(Anti-gay) Hate speech case reaches (Canadian) Supreme Court

[pampango]

Source: CBC

A man accused of hate speech for distributing flyers in Saskatchewan condemning homosexuality will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday.

Bill Whatcott was charged with promoting hate after he distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 calling homosexuals sodomites and child molesters.

"Our children will pay the price in disease, death, abuse and ultimately eternal judgment if we do not say no to the sodomite desire to socialize your children into accepting something that is clearly wrong," one of the pamphlets said.

Whatcott was found guilty by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal in 2005 and ordered to pay $17,500 to the complainants, but the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned the ruling in 2010. Whatcott argued he was opposed to gay activity, not gay people.


Bill Whatcott distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon
in 2001 and 2002 calling homosexuals sodomites
and child molesters.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/10/11/whatcott-saskatchewan-human-rights.html?cmp=rss

[Swede Atlanta]

1. Stone him to death!!!!

That is condoned in his version of the Bible.

[Dogtown]

2. "Love the sinner but hate the sin.."

That's their bromide excuse for acting out their fear and hatred.

Sanctimonious hypocites.....

[iandhr]

3. Even bigots...

... have free speech rights. Something that I always have thought. Even in cases like this where the speaker makes me want to puke.

[Zoeisright]

4. Well, isn't he unattractive.

Inside and out.

[Kievan Rus]

5. While I despise homophobic fundies, he has a right to free speech

I absolutely cannot stand fundies that want to drag us back into the Middle Ages and I think what he has to say is deplorable, but he has a right to say it.

You can't honestly say you believe in free speech until you're willing to defend your opposition's rights to it.

[polly7]

6. "Whatcott's lawyer, Thomas Schuck, wants the court system to lose its right to rule on hate speech."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/10/12/f-free-speech-hate-crimes.html

"Free speech is protected in Canada under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the right is not absolute. Section One of the Charter states: "The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society."

Hate crimes
The Criminal Code of Canada says a hate crime is committed to intimidate, harm or terrify not only a person, but an entire group of people to which the victim belongs. It applies when the victims are targeted for who they are, not because of anything they have done, and can involve intimidation, harassment, physical force or threat of physical force against a person, a group or a property.

In Canada it’s also a crime to incite hatred. Under Section 318 of the Criminal Code, it is a criminal act to "advocate or promote genocide" — to call for, support, encourage or argue for the killing of members of a group based on colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

Section 319 deals with publicly stirring up or inciting hatred against an identifiable group based on colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. It is illegal to communicate hatred in a public place by telephone, broadcast or through other audio or visual means, but the same section protects people from being charged with a hate crime if their statements are truthful or the expression of a religious opinion."