Full Thread: Marc Lemire (Canada)
View Single Post
Old February 10th, 2008 #2
Alex Linder
Administrator
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 45,756
Blog Entries: 34
Default Re: Marc Lemire (Canada)

Wikipedia [highly biased source]:

Marc Lemire is a neo-Nazi [1] figure in the Canadian white supremacist movement.[2] He is the webmaster of the Toronto-based Freedom-Site, which he began in 1996.[3][2]

According to Matthew Lauder, a researcher who infiltrated the far right in Canada, Lemire has been national director of the often violent white supremacist Heritage Front (HF) organization since January 1, 2001. [4]

In 1997, he ran for school trustee in Toronto Public School Ward P17 and received 2,503 votes (or 12% of the total).[3][5] In the mid-1990s he was a Canadian Armed Forces reservist.[2] In their 1997 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, B'nai Brith Canada wrote, "Marc Lemire, webmaster of the Freedom-Site that hosts the websites of several of Canada’s most virulent antisemitic organizations such as the Heritage Front, The Canadian Patriots Network and the Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform".[6] In 1998, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called the The Canadian Patriots network a "hate website".[7]

Lemire's involvement with Droege and the Heritage Front began when he was a teenager in the early 1990s, but with the HF falling into crisis around 1993, he attempted independent projects on the far right, such as his Canadian Patriots Network before embarking in his online activities.[2] He resumed his activity with the Heritage Front within a few years, and according to the HF website, Lemire helped organize an Heritage Front flyer campaign in 2001. The flyers were titled in part Immigration can kill you, and included the claim that there was a connection between immigration and an outbreak of tuberculosis.[8]

Lemire was briefly a member of the Canadian Alliance, a mainstream conservative Canadian party — along with several other far-right figures, such as Paul Fromm, Doug Christie and Doug Collins — until the late 2000, when, according to The Report Newsmagazine, they were all expelled from the party.[9][10]

[edit] Legal and human rights issues

A Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rendered a decision in August 2006, finding that postings by Craig Harrison on the Freedom-Site forum (an interactive message forum on Lemire's website) contained violations of Section 13 of the CHRA. No liability was found against Lemire though the Tribunal did issue a decision that "compelled" Lemire to provide evidence during the hearing.[11] [12]

As of 2006, Lemire is the subject of a federal human rights complaint for allegedly "communicating and/or causing to be communicated" messages in violation of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Hearings before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal are scheduled for February 2007. [13][14]

On November 25, 2005, Lemire filed a Notice of Constitutional Question with every Attorney General in Canada, against the Canadian Human Rights Act, in which he alleged that ss. 13 (Internet hate) and 54(1)(1.1) (Fines) of the Canadian Human Rights Act are in violation of ss. 2(a) and (b), 7, 26 and 31 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that these violations are not saved by s. 1 thereof. A violation of ss. 1(d) and (f) of the Canadian Bill of Rights is also alleged. [15]. As a result of the constitutional challenge, the Canadian Free Speech League, the Canadian Association for Free Expression, the Attorney General of Canada, The Canadian Jewish Congress, B'nai Brith Canada and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have all obtained "Interested Party Status" in the case. [16]

During questioning of two Canadian Human Rights Commission employees - Hannya Rizk and Dean Steacy - the Canadian Human Rights Commission invoked section 37 (public interest immunity) of the Canada Evidence Act to block any questioning on an alias used by the CHRC on the Stormfront. Org message board and any questions involving investigation techniques.[17]

On May 17, 2007, Mr. Lemire filed a Notice of Application to the Federal Court, for a determination of the Commission's claims of public interest immunity, in accordance with s. 37(3) of the Canada Evidence Act. [18]

In July, 2007, Marc Lemire filed a motion to stop the Tribunal hearing Sine Die. [19] On August 17, 2007, Marc Lemire received an adjournment sine die from Athanasios D. Hadjis, a senior member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. This adjournment completely stops the tribunal proceedings with no fixed date to continue, pending the appeal to the Federal Court of Canada.[20]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Lemire