Man Sentenced in Racist Attack in Edmonton

And on the heels of the article we posted yesterday, a further indication that their concerns were and are valid:

Racist man bear-sprayed student

By TONY BLAIS, QMI Agency

EDMONTON - A racist Edmonton man has been put behind bars for his part in a hate-motivated attack on a black man that saw the victim taunted and blasted with bear spray.

Dylan Trommel, 23, was sentenced to 60 days in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to criminal harassment.

Provincial court Judge Robert Philp told Trommel his actions were "evil" and said people should be free to walk around the city without being racially targeted.

"It's a terrible thing to reflect on someone's heritage, skin colour or creed," he said. "Your comments to this individual are absolutely inexcusable. There is no excuse for it."

Court heard victim Valentin Masepode, a 32-year-old student originally from the Congo, had been in a 7-Eleven at 4939 118 Ave. after midnight on Sept. 27 when he was confronted by Trommel and a woman, who are both white.

Prosecutor Tania Sarkar told court Masepode was talking on his cellphone when Trommel said to the woman: "Did you hear what the n****r is saying" and they laughed.

The woman then turned to Masepode and said "n****r" which surprised the victim because he had not done anything to warrant this "extreme hatred," said Sarkar.

Court heard Trommel -- a short, muscled and heavily tattooed man -- then said: "This is our country, n****r."

Sarkar said both Masepode and others in the store were worried for their safety, however one customer told the pair to leave the victim alone and they exited the store.

The Good Samaritan offered to escort Masepode out, but he was too scared of the "imminent danger" and stayed by the store's surveillance camera, said Sarkar, adding the woman and Trommel were gesturing to him to come out.

Court heard the woman then re-entered the store, went up to Masepode and blasted him in the face with bear spray, which was captured on videotape. The pair then fled.

They were identified through the surveillance tape and arrested three months later.

Sarkar said the attack was aggravating because it was "motivated by hate" and Masepode was targeted due to the colour of his skin.

Trommel told court he was sorry for what he had done.

"I was very intoxicated at the time and I apologize for my actions," said Trommel. "It was a very stupid thing."

The judge also ordered Trommel to submit a DNA sample for the national DNA databank in Ottawa.

Masepode, who is upgrading his Grade 12 at Grant MacEwan University and plans to study chemical engineering at the U of A in the fall, said he was "satisfied" with Trommel's sentence.

He said it took three months for the effects of the bear spray to wear off and he still gets nervous out in public.

"I don't talk to anybody because I am scared that something like this would happen again," said Masepode.

Lacey Snyder, 22, is slated to be in court May 18 on charges of criminal harassment, assault with a weapon, causing a disturbance, possession of a weapon and mischief.

tony.blais@sunmedia.ca

Hate Crimes Legislation Needs To Be Strengthened

Sometimes, we don't need to add a thing to the discussion.

Tougher legislation needed

By Kristopher Wells And Murray Billett, Freelance
May 12, 2010

Hate crime has a long and pernicious history in human society, including atrocities such as the Holocaust, ethnic cleansing campaigns in astern Europe and Africa, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Canada's conscience is not clear as we have our own history of hate and hate crime, which includes the forced internment of Japanese Canadians, the tragic legacy of the residential school system, active and vocal Holocaust deniers, and here in Alberta, the Aryan Guard marching in the streets of Calgary and the public desecration of synagogues.

In response to the ugly legacy of hate, more than 30 countries around the world have enacted specific hate crimes legislation. Here in Canada, the gravity of hate crimes was officially recognized in 1970, when the government amended the Criminal Code to include hate propaganda as a punishable offence.

In 1996, the government also introduced enhanced sentencing provisions for offences motivated by hate, and in 2001 included mischief to religious property as a specific hate-motivated offence.

Despite this evolution, we argue that these legislative responses to hate have not gone far enough. The problem most concerning to many diverse communities and law enforcement officials involves the fact that there are still no direct provisions in the Criminal Code to identify hate crime as a violent offence (such as assault) or as a crime against a person or individual property (such as vandalism).

