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Charges laid in man’s racist rant outside Kelowna COVID vaccine clinic

Bruce Orydzuk was attending a protest against vaccines last year

A Kelowna anti-vaccine protestor will face charges in court on April 14 after a July 2021 incident that allegedly saw racial slurs hurled at a security guard.

60-year-old Bruce Orydzuk, who is also set to appear in Kelowna court for a separate incident in May, is charged with causing a disturbance. The man is accused of hurling threats at the guard while outside a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Springfield Road.

No arrests were made at the time.

A video emerged soon after of the incident, with a protestor seemingly yelling the racially-motivated comments.

Charges also came down this week for Linda Jackson, who is accused of interrupting a Remembrance Day ceremony in Nov. 2021 .

A group of protestors numbering around 75-100 arrived at the informal ceremony at the Cenotaph with their own microphone and speakers, hijacking the otherwise sombre get-together with anti-vaccine speeches.

Jackson has been charged with disturbing the order or solemnity of a meeting. She is set to appear in Kelowna court on May 19.

“There is no tolerance for hate,” said Insp. Adam MacIntosh of Kelowna RCMP. “We committed from the onset to complete thorough investigations into these separate incidents.

“We support a person’s right to protest but it is not absolute. I want to thank the hard work of our investigators to bring these cases before the BC Prosecution Services and the courts.”


@JakeC_16
Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com

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Jake Courtepatte

About the Author: Jake Courtepatte

Editor of Kelowna Capital News & West K News since February 2022. I have spent the majority of my career working in the Toronto area as both a sports reporter and a general reporter.
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