Quesnel man guilty of promoting hatred on anti-Jewish website
Anti-Jewish content of website could bring nearly two years’ jail time
Roy Arthur Topham, publisher and editor of The Radical Press since 2008, had been charged with “communicating statements which wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group.”
On Thursday morning, a 12-person jury in Quesnel found Topham guilty on one of two counts of wilful promotion of hatred, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Johnston said.
Johnston said she hadn’t yet formulated her sentencing position, but a sentence for promoting hatred carries a maximum two years less a day in prison.
Following a six-month investigation, Topham was arrested in his car in 2012 when he and his wife were leaving their property.
“In some ways those twelve women and men will be holding in their hands the fundamental right to freedom of speech and deciding whether or not Canadians will be able to retain and exercise that right,” he wrote Thursday before being found guilty.
Topham’s defence lawyer, Barclay Johnson, could not be reached for comment.
Josh Paterson, executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said his group has long held the position that it’s inappropriate for criminal law to be used to police people’s speech.
“We don’t agree with the contents of Mr. Topham’s website, but that’s not really the point — the point is that whatever the content of his website, we don’t think that he ought to be criminalized for it,” Paterson said.
“We think that it’s much better to have the fullest possible range of free speech out there, including the kinds of awful ideas with which most people in society would disagree, so that people are able to counter those in the democratic debate.”
Quesnel man guilty of promoting hatred on anti-Jewish website
Anti-Jewish content of website could bring nearly two years’ jail time
Roy Arthur Topham, publisher and editor of The Radical Press since 2008, had been charged with “communicating statements which wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group.”
On Thursday morning, a 12-person jury in Quesnel found Topham guilty on one of two counts of wilful promotion of hatred, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Johnston said.
Johnston said she hadn’t yet formulated her sentencing position, but a sentence for promoting hatred carries a maximum two years less a day in prison.
Following a six-month investigation, Topham was arrested in his car in 2012 when he and his wife were leaving their property.
“In some ways those twelve women and men will be holding in their hands the fundamental right to freedom of speech and deciding whether or not Canadians will be able to retain and exercise that right,” he wrote Thursday before being found guilty.
Topham’s defence lawyer, Barclay Johnson, could not be reached for comment.
Josh Paterson, executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said his group has long held the position that it’s inappropriate for criminal law to be used to police people’s speech.
“We don’t agree with the contents of Mr. Topham’s website, but that’s not really the point — the point is that whatever the content of his website, we don’t think that he ought to be criminalized for it,” Paterson said.
“We think that it’s much better to have the fullest possible range of free speech out there, including the kinds of awful ideas with which most people in society would disagree, so that people are able to counter those in the democratic debate.”
Quesnel man guilty of promoting hatred on anti-Jewish website