Hate crimes have often been called "message crimes" because they not only target individuals who are different, but also are designed to strike fear and terror into the very heart of communities. These crimes not only threaten the safety and welfare of vulnerable individuals, but also set communities against each other and, in turn, erode the very tenets of democracy and serve to unravel the social fabric of our diverse, pluralistic, multicultural society.

In Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the right to hold discriminatory beliefs; however, they do not have the right to act upon them in public space. This is the difference between belief (freedom of conscience and speech) and conduct (freedom to act in discriminatory ways).

Accordingly, hate crime laws are an important deterrent, as they provide enhanced recognition of the gravity of hate crimes and acknowledge the importance of protecting diverse and vulnerable populations within our society. In essence, hate crime laws are fundamental to a democracy that believes in the rights of the minority to be protected from the tyranny of the majority. Hate crime legislation not only serves as a deterrent, but also serves as a symbolic representation for the kind of society that we aspire to become.

Although the term "hate crime" has entered into the popular lexicon, there is little consensus in Canada as to its exact meaning and, therefore, we see differentiated responses from the police and justice systems, which may cause communities to lose trust and faith in our social institutions.

Hate crimes are different in that they have a specific motivating factor (hate, prejudice, or bias) not found in other crimes. The challenge and problem for the police and justice system centres on the complexity of proving motivation when investigating an alleged hate crime. For example, crimes often have multiple motivations that can prove difficult to pinpoint to one defining factor.

Unfortunately, research indicates that only one in 10 hate crimes is reported to law enforcement and even fewer are prosecuted. For example, in Alberta, within the past decade there have only been two successful hate crime prosecutions.

A standardized hate crime definition, professional training, accurate data collection, and establishing collaborative policing-community relationships with diverse communities would help to significantly enhance our understanding of this complex and socially divisive issue.

We believe that communities, law enforcement and the justice system need to become better educated on hate crimes. Police also need to work more closely with diverse communities to help increase the identification and reporting of hate crimes.

Together we need to improve and support restorative justice models that seek to educate and change discriminatory behaviours, rather than to simply mete out discipline and punishment as corrective measures.

Hate is a learned behaviour, which divides families and communities. Rather than let hate divide us, we call for communities to stand united against hate and announce that it is not a value that will be tolerated in the province of Alberta. After all, hate imprisons everyone: the victim, perpetrator, and community.

To help achieve this vision of a hate-free Alberta, we call on the province to develop a strategy against hate. It should include:

- Directed advocacy to include specific provisions within the Criminal Code of Canada for hate crime offences;

- Development of a standardized definition and response to hate crime;

- Mandatory reporting of hate crime statistics by all law enforcement agencies;

- Support for restorative justice and innovative educational programs (punish the problem, not the people);

- Creation of a provincial hate crimes office to help with investigation, training, public education, and support for victimized communities.

Kristopher Wells, a graduate student in the U of A's faculty of education, is a member of the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee. Murray Billett, a former vice-chair of the Edmonton Police Commission, is a longtime human rights and community activist.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Nazi (Not Neo) Jailed For Hate Crime

Whenever a Jewish synagogue or community center or school or, well, whenever anything connected to the Jewish faith is vandalized, boneheads routinely claim that the Jewish members of the synagogue, etc are really the ones who committed the act in an effort to demonize those poor, unassuming, neo-Nazis and their sympathizers.

So chew on this:

83-year old German war veteran jailed for hate crime
Man wrote anti-Jewish material in various public places in Guelph

May 11, 2010

Thana Dharmarajah

GUELPH — Justice Norman Douglas felt it was morally and legally wrong to sentence an 83-year-old German native who scrawled anti-Semitic graffiti in public spots around the city to anything but a jail sentence to be served within the confines of a prison cell.

