Man convicted of promoting hatred towards Jews is sentenced for breach of probation in British Columbia, Canada

Arthur Topham has been sentenced to a 30-day conditional sentence plus three years probation, following a failure to comply with the terms of his previous probation period.

The recent sentencing on 20th November comes after Mr Topham had been found guilty of breach of probation and a prior conviction in 2017 for wilfully promoting hatred against Jews.

In November 2015, Mr Topham was convicted by a jury for calling for the forceful sterilisation of the Jews, claiming that the country is “controlled by the Zionist Jewish lobby” and referring to Jewish places of worship as “synagogues of Satan”. However, he launched a failed constitutional challenge to Canada’s hate speech legislation, which subsequently delayed his sentencing until March 2017.

Despite a possible maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, he received a six-month curfew and a ban on online engagement requiring him to abstain from posting any content related to the Jewish people for two years. Earlier this year, he proceeded to violate these terms by sharing antisemitic material and imagery.

The conditions of his updated three-year probation period include a ban on posting any online content related to the Jewish people, the Jewish religion, Israel, Israelis and Zionism. B’nai Brith Canada has praised the sentencing decision and welcomed this as a reminder that there are consequences for such offensive actions against Jewish citizens.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: B’nai Brith Canada