Community rallies to support Island woman bashed for her views on gender and parents' rights
On April 22, 2025, we learn the verdict in the case of Nicholas Matear, who punched Tatiana Makovkin to the ground at a parents' rights rally in front of a crowd of witnesses at Nanaimo City Hall.
Tatiana, a 53-year-old single mother of two, works part-time with a plumbing company. She lives two hours south of Nanaimo, where the trial was held in March. She attended all the hearings for eighteen months and testified at the two-day trial.
The attack and the trial
In
October 2023, Nicholas James Matear was carrying a rainbow-coloured
sign reading "No Place For Hate" on a long metal stick
when he started
confronting people at a rally for parents' rights and safeguarding
children at Nanaimo City Hall. He singled Tatiana out and punched
her in the face, sending her flying into the curb. Witnesses chased
him down the street and flagged down the police, who arrested him at
the scene. Five civilians and two police officers testified against
him at the trial.
Matear is twenty years younger and 150 lbs heavier than
Tatiana. She describes the attack as lasting “half a
second." She said a large man dressed in black pushed a “No
Place for Hate” sign into her face.
“I lifted my hand and grabbed his sign, then
pulled it down, ” she 
recalls. “His punch sent me all the way to
the curb. I flew more than the width of a car and landed partly on
the
sidewalk.” Tatiana was left in excruciating
pain. Her head and face were swollen and bruised for months, and
an X-ray showed her nose was fractured. The emotional aftereffects
were devastating. Fortunately, the community is rallying around
her to make sure she's cared for and not left to suffer alone.
A small circle of supporters was with Tatiana at the trial. They reported on all the testimony, cross-examinations, and evidence, including the judge's reaction when Matear brandished the metal stick in court. Read the thread on X.com here.
Tatiana is not the only woman to be attacked in public as punishment for speaking out. She intends to compile and publish stories about attacks on women and free speech to raise awareness and help with healing.
The cost of travel and accommodation will be over a thousand dollars by the time the judge gives the verdict, and Tatiana's savings are almost gone. Assuming the judge finds Matear guilty as charged, Tatiana will need to make one last trip to be present at the sentencing hearing.
Every contribution
helps, no matter how small. Normally Victim's Services would provide
financial support, but due to a paperwork glitch, Tatiana is not
able to access that assistance. That's why the community is coming
to her aid.
Help us support Tatiana and pay her way until the judge hands down his sentence. Contribute to her fund here on this page, or send an e-transfer to info@radfems.ca with the password "justice."
You can also send a
message of love and support to help Tatiana heal from the physical
and emotional pain she's endured at the hands of the perpetrator and
his lawyer. Email us at info@radfems.ca.
You can be a part of this community healing initiative by contributing to Tatiana's fund. We will update this story once the verdict is handed down. Thank you for your support!
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