Editor charged with hate crimes, labelled racist and sexist, releases new issue
Past issues of Your Ward News have portrayed Jews as dogs, glorified Hitler, used n-word
The editor of a publication that has been labelled racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and misogynist has released another print issue and says he won't stop publishing because he doesn't believe the paper has broken any laws, even though he has been charged with hate crimes.
Copies of Your Ward News have been appearing in east-end Toronto mailboxes this month, much to the chagrin of residents.
Issues of the paper have included images portraying Jews as dogs and glorifying Hitler, as well as liberal use of the n-word and other slurs.
- Your Ward News editor, publisher charged with promoting hatred against women and Jews, police say
- Men behind 'hate-rag' newspaper charged with uttering threats
Despite numerous complaints from residents who have received the paper that it is racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and offensive, editor James Sears, 56, says he won't stop publishing.
"Being criticized by mentally deranged Marxists has never caused us to consider shutting down our truth tract," he told CBC Toronto in an email.
Sears, and publisher Leroy St. Germaine, 76, were arrested and charged in November 2017 with the wilful promotion of hatred against women and Jews.
It was the first time in Ontario's history a charge was laid alleging the wilful promotion of hatred against women, according to office of the attorney general.
The most recent issue of Your Ward News depicts a roundtable of people including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Kathleen Wynne with speech bubbles making homophobic and sexist remarks.
In his most recent letter from the editor, Sears writes that he hopes to "restart monthly Toronto Real Men meetings to teach men seduction skills and masculinity ... secure a clubhouse for my Hitler Fan Club [and] schedule [an] 'Anti-Marxist Book Burning.'"
Canada Post bans delivery
Mail delivery of the controversial publication has been banned by Canada Post. It is now delivered, according to Sears, by volunteers and private distribution companies.
"We have continued to distribute 305,000 copies of each edition, even after the Canada Post mailing ban," he said, adding that the paper was "flooded with requests to volunteer" following the hate speech charges last year.
Lisa and Warren Kinsella, authors and consultants who have spoken out against Your Ward News, have filed a civil lawsuit against Sears and St. Germaine, accusing them of uttering death threats against the couple in a summer 2017 issue of the publication.
In that edition, Sears wrote about the "chance that some hothead who cares deeply about me… would lose it and do something illegal like bludgeon the Kinsellas to death."
The Kinsellas say the newspaper's main characteristic is attacking identifiable groups.
"It attacks Jews, it attacks gays and lesbians, it attacks women viciously [and promotes] violence against women, minority communities and when you raise your voice against them, they attack you," Warren Kinsella said.
In the latest issue, the paper refers to Warren Kinsella as a "pathological liar" and mentions him by name several times. Photographs of the couple are also photo-shopped into the paper.
The Kinsellas plan on taking further legal action against the publication next week.
"I put in a libel notice about some things said about me in response to an article I had written about misogynistic statements in the paper and what was effectively rape advocacy," said Lisa Kinsella.
Warren Kinsella, who has written about racist right for more than 30 years, points out that what makes the publishers of Your Ward News different from other alt-right or similar hateful publications is their determination to remain in circulation and double down despite facing legal consequences.
'A pretty substantial bank account'
"What's very unusual about this group is they've even gotten worse than they were before and that suggests to us they're not listening to their lawyers but they do have a pretty substantial bank account," he said.
The Kinsellas are asking the community to speak out, take legal action where necessary and contact politicians to voice their concerns about the troubling content in the paper.
Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) says she has heard from multiple concerned residents in the east end.
"They're upset as we all have been for years with this dreaded paper and they're alarmed that it's being delivered again," she said, adding that she has spoken to police, city officials, the ombudsman and Canada Post but they have not been able to come up with a way to stop the publication.
"In the interim, until we figure out if they will be convicted, I would say just line your kitty litter boxes with it or wrap your dead fish with it."
Sears says most of his critics are "naive boomers and brainwashed [social justice warriors] that are being manipulated by Marxist parasites" and that they should "keep an open mind and read the damn paper before ... and calling the cops."
With files from Adrian Cheung