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Opinion
Editorial: Denounce Ahenakew but don't charge him


"No citizen in a free society should go to jail for his opinions, even opinions as vile as David Ahenakew's.

A former native leader, Mr. Ahenakew told a reporter in 2002 that Jews were a 'disease' and praised Hitler for deciding they should be 'fried' in the Holocaust. He is now on trial in Saskatoon on charges of inciting hatred. Whether he is guilty or not is for the court to decide. But the law he is accused of breaking is wrong in the first place.

The dangers of such a law are obvious. It could easily be used to silence those who dissent noisily or obnoxiously from majority opinion, a basic right in any country that values open debate. If the hate law can be used against cranks like Mr. Ahenakew, why not against a university professor who says that the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack deserved to be killed?"

Get the Story:
Editorial: The hate law's flaw (The Globe and Mail 4/7)

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