A Muslim immigrant who called for “the slaughter of Jews” in online postings has become the first person to be charged with promoting genocide in Canada, police said on Friday.
Salman Hossain, a 25-year-old from Bangladesh who apparently left Canada in May, was charged with five counts of promoting hatred and advocating or promoting genocide over postings on his website and blog, as well as on a third-party website, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
He “wilfully promoted hatred and advocated genocide of the Jewish community,” said a statement.
Until now, Canada has only prosecuted suspects accused of mass atrocities abroad, in countries such as Rwanda. The Canadian government has also deported war crimes suspects to be tried in foreign courts.
Mr Hossain, who immigrated to Canada as a child, openly called for “violent regime change in Western nations in order to remove the presence of Jews” and “the slaughter of Jews,” according to reports.
He also advocated terrorist attacks in Canada, cheered the killing of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, and urged fellow Muslims to overthrow the “Jewish-run Canadian government”.
“Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms includes the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly,” said OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino.
“But we must not stand idly by when these rights are used as a shield to promote hatred against any community.”
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The Ontario Provincial Police held a news conference Thursday to announce hate crime charges have been laid against a Mississauga man who is believed to have left the country and may never be returned to Canada to face trial.
But representatives of the Canadian Jewish Congress and B’nai Brith Canada say charging Salman An-Noor Hossain, 25, with advocating genocide and wilfully promoting hatred is the right decision.
“The fact this man has been exposed and will be brought to some kind of justice is, in itself, justice,” said Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
[…]Police believe the former York University student is no longer in Canada and earlier news reports said he has moved to either Uganda or Bangladesh.
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