“This may be the last opportunity for a Canadian court to look into the eyes of a German military (subject) and state clearly to him what all Canadians think of this type of act that led to the death of six million Jews,” Douglas said Monday, just before delivering Max Mahr’s sentence.

Mahr was sentenced to six months imprisonment for willful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group — Jews. He was arrested and charged on Sept. 30, 2009, in connection with writing hateful remarks against Jews with a black marker in various locations within the city last year from Jan. 2 to Sept. 29. The accused pleaded guilty in March.

The slight, grey-haired man slowly followed court officers as he was led out of the courtroom after the judge sentenced him. His wife watched, seated on a courtroom bench.

Once Mahr is out of jail, he will be on two years probation where he is to take counselling as required and serve 40 hours of community service. Douglas recommended he might volunteer to clean up graffiti in the community.

The judge said Mahr’s wilful promotion of hatred was obvious in the 19 separate occasions that he wrote in public places, such as in washrooms in Stone Road Mall and Wal-Mart, words urging others to kill all members of the Jewish race.

In a pre-sentencing review prepared for the court, Mahr indicated he understood that what he did was wrong and criminal and expressed remorse for his actions. But Douglas said there also appeared in that assessment a suggestion that Mahr saw himself as a victim, since he was initially discriminated against for being German when he arrived in Canada decades ago.

“I believe Hitler was right at the time,” Mahr said in a police interview after his arrest, Douglas told the court. “I didn’t know any better. I was (taught) like that and now I know the difference.”

Douglas wondered aloud however if Mahr truly appreciated the difference.

Last week, when Mahr was initially to be sentenced, defence lawyer Matthew Stanley requested a conditional sentence — known as house arrest — which was identified by the Crown as the best option for Mahr, given the offender’s lack of criminal record and his age. However, assistant Crown attorney Steve Hamilton sought a lengthier sentence than the three months requested by Stanley.

On Monday, Douglas said although he reviewed similar cases in coming to his decision, there weren’t any other cases that involved a man who grew up in Germany, served in the Second World War and committed offences in the present that embraced the mindset that led to the Holocaust.

“As I see the case, the crime wasn’t committed 65 years ago,” he said. “Mr. Mahr has brought this poisonous hatred into the 21st century.”

Every Jewish person alive today is a victim of Mahr’s crime, Douglas said. It isn’t just war veterans that might have an interest in Mahr’s sentence, he said, but every Canadian who values the basic freedom enjoyed as a citizen.

“The accused took advantage of those freedoms,” Douglas said. “He was welcomed after the war. He reaped all the benefits and he breached that trust.”

Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said the jail sentence speaks volumes about the importance of ensuring Canadians live in a tolerant society that accepts everyone.

“It takes into account that Canada’s hate laws are serious and will protect vulnerable minorities,” Farber said, adding Douglas delivered a strong message and an absolutely necessary message in the 21st century.

Thana Dharmarajah is a Mercury staff writer. She can be reached at tdharmarajah@guelphmercury.com

We're surprised that Paulie hasn't immediately jumped to Mr. Mahr's defence and accuse the prosecution and media of, "German bashing." In fact, Paulie hasn't made a peep, unlike his vigorous defence of a woman who may very well be designated as a dangerous offender.

Kyle Is Cold....

.... and wants a blanket, some warm milk, cookies (didn't get that piece of cake at Christmas, perhaps?) and a bed time story:

Shivering in the slammer

By Kyle Robert McKee, Calgary Herald
May 11, 2010

Re: "Chilly weather to continue," May 5.

I really hope your meteorologist with Environment Canada is correct about the temperature starting to rise. I am an inmate at the Calgary Remand Centre, where the heat has remained off over the past couple weeks of winter weather. Must be part of the rehabilitation: "Don't break the law -- you will freeze."

Kyle Robert McKee,

Calgary

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

As this letter isn't rife with grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, we can only guess that the proof readers on the Calgary Herald staff earned their money on this one.

