TORONTO - Travis Patron’s conviction Wednesday for a hate speech-related charge is being praised by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC).
Patron, the former leader of the now-defunct Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP), was found guilty by a jury of wilful promotion of hate against an identifiable group in Court of King's Bench in Estevan.
Patron was arrested and charged with wilful promotion of hate in February 2021 in connection with an online video titled Beware the Parasitic Tribe, which was flagged in 2019. The FSWC says Patron claimed that Jewish people "infiltrate the media, they hijack the central bank, and they infect the body politic like a parasite," and "what we need to do ... is remove these people, once and for all, from our country."
The FSWC said it had worked vigorously with the Crown and Saskatchewan Attorney General’s office, urging for hate crime charges to be laid against Patron. In July 2020, FSWC filed an additional hate speech complaint with the RCMP against Patron after a flyer was posted on the CNP's social media pages.
"Finally, justice has been served in the case of Travis Patron, who for years was given an outlet to promote vile, anti-Semitic tropes online,” said Michael Levitt, FSWC president and CEO. “At a time when we are seeing an explosive increase in anti-Jewish rhetoric, particularly online, this verdict sends a strong message that hate crimes against the Jewish community will not be tolerated and perpetrators will face consequences.”
“It remains quite shocking that an individual with such hateful views could be the leader of a registered so-called political party in Canada,” Levitt added. “Elections Canada must take the necessary action to prevent hate groups such as the Canadian Nationalist Party from registering as a political party and being given a stage to promote hatred and extremism.”
The FSWC thanks the RCMP, Crown prosecutor, Saskatchewan Attorney General and community groups and witnesses whose efforts led to this outcome.
Patron has been remanded into custody. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20.
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