Frances Widdowson attacked by Orange Shirt mob at UWinnipeg event

Chaos erupted at the University of Winnipeg last week when a crowd of protesters swarmed academic Frances Widdowson during her “Spectrum Street Epistemology” session.

Source: X

Chaos erupted at the University of Winnipeg last week when a crowd of protesters swarmed academic Frances Widdowson during her “Spectrum Street Epistemology” session, banging drums, shouting her down, and allegedly assaulting members of her team. One man filming the event was punched, a woman was spat on, and equipment was doused with water in a scene Widdowson later described as “a complete breakdown of civilization.”

The exercise, adapted from philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Socratic dialogue method, asks participants to stand along a spectrum from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” in response to prompts designed to spark conversation.

On a livestream before the events, Widdowson said, “I’m not afraid,” anticipating hostility but insisting the conversations were important.

Widdowson was able to carry out her Spectrum Street Epistemology exercise at the University of Manitoba on September 25 with limited opposition, but a day later at the University of Winnipeg, the situation escalated into open confrontation.

Afterwards, a woman appears to have poured water over their equipment and spat on a supporter, while a man was punched in the face.

That man, identified as academic Daniel Page, said he attended to document the event, not to take a position. “I’m here to make sure we’re an academic institution upholding academic freedom,” he told viewers.

According to Widdowson, police were called but did not arrive. In a livestream, she later compared the chaos to dealing with “toddlers who are very badly behaved,” saying she chose to stand still and not yield. “It was terrible. It was really terrible,” she said. “We witnessed a breakdown of civilization.”

A day before the Winnipeg event, assistant professor Leah Kuragano sent an email to all history students labelling Widdowson an “Indian Residential School denier” and urging them not to engage with her. The email linked to a column by Niigaan Sinclair that described her tour as a distraction and accused her of profiting off controversy. Neither Sinclair nor Kuragano addressed her arguments directly.

Widdowson’s clashes with Canadian universities go back years. In 2021, Mount Royal University terminated her employment following complaints about her social media conduct and workplace tensions, including criticisms of indigenous issues and the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2024, an arbitrator ruled that her dismissal was disproportionate.

Her criticisms of BLM were mentioned by Sinclair and Kuragano while leading members of the movement continue to be dogged by legal troubles. Calgary activist Taylor McNallie, one of the most visible BLM organizers in the province, has faced multiple charges since 2020.

Following a 2023 Calgary high school protest, McNallie was convicted of assaulting an off-duty police officer after a physical confrontation that began when she targeted Josh Alexander, a minor at the time, who was demonstrating against his school board’s gender-identity policies.

McNallie has been charged with multiple counts, including assault, sexual assault, and unlawful confinement, in connection with the high school protest. Her charges for assault with a weapon were later withdrawn.

At a previous event at Wilfrid Laurier University, Widdowson was charged $5,000 to speak, with security so tight she said the campus “looked like Fort Knox,” according to Widdowson.

In Lethbridge in 2023, faculty and students staged a protest a week before her scheduled lecture, leading to its cancellation.

Widdowson has become the focus of attention for many indigenous rights activists for challenging the dominant narrative around residential schools. In 2023, she contributed to “Grave Error,” a book arguing that claims of mass graves, genocide, forced attendance, and widespread abuse are based on exaggerated or false assertions.

That work, combined with her criticisms of social justice movements, has put her squarely at odds with Indigenous leaders, activists, and many academics.

After the Winnipeg confrontation, Widdowson tried to file a police report, citing multiple assaults and intimidation. In a livestream a few days earlier, she had brushed off concerns about her safety, saying “this is Canada.” After the experience, she admitted, “I’m not so sure anymore.”