To the person who clued us in to this letter, thanks.

Paul Fromm Goes to Bat For.... Michelle Erstikaitis???

Who the hell is Michelle Erstikaitis???

Why, this is:


Now, we admit that we've never heard of her, but what we've read thus far really has been a bit of an eye opener:

Bernardo fan asks for 'dangerous' status

Susan Clairmont
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jan 7, 2010)

She wants to be declared a dangerous offender. Just like the man she worships.

Years ago, at the peak of the Paul Bernardo case, she used to phone me. Sometimes several times a day.

She would call to say she loved the serial sex killer and he loved her. That we were all wrong about her Paul. He was innocent. Misunderstood.

She would go on to be a diagnosed off-the-dial psychopath. She would tell psychiatrists she wanted to become a famous killer.

Her name was Michelle Erstikaitis. Still a teenager back when she used to dial me. Obsessed with a man she had never met.

I had lost track of Michelle. Until this week.

On Tuesday she appeared -- sans lawyer -- in a Toronto courtroom to tell a judge she wants to be declared a dangerous offender. If the court bestows that designation on her, the now 30-year-old says, "I'll write a book about it."

The Toronto Star's Peter Small quotes her saying: "I'll be the only female dangerous offender. ... I'll write a lot of nasty s--- about everybody who's done this."

The judge has put the matter over until a later date with plans to appoint a legal professional to assist Michelle, who fired her lawyer a month ago.

Meanwhile, let me tell you about the train wreck of a person who is Michelle Lyne Erstikaitis.

She is a Hamilton girl. The eldest of three sisters.

"First born, first forgotten," she once said.

Her mother was a sex worker and drug addict. Michelle was raised by her for the first five years. At 8, she was adopted by a local family. They had their hands full.

During the next few years, she was hospitalized with mental health problems -- depression, hysteria, psychosis and borderline and antisocial personality disorders -- at least five times. She used drugs and cut herself.

At 13 she became obsessed with Bernardo, writing to him in jail and claiming he was the only one who understood her.

In 1995, when Bernardo was on trial for the first-degree murders of teenagers Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, Michelle's obsession flourished. (She was also becoming infatuated with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.) She began leaving sadistic, threatening messages on Debbie Mahaffy's answering machine about her dead daughter. A girl her own age.

Sometimes Michelle pretended to be Leslie. Other times, she threatened to kill the grieving mother and her son.

"I love him, you know," she said in a message after Bernardo was given a life sentence. "But you put him in jail. ... I'm afraid I'll just have to go to your son's school and -- you know -- get him, a la Kristen French."

Michelle also called 911 and said she was going to kill Debbie Mahaffy. Michelle gave her name. She was convicted of making death threats in early 1999.

That fall, she poured gasoline around her Hamilton apartment and ignited it. Emergency workers broke down her door to rescue her. Tenants were home in six other apartments in the building. She was taken to Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital first, then charged with arson, endangering life and breaching her probation.

After a guilty plea and a two-year sentence, the Hamilton Crown attorney's office ordered a psychiatric evaluation as part of a dangerous offender application.

Out of a possible 40 points on the psychopathy checklist, Michelle scored a 37.8. Anything over 30 indicates a substantial risk that the offender will commit a violent crime.

Michelle was just 22. A young woman to be facing a possible lifetime locked up as a dangerous offender. In the end, the Attorney General of Ontario sought -- and got -- a six-year long-term offender designation instead, meaning she was supervised for six years after her release from prison.

She was still on that supervision when she allegedly slashed her boyfriend with scissors a year ago. And that's why she was in court this week. She wanted to plead guilty to armed assault, mischief and threatening and consent to being declared a D.O., which means an indefinite sentence.

Michelle, who has been in custody since last January, wants to represent herself. She told the judge she was capable: "I have more intelligence than the average inmate." The judge, however, wants her to have a lawyer by her side if the long process of declaring her a D.O. -- a designation Bernardo already has -- is to begin.

