TORONTO — You hear lots of talk about hate crimes being committed but very few criminal charges being laid.
That changed Wednesday.
“It is alleged that two men published and disseminated a number of editions of Your Ward News that promoted hatred against members of the Jewish community and women,” said a memo from Toronto Police sent to specific stakeholders and released by several anti-hate groups.
Police spokesman Meaghan Gray said an official news release was being formalized.
The police memo say James Nicholas Sears, 54, and Lawrence (Leroy) St. Germaine, 76, both of Toronto, “are charged with: 1) Wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely Jews, 2) Wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely women.”
Reaction to the arrests was swift.
“We are pleased that criminal charges have finally been laid against the publishers of this hate-filled rag,” said B’nai Brith Canada spokesman Daniel Koren.
“For years, Your Ward News has attempted to promote hatred and poison the minds of impressionable readers against visible minorities. B’nai Brith has strongly spoken out against this racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic publication, and thanks Warren and Lisa Kinsella, Ontario MPP Arthur Potts, and every other organization who campaigned against the bigoted and discriminatory rhetoric that made up the pages of Your Ward News.”
The Legal Action Committee of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) said it was “pleased Toronto Police Services and Ontario’s attorney general are enforcing the Criminal Code of Canada as it relates to hate crime and hate speech.”
It added it has been “out front” in “fielding complaints” about this publication.
“Just recently the ‘newspaper’ was delivered to a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in central Toronto where many Holocaust survivors and children of survivors reside,” said Avi Benlolo, FSWC’s president and CEO. “In some cases, it is reported that specific Jewish homes were targeted, and this has become a form of harassment toward the Jewish community.”
Now it is no longer just talk about hate, but has become a case for the courts.
http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hate-charges-laid-over-your-ward-news
That changed Wednesday.
“It is alleged that two men published and disseminated a number of editions of Your Ward News that promoted hatred against members of the Jewish community and women,” said a memo from Toronto Police sent to specific stakeholders and released by several anti-hate groups.
Police spokesman Meaghan Gray said an official news release was being formalized.
The police memo say James Nicholas Sears, 54, and Lawrence (Leroy) St. Germaine, 76, both of Toronto, “are charged with: 1) Wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely Jews, 2) Wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely women.”
Reaction to the arrests was swift.
“We are pleased that criminal charges have finally been laid against the publishers of this hate-filled rag,” said B’nai Brith Canada spokesman Daniel Koren.
“For years, Your Ward News has attempted to promote hatred and poison the minds of impressionable readers against visible minorities. B’nai Brith has strongly spoken out against this racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic publication, and thanks Warren and Lisa Kinsella, Ontario MPP Arthur Potts, and every other organization who campaigned against the bigoted and discriminatory rhetoric that made up the pages of Your Ward News.”
The Legal Action Committee of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) said it was “pleased Toronto Police Services and Ontario’s attorney general are enforcing the Criminal Code of Canada as it relates to hate crime and hate speech.”
It added it has been “out front” in “fielding complaints” about this publication.
“Just recently the ‘newspaper’ was delivered to a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in central Toronto where many Holocaust survivors and children of survivors reside,” said Avi Benlolo, FSWC’s president and CEO. “In some cases, it is reported that specific Jewish homes were targeted, and this has become a form of harassment toward the Jewish community.”
Now it is no longer just talk about hate, but has become a case for the courts.
http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hate-charges-laid-over-your-ward-news
