Neo-Nazi Faces Two Years for Antisemitic Online ‘Article’
A notorious Canadian neo-Nazi was found guilty of promoting hatred toward Jews for an article on an online hate site that promised "non-stop Nazism everywhere.
Gabriel Sohier Chaput, better known online as “Charles Zeiger,” was found guilty in a Montreal court on Monday. Sohier Chaput, 35, under the Zeiger pseudonym published and edited multiple books that have proven to be disturbingly popular among the current wave of neo-Nazis. In addition, under his online pseudonym, Sohier Chaput wrote hundreds of racist screeds on the online neo-Nazi website, The Daily Stormer. He was one of the first influential figures in the far-right to embrace the neo-Nazi terror cell Atomwaffen, a group that has been connected to a series of murders.
The particular article at the heart of Sohier Chaput’s trial was penned in 2017 under an offensive headline. The short article celebrated a church being postered with stickers that reference a neo-Nazi forum that Zeiger was connected to and warned that “2017 will be the year of action."
The Daily Stormer is a cesspool of articles similar to the one focused upon in the Montreal courtroom. The site has long been considered one of the worst neo-Nazi websites online and has a history of directing harassment toward perceived enemies. At the time his identity became public in 2018, Sohier Chaput as “Charles Zeiger” was the site's second most prolific author.
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Sohier Chaput was first outed by reporters at the Montreal Gazette. When the warrant for Sohier Chaput’s arrest was initially issued in 2018, he was described to VICE News as “one of the worst of the worst hate propagandists internationally” by Evan Balgord, the executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
Chaput never disputed that he wrote the article but he and his lawyer argued that he was being satirical to make a point about freedom of speech. At times his own lawyer described Sohier Chaput as “repugnant” but argued that his writings are protected as free speech. The judge did not agree with this argument.
“In the final analysis, the court does not retain the hodgepodge of explanations provided by Gabriel Sohier Chaput about his writings,” Quebec Court Judge Manlio Del Negro wrote in his decision, according to the Montreal Gazette. “… (Sohier Chaput) intentionally promoted hatred, through the Daily Stormer platform, against people of the Jewish faith.”
“The evidence in this regard is overwhelming. In closing, allow (myself) to make the following observation: the victims (Jews and other groups) of the Holocaust and also the victims of other genocides perpetrated throughout history, as well as their families deserve to be left in peace. The suffering they have been put through is inexpressible and defies the meaning of humanity.”
Michael Mostyn, the CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, the Jewish organisation that filed the complaints to the police which led to Sohier Chaput’s eventual charges, celebrated the decision.
“Sohier Chaput is a coward who behind the veil of the internet thought he could rile up other haters to his disgusting cause,” said Mostyn. “Today’s decision shows that Canadians and our legal system will not accept such harmful, dangerous and genocidal drivel, all of which aim to resurrect the most vile ideology in world history.”
Sohier Chaput has yet to be sentenced. He faces up to two years in prison.
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via https://www.DMT.NEWS
Mack Lamoureux, Khareem Sudlow