Now, we suppose you're wondering why we would take the time on this blog to write about this particular individual who is clearly mentally ill and who, perhaps for her own safety and certainly for the safety of people she might come into contact with, should be designated as a dangerous offender and put away for an indefinite period of time?

Well, it seems that, according to Paul Fromm, Ms. Erstikaitis is the victim here. You see, she's being persecuted for her "White Nationalist" beliefs:

We've taken the time to transcribe Paulie's text. See if you can notice what he omits and glosses over in his description of Ms. Erstikaitis and her current predicament:

APPEAL: DON'T DESIGNATE MICHELLE ERSTIKAITIS A "DANGEROUS OFFENDER" FOR HER WHITE NATIONALIST POLITICAL VIEWS

Michelle Erstikaitis is a highly intelligent, White Nationalist who has been held without bail for 16 months for a minor domestic case of alleged assault where no one was injured.

Yes, Miss Erstikaitis is impulsive and has had a somewhat checkered past -- youthful convictions for attempted arson, possession of marijuana and assault.

In 2009, she was through with probation and had found a good job. In 2008, she had worked for Elections Canada. She is personable and eager to succeed. Now, the Ontario Government is considering naming her a "dangerous offender" -- subject to unlimited imprisonment.

There is strong evidence this extraordinary action is being considered, not because Miss Erstikaitis is a dire menace to the community, but because of her unabashed political views -- she once wrote a letter encouraging Timothy McVeigh to die proud.

It's urgent that people FAX Ontario Attorney General Christ Bentley and urge him not to do this. Yuo [sic] can also e-mail him by logging on to the Attorney General's webpage http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca. Go to "Contact Us" and click on to e-mail and send your message.

Paul Fromm
Director CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION
Canadian Association for Free Expression Inc.,
P.O Box 332,
Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3
Ph: 905-274-3868:
FAX: 905-278-2413
Paul Fromm, B.A., B.Ed., MA. Director

Hon, Christopher Bentley,
Attorney General of Ontario
Re: Possible “Dangerous Offender” Application for Michelle Erstikaitis
BY FAX: 416-326-4007

Dear Minister Bentley:

I am writing to urge you to avoid a draconian miscarriage of justice. It is our understanding that on Monday you shall announce whether you are seeking to have Michelle Erstikaitis, presently in the Vanier Detention Centre on minor domestic assault charges, declared a “dangerous offender.”

Incidentally, Miss Erstikaitis has been held in remand for over sixteen months and has not been granted bail – a seeming waste of taxpayers’ money and a violation of her rights to bail and a speedy trial. Miss Erstikaitis has an arson charge going back to her teen years and a number of minor assault convictions.

Before the January, 2009 domestic violence charges, two of which have been withdrawn, Miss Erstikaitis was gainfully employed and had worked for Elections Canada in the 2008 election. It is our fear that it is her White Nationalist political views that have targeted her as dangerous.

While she was still a teenager, she wrote to Timothy McVey, the alleged Oklahoma City bomber and encouraged him to die bravely. While such a teenage crush may be questionable behaviour, it scarcely brands her an incorrigible menace to the public.

Miss Erstikaitis also says that one of the arresting officers, called by her then boyfriend, spoke inappropriately to her, saying words to the effect “we you know who you are, you racist bitch, and you’re going down.”

I urge you not to declare Miss Erstikaitis a dangerous offender as it seems only her political views set her apart from others with far more serious and life threatening crimes, who still walk our streets.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Fromm

Interestingly, we're not the only ones who've noticed that Paulie might be a bit premature in voicing his unequivocal support for Ms. Erstikaitis:

So how bad is it when Bill Noble appears clear headed by comparison?

We really aren't sure why Paulie is willing to fall on his sword for this woman, though it's not exactly the first time he's voiced his support for questionable individuals (his support for the Aryan Guard and of Kyle McKee regarding the pipe bomb allegation in particular being two such examples).

