As expected after
his conviction on one count of promoting hatred, Arthur Topham has launched his expected Charter challenge:
B.C. man convicted of promoting hate on web to challenge law in court today
Canada's Criminal Code provisions out of step with internet reality, Arthur Topham's supporters say
By Betsy Trumpener, CBC News Posted: Sep 30, 2016 6:53 PM PT Last Updated: Sep 30, 2016 6:53 PM PT
Some relevant points:
Topham was convicted in November of one Criminal Code count of communicating statements that wilfully promoted hatred against Jewish people through his website, RadicalPress.com.
The defence is expected to challenge that conviction based on the charter right to free expression and the contention that Canada's hate crime law didn't anticipate the nature of the internet.
Although a Quesnel jury convicted Topham, the judge delayed a decision about shutting down his website until sentencing. If the charter challenge fails, Topham may be sentenced as early as later this week.
As the
website wasn't taken down, Topham has spent much of the past year since his conviction ratcheting up the antisemitic screeds as well as promoting fellow antisemites such as Brian Ruh and Monika Schaefer:
"This is not a matter of Arthur Topham passing out pamphlets," said Paul Fromm, an avowed "white nationalist" who helped fund Topham's defence.
"You have to want to read what he has on his website. You have to seek it out and sift through and read it."
Fromm, director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression, is a controversial anti-immigration and free speech activist who has been linked to neo-Nazi groups in the past. He sat through Topham's two-week trial last winter and said he would travel from Ontario to be in court today for the charter challenge.
We are pleased that the msm is now consistently referring to Paulie as a "white nationalist," however we are still somewhat troubled that they suggest that he, "has been linked to neo-Nazi groups in the past."
The past???
Still, baby steps we suppose.
Topham attended his court hearing today supported by Paulie, Schaefer, and Terry Tremaine whom we haven't seen in some time:
Frank Frost is also an interesting character and someone whom we might look into in further detail.
Not long ago, Topham posted his take on the court appearance. He takes exception to how the CBC characterized Paulie and referred to the state broadcaster as, "Zionist controlled." He alsomntions who he plans on calling as an expert witness which could also provide a window on the nature of his Charter challenge:
The Dr. Timothy Jay that Topham might be referring to, based on our best guess, is an MCLA professor of Psychology, Human Communication and Perception who in an
NPR piece is credited with being an, "expert on swearing."
According to his CV:
Dr. Jay is frequently sought for his expertise on psycholinguistics. He has served as a consultant to a number of school systems, and has been an expert witness in legal cases pertaining to obscenity and censorship. Furthermore, Dr. Jay has been interviewed or featured in dozens of radio shows, televisions programs, and documentary films.
We'll be keeping an eye on this case and will try to keep our readers up to date on any new updates.
