Alleged Montreal 'neo-Nazi' recruiter goes on trial for hate propaganda

The trial begins Monday for an alleged neo-Nazi who is said to have authored articles in far-right publications and other online forums under the pseudonym "Charles Zeiger" while recruiting like-minded people from his home base in Montreal.

Five days have been set aside for the Quebec court proceedings against Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, 35, who faces a single count of wilfully promoting hate propaganda. If he is found guilty, the crime is punishable by a maximum of two years in prison.

Sohier-Chaput is said to have published articles in the far-right publication the Daily Stormer and posts in forums like the now-defunct Iron March. Both platforms regularly used racist, sexist and homophobic slurs, and promoted conspiracy theories, along with coverage of what they called the "Race War" and the "Jewish Problem."

Researchers of the far-right said the Daily Stormer and Iron March were targeting a young male audience across Canada and the United States, using memes, images, inside jokes and culture to disseminate their ideology.

This separated them from other Quebec-based extremist groups like La Meute or Storm Alliance, which typically have appealed to francophone nationalists over the age of 40.

Sohier-Chaput was named in a series of articles by the Montreal Gazette in 2018 which allege he participated in neo-Nazi recruitment in Montreal and that he went to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017.

The rally gathered neo-fascists, white supremacists, Klansmen and others, and a right-wing extremist deliberately drove into a crowd and killed 32-year-old counter-protester Heather Heyer.

The Gazette investigation also says Sohier-Chaput was responsible for the digitization of a 1980s manifesto named SIEGE, which called for the creation of a white ethno-state through violence.

Following the publication of those articles, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and B'nai Brith Canada both filed complaints against Sohier-Chaput with the Montreal police.

An arrest warrant was issued in November 2018, but by then, Sohier-Chaput was no longer in Montreal. He made his first appearance before a judge two years later, in November 2020.

"There can be no place for white supremacy or hatred of any kind in today's Canada," Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, said in a statement in the lead-up to this week's trial.

Burden of proof high

Convictions for the willful spread of hateful propaganda are rare in Canada. Section 319 (2), the relevant section of the Criminal Code defines hateful propaganda as speech that calls people's humanity into question.

The challenge is proving that intent beyond a reasonable doubt.

When someone lays a complaint alleging hate speech, police must decide whether a hate crime took place. They then send the file to a Crown prosecutor who decides whether there's proof of hateful intentions. If the Crown decides what the police provided doesn't prove hateful intent, charges are not pressed.

It's more common to see hate crimes brought before the human rights tribunal, where complainants can seek compensation.

Canada has seen an increase in online hate speech. According to a study on extremism in Canada by a London-based think tank, the number of hate groups operating in the country has tripled since 2017.

The report shows that Montreal and Toronto had the most Iron March users in Canada. In Quebec and Alberta, it found, militia movements train members in weaponry, paramilitary tactics and survivalist strategies.

Some hate-crime researchers and lawyers say with the burden of proof being high, the provisions in the Criminal Code aren't strong enough to deter people from participating in hate speech.

"Police are incredibly reticent to pursue section 319 (2) charges, and when they do it can take 18 months, and then the file can last a long time and the penalty they get is a slap on the wrist," said Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

"For really committed hate-mongers this isn't a deterrent. Why would it be?"

However, others believe the outcome of the Sohier-Chaput trial will be crucial in reshaping public opinion and perceptions of the far right.

"In Quebec, in general, the far-right movements are ethno-nationalist — so less violent but very racist. But if someone is bringing Nazi speech, now we're talking about violence," said Denise Helly, a law professor with the National Institute of Scientific Research.

Frédérick Nadeau, a researcher with the Centre d'expertise et de formation sur les intégrismes religieux, les idéologies politiques et la radicalisation – a Quebec group that studies radicalization movements – said the outcome of this case is important, because it will test the limits of online anonymity.

"Until now the authorities had a tendency to minimize the violence these groups represent, and slowly we're seeing there's an awakening to the threat," he said.

"I think this trial can be significant in showing we take the threat seriously and there are consequences even if people think online anonymity protects them, it doesn't."