We think Paulie has lost his mojo. Or jumped the shark. Or whatever pithy pop culture reference for loosing his shit you, our dear readers, can come up with yourselves. Feel free to share.

But hey, if Paulie is so confident that she's being railroaded, perhaps he'd be willing to take Ms. Erstikaitis in to his own home to prove she's not a threat?

How about it Paulie?

Happy VE-Day

We in the Collective run the gamut [NOTE: No, you're right about the spelling. Thanks.] of political thought. Among our differences includes our feelings towards the military. Simply put, some support it, others do not. However, whatever our particular views on the issue are, we did agree that the day 65 years ago when Germany officially surrendered was a pretty good day:

Veterans mark VE-Day anniversary

Last Updated: Saturday, May 8, 2010 | 1:58 PM ET

Canadian veterans gathered in Ottawa on a cold, rainy Saturday morning to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

"Macleans" Hurt Bill Noble's Feelings

The April 26, 2010 edition of "Macleans" featured a story entitled, "The Return of Hitler" written by Katie Engelhart. The main focus of the article was to discuss the growing interest in Hitler's, Mein Kampf and the resurgence of the far right in places such as Hungary, but also the growing popularity of Hitler's book and the ideas found within in such unusual locations as India and Turkey.

Not too far into the article, Engelhart mentions something that most literary critics have stated already regarding Mein Kampf. As writing goes, it's really not particularly well done. In fact, it's tedious, convoluted and as Winston Churchill stated (and whom Engelhart quotes in the article), "turgid, verbose, [and] shapeless."

One of our resident boneheads from Calgary took great offense to this characterization of der fuhrer's efforts:

-->

KATIE ENGLEHART calls Mein Kampf “Hitler’s poorly written, 700-page magnum opus,” “a badly written book” and “part autobiography, part raving philosophical treatise.” And she seems to base this largely on the opinions of other critics. Has she ever read Mein Kampf? Can she provide any actual examples of poor writing from within this tome? Hitler’s writing is straightforward and clear.

Bill Noble, Calgary Okay, okay, we know this is an old photo and that Billy looks a bit different now, but it sort of makes the point that we're not exactly dealing with someone who is dealing with a full deck of cards. But if our readers insist that we provide a more up to date photo, well, this is the most up to date that we can come up with:


See. Not a hell of an improvement.

RNTalks About the Aryan Guard

We hadn't heard much from RN for the better part of a year. We did follow his activities as much as we could online, but even there his activity, such that we were aware of it, was sporadic at best. In some ways it seems that he dropped off the face of the earth...... again. You see, there was a period of time that we can't speak about where RN was quiet for entirely different reasons. During that time, his friends in the Aryan Guard really didn't do much to help RN, at least from our point of view.

Imagine our *surprise when RN sent us this little message regarding his current feelings about the Aryan Guard:

I ceased all contact with the Aryan Guard and its associates in a time frame nearing a year in the coming months. Originally I figured spectators of the so called "movement" would catch on from the vine of childish gossip and drunken banter, but I am tired of waiting for this disassociation to be recognized and my name to no longer be associated with those I do not even pay notice to. I do not see eye to eye with the methods and typical lifestyles of many of those who seem to use partitions of this belief system as a cloak for their own selfish, hypocritical wants, and their apparent needs. There are some solid idealists out there entrapped within the denial that the methods being used have any long term positive impact, however, in the mass scheme of things, the mass of the movements followers are just as much sheep as those they fight against.

Its a major turnoff to anyone who actually has their minds fixated on a perspective of realism when you have people running around claiming to be soldiers when they have no discipline, claiming honor when they bare none, and claiming they are going to make change when they can't even comprehend a realistic approach to surmount life's obstacles.

So there you have it. According to RN, he has rejected the Aryan Guard and no longer associates with the members.

Just to be clear, RN is still a bonehead. However, we're more than happy to add his comments to the long list of criticism concerning the Aryan Guard and its membership, past and present.


