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Old February 26th, 2008 #3
Alex Linder
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Former U of S lecturer pleads not guilty to promoting hatred against Jews

Jana G. Pruden, Leader-Post

Monday, February 25, 2008

REGINA -- A former University of Saskatchewan lecturer says he's not guilty of promoting hatred against Jews, and wants to take his case before a jury.

"I say I'm promoting the truth ..." Terrence Cecil Tremaine told reporters outside Regina Provincial Court on Monday. "We're in a situation in this country where someone had to speak out, and I decided it had to be me."

Tremaine was charged last month for allegedly violating a section of the Criminal Code that bars public incitement of hatred against any identifiable group.


Terrence Tremaine

A conviction carries a penalty of up to two years in jail.

Tremaine was dismissed from his position as a part-time lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan in 2005, after the school became aware of postings he had made on a white supremacist Web site.

After his dismissal, Tremaine, known online as mathdoktor99 and JCMateri, attributed his anti-Jewish comments to mental health issues and delusional thinking, but subsequently retracted that explanation and stood by his earlier Internet postings.

Last year, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Tremaine had violated the Canadian Human Rights Act by making racist postings on the Internet. The tribunal fined Tremaine $4,000 and ordered him to stop making such postings.

The new postings are alleged to have been made between Feb. 1, 2004, and Nov. 1, 2007.

Tremaine made his first appearance on the new charge at Regina Provincial Court Monday morning.

The 59-year-old appeared without a lawyer, and entered a not-guilty plea. The case was adjourned two weeks for Tremaine to get disclosure, and for the Crown to look into removing a court-order that bars Tremaine from having access to the Internet and computers.

Tremaine told court he needs Internet access to prepare his case. He also said he would like his case heard by a jury.

Outside court, Tremaine told reporters he was taking a stand against the Jewish community's "inordinate amount of power" in Canada.

He also said his writings have all been on American servers, and that jurisdiction may be an issue in his defence.

When questioned about his view on other races, Tremaine told reporters he believes whites have a right to Canada, and that any aversion to his beliefs may be the product of decades of media propaganda.

Tremaine is slated to be back in court on March 10.

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http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarp...f81fa1&k=13989