KINSELLA: Federal government looking at outlawing some hate symbols

Article content

September 1990, Provost, Alta.: An elderly Jew named Sigmund Sobolewski drives up to the boundary of an acreage owned by a man who is an Identity Christian. Identity Christians believe that Jews are the literal descendants of Satan, and that non-whites are not human; they are “mud people.”

Some armed affiliates of the Aryan Nations, the Ku Klux Klan and assorted white supremacist skinheads have planned a neo-Nazi rally at the acreage — an “Aryan Fest” — and Sobolewski is there to protest. To make his point, Sobolewski dons a uniform like that worn by Jews at Auschwitz, where Sobolewski had been held for four years. Seeing Sobolewski, the neo-Nazis and the skinheads go berserk.

One, Final Solution Skinhead Kelly Lyle — who had been earlier convicted of vandalizing Calgary’s House of Israel synagogue — screams at Sobolewski: “Why don’t you go play victim somewhere else? We all know you are full of s***! You are all Zionist conspirators!”

Above Lyle’s head, a huge swastika flag has been affixed to the side of a barn. Later on, there will be a cross-burning, where attendees will make Nazi salutes and shout: “White power!”

The RCMP were present that weekend in Provost, Alta., but they did nothing about all this. So Sobolewski and others later made complaints to Alberta’s Progressive Conservative government — in particular, about the display of the hate symbols. The government called an inquiry, and the inquiry eventually issued a lengthy report.

Among other things, the inquiry said this: “The Aryan Fest was a shocking event in the history of Alberta. The blatant display of signs and symbols redolent of racial and religious hatred, bigotry and discrimination challenge the very foundations of our society.”

As such, the inquiry ruled that the respondents — a cabal of neo-Nazis and white supremacist lunatics — should refrain displaying “swastika signs and symbols; ‘White Power’ signs and symbols; burning or lighted crosses; signs or symbols indicating an affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.”

Recommended video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

The Provost Aryan Fest happened long ago. The participants have long since faded from memory. Sobolewski, a brave man who travelled the world to speak about antisemitism and Holocaust denial, died in 2017 at the age of 94.

But that ruling by an Alberta’s human rights panel — that swastikas and related symbols are not to be displayed — is arguably still the law. Around the world, too, the public display of hate symbols has been made illegal in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Poland — countries that know what happens when hate symbols are allowed to proliferate.

France and the United Kingdom prosecute when the symbols are used to promote hate. Same with Slovakia, Italy and (of course) Israel. But Canada?

In Canada, we claim to oppose showing symbols of hate, as Alberta did so many years ago in Provost. But we don’t actually ever do anything about it.  Since thousands were murdered, raped, kidnapped and wounded by Hamas and Gazans on Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an orgy of hate on Canadian streets, campuses and online.

Everywhere, there has been the red triangle (meaning you have been targeted for death). The red hand (which celebrates the slaughter of Jews). And, of course, “intifada” and “from the river to the sea,” which — respectively — celebrates terror attacks on Jews, and advocates wiping the Jewish state off the map. Also: The display of Hamas and Hezbollah flags, seen at protests practically every week. Swastikas sometimes, too.

No one — not one person — has been prosecuted for any of that.

That may now change, thanks to the Mark Carney Liberal government. This week, word leaked out of Ottawa that the federal government is considering criminalizing certain hate symbols.

A Justice Department spokesman — and, full disclosure, a friend and this writer’s former investigative partner at the Ottawa Citizen, Ian MacLeod — confirmed it. Said MacLeod: “The Government of Canada takes the use of any hate symbols very seriously and remains committed to protecting everyone in Canada from hate and discrimination in all its forms. This work is ongoing. Although no final decisions have been made regarding the criminalization of any specific symbols, we continue to consult.”

The civil libertarians were upset about this, of course. So were lawyers representing anti-Israel protestors. But the police liked it: “Anything that could help [police] do their jobs better would be good,” said the Toronto Police Association.

The feds, and the cops, are right; the civil libertarians and the defence lawyers aren’t. Provost happened more than three decades ago. In the interim, other nations have effectively dealt with the proliferation of hateful symbols. It’s high time Canada did likewise.

The Carney government is on the right track. Because we don’t need any more Provost Aryan Fests.