Man charged for impersonation in connection to antisemitic social media post
Samual Shaji, 25, is scheduled to appear at Halifax provincial court in March
Halifax Regional Police have charged a man in relation to an antisemitic social media post tied to the account of a former government employee from October 2023.
On Oct. 17, police received a report that someone accessed the account — who was not the account holder — and sent out the post as the account holder.
The suspect, who police confirmed to be 25-year-old Samual Shaji, is scheduled to appear at Halifax provincial court on March 26 to face one count of personation — the legal term for impersonation.
While police didn't name the account holder in the news release, Nargis DeMolitor — who had been a special adviser to Nova Scotia's minister of labour, skills and immigration — was fired because of the post.
DeMolitor denies authoring the post, which read "Israel must stop being the Nazi's of 21st century. Killing innocent Palestinians for political gain is inhumane and dictatorial. Free Palestine Now…"
She claimed the post was made by Shaji, someone who she says she had hired to manage her X account between January and March of 2023.
She filed a lawsuit against the premier's office for wrongful dismissal last month, but filed paperwork a few days later to end the action.
A representative of DeMolitor's counsel told CBC News on Thursday there was an issue with the original filing, but they have notified the Crown of plans to proceed with the lawsuit.
"Ms. DeMolitor's case is still very much alive," reads the email from a representative of Toronto law firm Levitt Sheikh.
DeMolitor's original claim described Shaji as "a respected member of the PC Party's diversity committee" and someone who "had connections to Premier (Tim) Houston's inner circle."
None of the allegations contained in DeMolitor's statement of claim have been tested in court.