Here is the TORONTO STAR ARTICLE:
The Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) is asking the Attorney General of Ontario to reverse his decision to charge a Mississauga resident with a hate crime.
The organization has launched an online petition …
Here is the TORONTO STAR ARTICLE:
The Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) is asking the Attorney General of Ontario to reverse his decision to charge a Mississauga resident with a hate crime.
The organization has launched an online petition intended for Yasir Naqvi regarding the charge against Kevin Johnston of wilful promotion of hatred.
“The Ontario Civil Liberties Association believes that the proceedings against Mr. Johnston are systemically political in nature and should not be consuming public, police, and judicial resources,” says the petition, which was launched last week.
“We believe that the proceedings are harmful to Canadian society, in addition to being unacceptably unjust towards a citizen.”
Johnston, a former Mississauga mayoral candidate and outspoken online personality, was charged by Peel police on July 24 after they received approval from the attorney general's office, a requirement for that particular charge.
Police would not elaborate on the specifics of the charge, but the promotion of hatred was allegedly toward to the Peel Muslim community.
A police news release stated that the charge against the 45-year-old is from a “lengthy investigation into numerous incidents reported to police” and “concerns information published on various social media sites.”
Johnston told The Mississauga News that he's aware of the petition and supports it.
“I think it's fantastic — I think that it's the same type of petition I would do for anybody else (who's) being hosed like myself … and everybody else who's going to be silenced when all they're doing is speaking their minds based on fact,” Johnston said over the phone.
Asked to respond to an excerpt from the petition that noted the situation was “systemically political,” he responded: “This is entirely politically motivated. This has nothing to do with anything other than hurt feelings and politics. There is no danger to society because I pose no danger to society.”
Emilie Smith, a spokesperso..
