Ottawa neo-Nazi propagandist found guilty of inciting hate, helping terrorist group
Patrick Gordon Macdonald showed no emotion as he was convicted of participating in and facilitating terrorist activity by helping make and share propaganda for the now-defunct terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, and inciting hate against Jews.
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Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Men arrested in Côte-St-Luc in October charged with possessing incendiary material
By Two men who were arrested in Côte-St-Luc last October after incendiary material was allegedly found in their vehicle have been formally charged, though one remains at large. Abdou Khadre Sene and Artemio Cabrera Pazos were scheduled to appear in a Montreal court Tuesday after they were each charged June 5 with a single count of possession of incendiary material. Quebec's prosecution service said Cabrera Pazos appeared in court and is scheduled to appear again in August. However, Sene did not appear and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The city of Côte-St-Luc said in early October an officer from its Public Security department had spotted suspicious individuals in a vehicle parked outside a synagogue around 2 a.m. and called police. At the time, Montreal police said officers stopped a suspect vehicle nearby and found incendiary material inside. The two occupants of the vehicle were arrested that night and released with a promise to appear. Police and prosecutors declined to comment Wednesday about why it took more than eight months to lay charges. Rabbi Reuben Poupko of the Beth Israel Beth Aaron — where the suspicious vehicle had been parked — said two Molotov cocktails were found outside the synagogue later that morning, during the celebration of the Jewish New Year. 'All of the violence that we've seen in Montreal and beyond, the firebombing of synagogues, the shootings at Jewish schools overnight, the recent attacks in Harrisburg (Pennsylvania); Washington D.C.; Boulder, Col., obviously, is evidence of a climate of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions and for the court to have ever granted these individuals release with a promise was absurd and a dereliction of duty,' Poupko said. Police declined to comment on whether the two men may have been linked to any incendiary devices found outside the synagogue, or whether the investigation remains ongoing, citing the fact that the case is before the court. But police spokeswoman Mélanie Bergeron said in response to a question from The Gazette that nothing suggests the men are linked to a terrorist group. The two men face a maximum sentence of two years less a day and or a fine of $5,000. A search of court records shows Sene faces a series of charges in another case, including receiving a material benefit from human trafficking, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and kidnapping. Three minors arrested the same night in the neighbouring Côte-Des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-De-Grâce borough, who were also found in a vehicle with incendiary material, have also appeared in court. Prosecutors said one has pleaded guilty to possessing incendiary material and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, including a nine-month curfew, and is banned from possessing incendiary materials, explosive substances, lighters or matches. A sentencing hearing for one of the other two is scheduled to take place this month, with a sentencing hearing for other scheduled for July.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
National Holocaust Monument vandalism investigated as potential hate crime
The defacement of the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa overnight Sunday is now being investigated as a potential hate crime. In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service said the hate and bias crime unit 'is actively leading the investigation,' after the monument, located close to Parliament Hill at 1918 Chaudière Crossing, was defaced with red paint, including lettering appearing to spell out 'feed me.' 'The desecration of Canada's Holocaust Memorial was fuelled by a climate where incendiary rhetoric and false narratives about Israel are increasingly used to target Jews in Canada and around the world,' says interim president Noah Shack at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. 'All levels of government across party lines spoke out against this hate crime and rallied around the principle that deliberately targeting victims of the Holocaust is not an act of protest. What's urgently needed is for our leaders to tackle the sources of hate driving vile acts of antisemitism.' Story continues below advertisement Responses from political leaders echo others in describing the impacts this has had on local communities and across Canada as instances of antisemitism have been on the rise following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people in Israel and the Israeli military response. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to data from Statistics Canada, there were 900 incidents of hate crimes against the Jewish community in 2023, an increase from the 527 incidents reported in 2022. In 2024, the number remained high at 816. View image in full screen The words 'FEED ME' are seen painted in red on the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa on Monday, June 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X on Monday that he is 'appalled by the National Holocaust Memorial being vandalized by graffiti overnight. This is a monument that commemorates the six million Jewish lives murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of Nazi Germany. It is a space for mourning and remembrance, and its defacing is reprehensible.' Story continues below advertisement The CEO and president of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Adam Silver, wrote in a statement that the incident was 'not merely vandalism … (but a) brazen act of desecration against the memory of six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims of the Holocaust.' 'It is a stark reminder that remembrance is not enough; we must also stand firmly against the resurgence of hatred in all its forms.' Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also posted on X, saying, '6 million Jewish people died at the hands of the murderous and genocidal Nazi ideology. The antisemitic thugs who vandalized the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa should be caught and locked up for this crime. We must empower authorities to stop antisemitic lawbreakers and make Canada safe for all.' This is also not the first time such incidents have occurred at the monument site. The Ottawa Police Service has not said yet if anyone is in custody or if there are any suspects in the investigation, but is urging anyone with information to contact its tip line.
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Jewish outrage at RCMP war-crimes probe of Canadian IDF soldiers
The RCMP's 'structural investigation' into whether Canadian citizens serving with the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza may have committed war crimes has sparked outrage in the Jewish community and its leaders, who accuse Ottawa of political targeting. Article content 'It's funny how law enforcement in our cities have watched tens of thousands of people illegally protest and harass Jews while the RCMP tells us they want to play global cop and pour resources into finding bogeyman crimes,' said Toronto-based Israel Ellis, whose son Eitan is an Israeli soldier guarding a humanitarian corridor in Gaza. Article content Article content Article content After a flurry of media reports, the RCMP said in a statement on June 4 that it began investigating in early 2024 whether Canadian citizens were in contravention of this country's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. Article content Article content The force said it wasn't a criminal investigation, but to 'collect, preserve and assess information' that included 'open-source material and voluntary submissions.' The data may be used in the future, if it meets the legal threshold for prosecution. Article content The RCMP statement did not specify any group, entity, or army by name — such as Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Abu Shabab, PFLP, Muslim Brotherhood, or others, who are fighting in the conflict in and around Israel. But multiple Jewish groups contacted by the National Post said the announcement seemed politically targeted at Canadians who have fought for the IDF. Article content Article content Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Israel-based Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center, said the Mounties have made an 'unprecedented decision.' Article content Article content 'No other Western democracy is criminally investigating its citizens for fighting alongside an ally, let alone one defending itself from a genocidal terror organization,' she wrote in a statement. Article content The Canadian government 'should focus its pressure on Hamas — the party that initiated this war,' she said, adding her organization will provide 'legal defence and advocacy for those targeted by politically driven investigations.' Article content Hillel Neuer, the Montreal-born executive director of UN Watch, said the investigation is 'nothing less than a moral inversion. It turns Canadian values upside down.' Article content Neuer said that 'for good reason, Ottawa has never prosecuted dual citizens who served with British, French or American forces in fighting ISIS and al-Qaida.' He called it 'unconscionable' that the federal Liberals 'were even contemplating the prosecution of Canadians who fought in defence of civilians against a genocidal terrorist group.'
