RCMP has arrested and charged a 29-year-old man who is the self-proclaimed leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party with willfully promoting hatred to an identifiable group.
In June 2019, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network reported an allegedly anti-Semitic video on YouTube to the Carlyle RCMP. The video featured Travis Patron of Redvers, Sask., according to the RCMP.
After this initial report, the Carlyle RCMP launched an investigation with the help of the Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes unit, the Saskatchewan RCMP National Security Section and the British Columbia RCMP hate crimes unit.
Evidence gathered by police was brought to and reviewed by the Saskatchewan Attorney General, a requirement under Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code for the charge to be laid.
Between April 2020 and July 2020 there were four additional reports to Carlyle RCMP of new alleged anti-Semitic videos and hate speech by Travis Patron. Each of these incidents is still being investigated by the RCMP.
On Feb. 15, the Attorney General of Saskatchewan directed the Carlyle RCMP to arrest and charge Patron under Sec. 319(2) of the Criminal Code for willfully promoting hatred to an identifiable group.
Executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Evan Balgord, said Patron has been on the network’s radar since around 2017 and 2018 when he was trying to start the Canadian Nationalist Party.
“We collected the evidence, which is as simple as we took the video and transcribed it. We also took some other stuff on his website that demonstrated this wasn’t just a one-off, and then we made a criminal complaint to the RCMP, by pointing out the laws he’d broken and providing them with the evidence,” Balgord explained.
While the network is happy charges have been laid, Balgord raised concerns about the length of time it took RCMP to investigate and press charges.
“We provided the evidence 601 days ago, it did not need to take this long. We’re grateful it happened. It’s ridiculous it took this long,” Balgord said.
“Between now and then, Travis has continued to do anti-Semitic posts, make videos where he’s giving a Roman salute, what you and I would recognize and call a Nazi salute,” he added.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC), a Canadian Jewish human rights foundation said they were “pleased” to find out about the arrest and charges against Patron.
The FSWC said in a press release that they also filed a criminal hate speech complaint with the Saskatchewan RCMP and Attorney General of Saskatchewan.
The complaint was regarding a flyer posted on Canadian Nationalist Party social media pages and is related to the video.
“Canadians are one step closer to seeing justice being served. This is an especially big win for the Jewish community, which has year after year remained the most victimized group when it comes to hate crimes and the target of a growing number of hate groups in Canada and around the world,” said Michael Levitt, FSWC President and CEO.
FSWC said they commend the RCMP and Attorney General of Saskatchewan for “recognizing the severity and ugliness of Patron’s words.”
Patron was arrested on Monday and made his first court appearance on Feb. 16 in Weyburn provincial court over the phone.
He appeared in a Regina courtroom by phone on Wednesday afternoon and represented himself.
In court, Patron said he does not understand “what right her majesty the Queen has to police his speech in this matter.”
One Regina defence lawyer said hate crime charges are rare and difficult to prosecute.
Aaron Fox explained that hate crime charges involve a number of elements and specific intent.
The statement has to be public, incite hatred, and be directed towards a specific group.
“A lot of this turns on the actual words spoken but a lot turns on the intent of the person who spoke the words and that’s why it’s such a difficult charge to prosecute,” Fox explained.
Patron is facing other charges including assault causing bodily harm in a 2019 incident where he allegedly attacked two women. That matter is also before the courts.
On Wednesday, Patron was released from custody. He has court dates set for March 11 in the assault case and April 14 on the hate crime charges.
—With files from Allison Bamford