Guilty as Charged

"In the final analysis, the court does not retain the hodgepodge of explanations provided by Gabriel Sohier Chaput about his writings."

"[The court] rejects his entire account, because his explanations leave no doubt. The court finds that the explanations provided are specious, insincere, opportunistic, deceptive, far-fetched, implausible, concealers of the truth, and were cobbled together to conceal the true intention of the accused."

"[Sohier Chaput] intentionally promoted hatred, through the Daily Stormer platform, against people of Jewish faith."

"The evidence in this regard is overwhelming. In closing, allow [myself] to make the following observation: the victims [Jews and other groups] of the Holocaust and also the victims of other genocides perpetrated throughout history, as well as their families deserve to be left in peace. The suffering they have been put through is inexpressible and defies the meaning of humanity."

Quebec Court Judge Manlio Del Negro, Montreal

"We need to make sure no [social justice warrior] or Jew can remain safely untriggered."

"[2017] will be the year of action."

"Non-stop Nazism, everywhere, until the very streets are flooded with the tears of our enemies."

'Zeiger' aka Sohier Chaput, Dailu Stormer

Gabriel Sohier Chaput aka 'Zeiger'

A series of articles published by the Montreal Gazette in 2018 described Gabriel Sohier Chaput as one of North America's most prominent writers on the Daily Stormer, an infamous, race-baiting, antisemitic rag of a far-right news website. Sohier Chaput was linked in the articles to the Zeiger pseudonym he signed off with when publishing hundreds of articles on the website of the Daily Stormer where it was pointed out that he organized meetings for a local neo-Nazi group.

The publishing of the Montreal Gazette articles in a display of investigative journalism uncovering the  presence and influence of a coterie of neo-Nazis and fascists actively working to denigrate, demonize, slander and harass Jews and their institutions led B'nai Brith Canada to file a complaint to the Montreal police. This led to a warrant being issued for the man's arrest in 2018.

 

Andrew Anglin, Founder, Daily Stormer

Sohier Chaput was charged under the Criminal Code with willful promotion of hatred "by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, [that] willfully promote hatred against any identifiable group". On conviction, the charge carries a maximum penalty of a two-year sentence in prison. When the trial began a year ago, Helene Poussard, the defence lawyer, stated that while her client was guilty of having posted between 800 and 1,000 items under the Zeiger pseudonym he was within his constitutional rights.

 

His writings were repugnant, stressed the lawyer, but he had a right to post them under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her argument failed to impress Justice Del Negro, who ordered that Sohier Chaput be taken into custody. Since the warrant was issued for his arrest in 2018 he had never been earlier detained. "There is nothing ironic in the fact that millions of Jewish people and others were exterminated during the Holocaust orchestrated by the Nazis ... it is one of the saddest events in the history of humanity."

 

Members of the Montreal Antifascist collective protested outside of the courthouse Friday, as closing arguments resumed in the hate propaganda trial of Gabriel Sohier-Chaput. The 35-year-old Montreal man appeared in court by video conference. (Radio-Canada)