*We actually weren't really all that surprised.

Salman Hossain: Not a Big Fan of Jews Apparently

We've mentioned him before, but Salman Hossain is in the news again.

Our heading is a bit glib and more than an understatement. Mr. Hossain is the person behind the charmingly titled, "Filthy Jewish Terrorists" which attributes, well, pretty much anything he can think of to a vast, Jewish conspiracy. Hossain was a York University student who was suspended as a result of his involvement in the website pending further sanctions, however he ultimately decided to leave the university all together.

We decided to take a look at his website and then immediately felt the need to wash our eyeballs with soap and water. In many ways, it seems to be so ridiculous that one might mistake it for a spoof akin to "The Onion" (evidently it was the Jews who were responsible for the coup in Honduras and for the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995). Except that "The Onion" has yet to advocate genocide. For example, Hossain writes:

All Jews are treasonous, and the punishment includes death. Time to break out the rope and balance the scales of justice.

Charming.

The most recent accusation revolves around the attempted bombing in New York's Times Square. Of course, the Jews framed the person who has been arrested in the case (Hossain devotes a great deal of his site to conspiracies involving alleged Jewish frame jobs). And again, he advocates mass murder as a response:

The Jewish security threat must be exterminated immediately.

Given that this guy has been known of since 2007 (he was in the news in 2008 when he was supporting the killing of Canadian soldiers here in Canada) and his rhetoric has become more violent and extreme, it really does beg the question as to why hate crime charges have yet to be laid? Then again, hate crime charges are seldom laid against the boneheads we cover here, so we suppose we aren't all that surprised.

OPP probe anti-Semitic website

Latest post advocates killing Jews

Stewart Bell, National Post Published: Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Police are working "flat out" on an investigation into a website that says Jews should be killed in a genocide, the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police said yesterday.

"It's a high priority item for us," Commissioner Julian Fantino said. "It's regrettable that this kind of hate mongering is evident in our country but, you know, nonetheless we do what we can."

The police commissioner made the comments in an interview after the Internet site, Filthy Jewish Terrorists, continued to post statements supporting the mass killing of Jews.

The latest post says Jews should be "rounded up and executed" following last weekend's failed bombing at New York's Times Square, which it claims was an attempt to "frame innocent Muslims."

The National Post reported in March that the OPP was investigating Salman Hossain of Mississauga, Ont., over the website. Two months later, no charges have been laid, the site is still active and Canada's largest Jewish organization is growing impatient.

"It's got to stop," Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said after viewing the latest comments. "Legal action is absolutely required now. We can't wait any

longer." Mr. Hossain has described himself in his online postings as "a regular Muslim supporting the jihad overseas" and a "buddy/acquaintance" of the Toronto 18 terrorists who plotted attacks

in Southern Ontario. The Bangladeshi-Canadian has also used the Internet to chronicle his dealings with police going back to 2007, when he began posting messages supporting terrorist attacks in Canada and the killing of Canadian troops.

Despite the police investigation, posts of a violent nature have continued to appear on the site. A March 8 post reads, "All Jews are treasonous, and the punishment includes death. Time to break out the rope and balance the scales of justice."

On Sunday, a new post said Jews should be executed and that, "The Jewish security threat must be exterminated immediately." The article was posted to the site using an email address bearing the name Arman Hossain.

Neither Arman Hossain nor Salman Hossain responded to email queries sent to their accounts yesterday.

Salman Hossain was suspended from York University after the Post reported he was under police investigation.

"It's still ongoing," Sergeant Dave Ross, the OPP spokesman, said of the investigation. Police would not comment on an online report claiming that Mr. Hossain's home was searched by police in mid-April.

Mr. Fantino said police had received "numerous complaints on this particular individual. We certainly are doing all our due diligence to investigate as thoroughly as we can."

He said while he personally feels the website was "crossing the line significantly," the investigation was complex and touched on the delicate issue of free speech.

