respect our religions no matter the situation.
“Equality is for everyone. That is what we stand for in Canada. That is what our country stands for; I am a Canadian citizen and I have the right. We want equality in this country,” he said.
Shodunke said he planned to provide further details and analysis of his allegations, although he noted that some matters could be subject to ongoing or potential legal proceedings.
He also alleged that a white man driving a light-green vehicle shouted at him during the protest, saying: “That is what you paid for by coming here.”
Shodunke said he chose not to respond and continued with the demonstration, noting that other members of the community had expressed support for his action.
The journalist has previously participated in protests against racism and discrimination in Canada. In 2020, he joined demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man whose death in police custody in Minneapolis triggered widespread protests against racial injustice in the United States and other countries.
