Ryerson student pleads guilty to one of two charges of assault against anti-choice protester

By Madi Wong

A Ryerson University student pleaded guilty to one of two charges on Wednesday in court regarding assaulting an anti-choice protester on campus in October.

Toronto Against Abortion (TAA) posted a video of Gabriela Skwarko, a then-Ryerson Arts and Contemporary Studies student and member of the Ryerson Reproductive Justice Collective, pushing and throwing items at a TAA protester.

The video showed Skwarko and two TAA members, Blaise Alleyne and Katie Somers, debating over abortion rights. Skwarko is seen in the video subsequently throwing a small cart and pushing Somers, yelling “Come on, let’s go.” Bystanders are also seen telling Skwarko to “relax.”

The Eye previously reported that Skwarko, turned herself into the Toronto police on Oct. 26. and that she would face two charges; one for assault and a second for assault with a weapon.

Skwarko appeared in court this week on Wednesday, where she pleaded guilty to assault. But she did not plead guilty to her second charge of assault with a weapon.

Ryerson cannot comment or disclose any information without the consent of Skwarko. Skwarko could not be reached for comment.

The case is expected to return to court on May 10 for a sentence hearing.

Correction: The Eyeopener previously stated that Gabriela Skwarko was an Arts and Contemporary Sciences. The Eyeopener regrets this error.