The RCMP has charged a 19-year-old with terrorism over allegations that he was participating in the activities of a neo-Nazi terror group, the first time Canada’s anti-terrorism laws have directly applied to such an organization, observers say.
Seth Bertrand, 19, of Windsor, Ontario, applied online to join a listed terrorist entity, the Atomwaffen Division (also known as the National Socialist Order), offering his skills and commitment to the group, he said. the RCMP in a statement. released on Friday.
The RCMP also said Mr Bertrand “committed a number of hate crimes” in the Windsor area between February and March last year.
Mr. Bertrand faces a charge of participation in a terrorist group, which carries a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years. Bobby Russon, a Windsor attorney who claimed to represent Bertrand, said he would not comment on the case.
Atomwaffen is part of a network of violent white supremacist organizations that urge their members to foment a race war with random attacks against members of minority communities.
the federal government listed as a terrorist group in February 2021, saying that “the group calls for acts of violence against racial, religious, and ethnic groups, informers, police, and bureaucrats, to bring about the collapse of society.”
Police and prosecutors in Canada have been under pressure to bring terrorism charges against white supremacists and hate groups since at least 2017, after a man shot and killed six people at a Quebec City mosque. The killer was convicted of murder charges, but was never charged with terrorism offences.
Michael Nesbitt, a law professor at the University of Calgary, said in an interview that so far no one has been charged under the law with being a member of a neo-Nazi group.
In a recent blog post, Mr. Nesbitt found that 59 of the 62 people charged under the law were allegedly associated with or influenced by al-Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq in terrorist groups in Syria.
But violent extremism takes many forms, Nesbitt said, adding that law enforcement officials need to show that they can use counterterrorism legislation against different types of threats.
“The law must be applied equally, and must be seen to be applied equally,” he said. Police and prosecutors must show that “the law has the ability to deal not only with al-Qaeda or ISIS, but with whatever violent and hateful ideology” exists.
Earlier this week, the head of Canada’s national spy agency highlighted how the pandemic has accelerated the spread of hate online.
Such threats are “constantly evolving, driven by extreme views on race, gender, power and authority,” said David Vigneault, director of Canada’s Security Intelligence Service.
speaking on wednesday at the University of British Columbia, said marginalized and minority communities are at risk. “The fear is particularly acute for indigenous peoples, people of color, religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ2+ communities.”
He pointed to the case of a family in London, Ontario, who were killed last year in a van attack because they were Muslim.
A 20-year-old man was charged at the scene with four counts of first-degree murder. Days later, prosecutors said they would also file terrorism charges for the truck attack.
Documents filed in court show police believe he may have been reading neo-Nazi content on the internet.
Parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism Act into law following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
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