"It adds complexities, and you know, if you recall, how long the likes of Ernst Zundel went on and on and on with his hate-mongering and all of that, it took a long time to basical ly kick him out of the country.

Mr. Farber said he had confidence in the OPP but, "We are very concerned with the length of time this investigation is taking.

"We know that these can be complicated investigations, but on the other hand it is absolutely necessary to bring this to a conclusion soon."

sbell@nationalpost.com

Hate Crime Conviction in British Columbia

We're curious to know what makes this case different than the recent attack in Edmonton.

Attack on gay man was a hate crime, B.C. judge rules

Michael Kandola sentenced to 17 months in prison for assaulting Jordan Smith

Vancouver, BC — The Canadian Press
Published on Friday, Apr. 30, 2010 6:01PM EDT
Last updated on Friday, Apr. 30, 2010 10:45PM EDT

Gay hatred was flowing through a young B.C. man the night he and a group of friends swarmed two men holding hands in downtown Vancouver, shouting homophobic obscenities and punching one of the pair in the head, a judge has ruled.

The rare finding that the beating of Jordan Smith was a hate crime was lauded by B.C. activists who say it will be used to bolster future cases where prosecutors argue prejudice is a motivating factor.

Mr. Smith was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion and broken jaw for daring to challenge the bully who called him and his boyfriend “faggots” in the early hours of Sept. 27, 2008 as the couple meandered through the city's gay village.

Even after Mr. Smith went down, Michael Kandola stood over him, spitting slurs and threatening to kick him in the face again, court heard Friday.

“[At] any of these junctures, there was an opportunity to stop, an opportunity to see the matter was getting out of control, an opportunity to change your ways,” Justice Joel Groves told Mr. Kandola and the victim's supporters in B.C. Supreme Court.

“This opportunity was never chosen by Mr. Kandola.”

Mr. Kandola fled the scene when a taxi driver threatened to call police. Video footage of the incident was captured by a nearby convenience store camera.

Calling Mr. Kandola's actions vicious, unprovoked and cowardly, Justice Groves said hatred of Mr. Smith's sexual orientation was a motivating factor in the attack and as such, he was meting out a harsher penalty for the crime.

Mr. Kandola was sentenced to a total of 17 months in jail. With time off for the period he's already served in custody, the sentence amounts to a year.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in late March.

Prior to the sentencing, defence lawyer Danny Markovitz read out a short apology letter from Mr. Kandola that describes the crime as a “bad choice” fuelled by alcohol and adrenaline.

“My mother and father have instilled many values in me ... that I should like or dislike a person based on how they act, not the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation,” the letter read.

“I am not or have I ever been a person who discriminates against gay people.”

Mr. Groves said the man's remorse was “limited and late in the day.”

“Mr. Kandola individually must know his actions are not only contrary to the law but are also deplored by Canadian society,” he said.

Outside court, Mr. Markovitz said he's seriously considering appealing the case.

Mr. Smith's lawyer, Dasein Nearing, told reporters the “significant” decision will be used by courts down the road.

“I believe it does send a message and I think in his judgment, Justice Groves was particular and instructive in saying this kind of behaviour will not be countenanced by other people,” she said.

The case drew wide media attention as Vancouver's gay community rallied for recognition that the crime was triggered by prejudice.

After the incident, hundreds of people, including the city's chief of police, marched through Vancouver's West End where the incident occurred to denounce violence against gays.

Prof. Janine Benedet, who specializes in equality law at the University of British Columbia, said the decision could be precedent-setting in a city that's seen its share of gay-bashing go virtually unrecognized by the courts.

“It recognizes that there is something particularly significant about assaults that are motivated by discriminatory attitudes, because they really do target not just the victim, but an entire population,” she said.

Gay rights activists were outraged when a judge failed to call the beating death of Aaron Webster a hate crime. Webster was found naked, wearing only boots, after the 2001 attack in an area of the park known to be frequented by gay men.