The tribunal has shut down Internet sites in a half-dozen cases in the past few years.
The first major Internet-related decision came in 2002, when it forced Holocaust-denier Ernst Zundel to shutter his website.
Richard Blackwell Toronto Globe and Mail 11.Mar.06
In a landmark decision, the tribunal ordered the men, one of whom ran the web-hosting service that carried the websites, to cease their hatemongering, levied penalties totalling $13,000 and awarded the complainant $5,000. It is believed to be the first time a Canadian Internet web-hosting service has been found liable for hate messages.
Bernie Farber of the Canadian Jewish Congress was ecstatic with the decision and fines.
"It makes a huge and important statement," he said. "It shows the seriousness with which the tribunal viewed this matter."
The complaint was launched in February 2002 by Ottawa lawyer and human rights crusader Richard Warman...
Colin Perkell Toronto Star 11.Mar.06
Richard Warman, a lawyer with the Canadian Human Rights Commission has been attacking the web sites of tax critics and opponents of Israel. He has approached Internet service providers, or ISPs in both Canada and the U.S. seeking to have them pull the plug on web sites he finds offensive.
When called an enemy of free speech on the Northern Alliance web site, Warman sued the Alliance in Small Claims Court.
In other instances, he has written letters to try to get meetings of dissidents like Tom Kennedy, Dave Lindsay and David Icke cancelled.
Paul From/BCRevolution
Ironically, Mueller drew police attention to himself when he reported someone had left a box of Molotov cocktails in his front yard. He told police he was likely targeted because of his "politically incorrect" website. Police investigated the site and charges resulted.
Len Rudner, director of community relations for Canadian Jewish Congress, said, "to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time there's been a successful conviction under [hate crime laws] for contents on an Internet website."
[...]
Ottawa human rights lawyer Richard Warman said the charge and conviction of Mueller "just shows how on top of things the Edmonton [Police] hate crime unit is. They really have become the poster child of what a hate crimes unit can do."
Warman said a second Edmonton man, Glenn Bahr, has also been charged under the Criminal Code for material he allegedly posted on two websites.
Warman said Mueller's conviction may lead law enforcement officials in other jurisdictions to lay hate charges. "I hope it shows that just because the technology has changed, it doesn't mean the law has changed," he said.
Paul Lungen/CJC 22.Dec.05
Al-Marayati's assertion that "our government is in full partnership with Israel," which ADL and ZOA find objectionable, is a simple statement of fact. Why else have successive U.S. presidents, along with Congress, declared it their goal to maintain Israel's "qualitative and quantitative military superiority" over its neighbors by providing Israel with at least $4 billion a year in military and economic aid - nearly a third of the foreign aid budget?
Why else does the United States frequently stand alone with Israel (and Micronesia) and against almost the entire membership of the U.N. in voting against resolutions condemning Israel's violations of international law? Why else does Israel enjoy fervent support in Congress, many of whose members refer to Israel as "our strategic ally?"
The final proof of Al-Marayati's statement is the fact that his appointment to the National Commission on Terrorism was withdrawn. In one of the editorials from The Minaret that ADL claims are guilty of "bashing Israel" the editor points out that despite the intense concern in the United States about the threat of terrorism, Muslim Americans have been deliberately excluded from official deliberations on the subject. Salam Al-Marayati is eminently qualified to take part in these deliberations. Unfortunately he has been denied the opportunity to do so because of the determination of a few Jewish leaders to silence any criticism of Israel, and the willingness of Congress to do their bidding.
Rachelle Marshall is a free-lance editor living in Stanford, CA. A member of the International Jewish Peace Union, she writes frequently on the Middle East.
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Oct/Nov.99
