Caught on camera: Man attacks pro-life demonstrator
A man identified as Jordan Hunt has been accused of kicking a pro-life activist who says she plans to pursue charges against him.
A man who was captured on camera Sunday violently kicking a female pro-life activist lost his job at a Toronto hair salon amid social media backlash, while the victim says she will pursue charges against him.
Jordan Hunt has been identified as the culprit behind the attack after a video of him spin-kicking the woman went viral. He deleted his social media accounts after the backlash.
In the video, he is seen approaching a group of pro-life activists and engaging them in a discussion about abortion before suddenly kicking an activist and ripping a Campaign Life ribbon off her jacket and fleeing the scene.
After the kick, Hunt is heard saying “I meant to kick your phone,” while others shout “Someone call the cops!”
Marie-Claire Bissonnette, the 27-year-old woman involved in the incident, is the youth coordinator with Campaign Life Coalition and has since spoken out about the ordeal.
“He kicked me in the shoulder, my phone went flying,” Bissonnette told the Toronto Sun. “I start shouting for someone to call police and before he runs away, he goes up to me and I had a ribbon on my jacket indicating the leader, he tore it off my chest.”
She said that the kick left her with minor pain and those who saw the incident “were in shock.”
Marie-Claire Bissonnette, 27, is the youth coordinator with Campaign Life Coalition and has spoken out about a confrontation captured on video.
“When he began to pose and you can see in the video that he positions himself for this, I guess it didn’t register because it was very sudden,” Bissonnette continued. “You would expect someone to start yelling in a loud voice or be very aggressive before they would go and physically assault someone.”
Hunt, a Toronto hairstylist, was shortly fired from his job after his identity was revealed.
“It has been brought to our attention that Jordan Hunt has been caught on camera assaulting an innocent bystander at a pro-life rally. We don’t condone his actions and he has been let go. We believe that everyone has a right to an opinion and the right to voice their opinion without fear of physical violence,” the company posted on Instagram.
"It has been brought to our attention that Jordan Hunt has been caught on camera assaulting an innocent bystander at a pro-life rally. We don’t condone his actions and he has been let go."
Toronto police said the investigation is still ongoing and no arrests have been made, but Bissonnette said she will press charges after the culprit is arrested.
“It’s not the first time I’ve experienced physical aggression from people who disagree with our message,” she told the newspaper. “I don’t think it’s acceptable to show any physical violence to anyone who disagrees with you. The perpetrator should know that.”