Family faces racist tirade
A family in Lasalle faced a racist tirade as Nadisha Hosein attempted to back her car onto the street. She had the presence of mind to video the incident and has reported a hate incident to police.
I’m curious about the law in this situation. Hate speech in Canada is defined in terms of promoting or inciting hatred, but does invective by a hateful individual fall under this law?
MarcG 09:09 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
“Go back to where *you* belong: in the friggin’ trash” – love it. Is that the guy’s wife telling him to get back inside and shut up? They mirror each other’s finger-waving perfectly.
Kate 09:24 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
According to what I’ve seen, she’s a neighbour, not the guy’s wife.
Meezly 09:36 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
It’s not a crime to utter racist slurs or go on a public racist tirade, but if at any point, a threat was made to another person’s life, health or property, then that can lead to a criminal offense.
I’m surprised the criminal lawyer didn’t take another approach and charge the asshole for disturbing public peace and order. We all have a right to conduct our lives in peace, and that racist definitely disturbed a mother, her child and their neighbour.
“Conduct that disturbs public peace and order in or near a public place is an offence according to the Criminal Code of Canada. The conduct may be fighting, shouting, singing, using insulting or obscene language, loitering, being drunk, discharging firearms, or impeding, harassing or molesting other persons.”
Uatu 10:04 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
The couple should have just talked to each other in their language in front of him and laughed at him. It would drive him bananas. It doesn’t even have to be about him. They could be just talking about the weather, but like most insecure people they think it’s all about them. Clearly this dude belongs in the nuthouse
Blork 11:18 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
@Meezly, lawyers don’t charge people. That would be up to the police.
One thing about this is laughable: a French guy (from France) yelling at a brown person who was born here to “go back to where she came from.” What, Park Extension? TMR? Brossard?
Regarding charges, I think the lawyer is right in that there was no overt threat, just a major case of assholia. And you can’t charge someone with a hate (or any other crime) just for being an asshole. There has to be an explicit threat.
It’s a bit different if the person is broadcasting general hate speech directed at specific groups of people, but when you’re just an asshole yelling at someone, then you’re probably just an asshole yelling at someone. People yell at each other all the time. People yell at cyclists, other people yell at motorists, people yell at suburbanites, others yell at rich people, some yell at poor people. Some people yell at fat people, or people who take to long at the grocery store cashier, or who mow their lawns at inappropriate times. That doesn’t make it hate speech.
Such assholia should be recorded and noted, as it’s probably not isolated. You need to establish if there’s a pattern, etc.
Meezly 11:41 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
I guess little details can trip people up, so the lawyer could have counseled his client to change their charge to one that can stick. It’s notoriously difficult to get an individual on a hate charge because the laws are just not there.
And since little details matter to you, Blork ,the racial/ethnic background of the asshole wasn’t specified, but AH yelled at the neighbour (who’s from France) to go back to France. That fact may actually even be more laughable.
At least the asshole is treating all “outsiders”, white or non-white, on equal terms!
Blork 12:01 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
Ah, OK, I got it wrong. I though the yelling asshole was from France.
Kevin 16:07 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
@Blork
In Quebec police recommend charges, but it’s up to the Crown Prosecutor’s office to lay charges or not.
qatzelok 21:00 on 2022-08-17 Permalink
What triggered the tirade? Did the driver almost kill someone while backing up?
JP 09:55 on 2022-08-18 Permalink
@Qatzelok.
I doubt it. I’ve experienced this type of racism myself. The trigger is simply our existence or perhaps something in the perpetrator’s life we’re not privy to. I’ve had this happen to me even when I’m minding my own business on the metro.
Even if someone almost killed me and I was telling them off, I’d leave race, religion, “go back to x” out of it. Thanks for finding a way to blame the “victim” here and detract from the real issue.
qatzelok 13:08 on 2022-08-18 Permalink
JP, since you weren’t there, you can’t know if someone was almost killed by a car. Because near-death experiences frequently provoke tirades.
Perhaps the car was the perp.
JP 13:36 on 2022-08-18 Permalink
Tirades can be excused. Racist tirades, no. I can tell you’ve been never been on the receiving end of one. The car can’t be a perp….
As for almost killed by a car: Quote from Global article: “I was reversing out of the driveway and I saw the man coming down the street so I said ‘I’ll stop the car,’” she explained. That should clarify that.
I won’t be looking at this thread again because that will trigger a tirade from me. I would tell you to simply refrain from commenting any further but it’s not my blog.
Uatu 23:15 on 2022-08-18 Permalink
I got racist comments by just walking down the street minding my own business. The dude is just looking to vent at anyone and any trigger will do. Clearly he’s nuts with a lot of free time on his hands
Orr 11:33 on 2022-08-19 Permalink
People getting harassed while riding bicycles are starting to use this technique: point at the harasser and keep saying “Fromage”. It confuses their small reptilian brain because it is not the reaction they were expecting.
But the best advice is to never confront the harasser. Always call the police and have a description/details of the harasser ready to describe to the agent.