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Loading ...Canadian politician: Execute gays
10.02.2008 12:20pm EDT
(Sudbury, Ontario) A Northern Ontario candidate running for a seat in Canada’s parliament could find himself sitting in jail instead, after telling high school students that gays should be executed.
Sudbury police are investigating David Popescu under Canada’s hate crime law, which makes it a federal offense to promote hatred or incite violence against minorities, including gays and lesbians.Popescu was one of a number of candidates invited to participate in a question and answer session with students at Sudbury Secondary School.
He made the remark after a student asked him for his opinion of same-sex marriage which became legal in Canada in 2004.
People who were in the room said that students jeered Popescu when he made that comment and others, including blaming the economic downturn and environmental damage on the wickedness of society and that, “God would hurt” those who had an abortion.
Reporters were not in the room when Popescu made the remark. But contacted later by The Sudbury Star newspaper, he repeated the comment about gays.
“A young man asked me what I think of homosexual marriages and I said I think homosexuals should be executed,” he told the paper. “My whole reason for running is the Bible, and the Bible couldn’t be more clear on that point,” he told the paper.
“We are actively conducting a criminal investigation in this matter,” Sudbury Deputy Police Chief Frank Elsner told The Star.
Elsner said the information will be turned over to the Ontario Attorney General’s office to determine if a charge will be laid.
Popescu is known in the region for his far-right views, but a spokesperson for the city’s LGBT community said this time he went too far.
“He’s not simply saying that lesbians or gay men are mentally ill or somehow deviant or criminals. He’s saying we should be subject to the death penalty,” Gary Kinsman told The Star. “I think sometimes violence and hatred towards gays and lesbians gets dressed up in sort of a religious guise and is somehow tolerated. I just don’t think it should be tolerated at all.”
Canadians go to the polls Oct. 14 to elect a new government.
So — I wonder how many of the female students at that school should be stoned to death by their fathers because they won’t be virgins on their wedding nights. If we follow one part of the Bible, we should follow it all.
How about the part where noone is suppose to wear clothing made of 2 different fibers. That one always made me laugh. To me the Bible is nothing but a history book written by the men of that time.
I think it is far past the time when such extreme religious views are recognized as a mental illness. They are obviously out of touch with reality and advocating such a position demonstrates a menace and danger to society. There can be no rational discussion with these people as they are certainly subscribing to their own form of insanity. I have said many times in these forums that we are engaged in a war and in a war people die, and sadly enough all the dying has been by the Matt Shepards and Ryan Skippers. Here we have someone openly advocating our deaths, while many do so in private. Passive resistance and dialogue will not work with these people because they don’t care about truth, only their own beliefs which Popescu has once again affirmed. I would urge all SCC Communty folks to take martial arts training, buy guns and learn combat techniques because once the laws have finally given us equality, there will be no recourse for these “people” other than to carry out their threats and martyr themselves if necesary. We can sit back with our heads in the sand and say that it wont happen, or wont happen to me, but so many isolated incidents prove otherwise. Fundamentalist christians are no different than the muslim extremeists in Iran & Iran or some orthodox jewish sects and we see how well they treat the SCC Community. How many more must we lose before reality finally sinks in?
I believe that Mr. Popescu will be investigated under the Hate Speech law – which makes it illegal to incite harm against a group. Canada’s hate crimes law does not include crimes committed based on sexual orientation.
The answer for hate speech is counter speech not jail time. Hate speech legislation is a form of censorship.
Sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code of Canada address hate crimes.
Under Section 318, it is a criminal act to “advocate or promote genocide” – to call for, support, encourage or argue for the killing of members of a group based on colour, race, religion or ethnic origin. As of April 29, 2004, when Bill C-250, put forward by NDP MP Svend Robinson, was given royal assent, “sexual orientation” was added to that list.
Section 319 deals with publicly stirring up or inciting hatred against an identifiable group based on colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. It is illegal to communicate hatred in a public place by telephone, broadcast or through other audio or visual means. The same section protects people from being charged with a hate crime if their statements are truthful or the expression of a religious opinion.
Censored again,
I wish I could agree with you, but I don’t. There’s no such thing as “free speech” – it comes with a cost. Unfortunately, all too often that cost is someone’s life. If the man can’t ‘censor’ himself and stop call for our deaths, NO amount of “count speech” will stop the hate. (I wonder if he gets his clues from ‘reverend’ Jimmy (2 wh0res) Swaggart who told his congregation he’d kill a gay man for making a pass at him?) Read the lead story on how the killer of Lawrence King had ‘white supremacist’ material. Scratch a racist and find a homophobic bigot intent on eradicating us (i.e. YOU).
Meanwhile, ’splain to me the difference between these “good ‘Christian’” (TM)people’s actions and the Taliban?
Religius extremism in all its forms are poisonous social toxins. Next some “good ‘Christian’” (TM) folk are gonna want the Biblical requirement of putting the victims of incest to death carried out. I wonder if they’ll have to pay for their own lethal injections in Alaska, like rape victims have to pay for their forensic rape tests do. (Which further makes me wonder why the “good ‘Christian’” (TM) folk of Alaska allowed the rape victims to escape the Biblical penalty of death???
In himself, Popescu is not a serious problem. Apparently, he is a well-known candidate who regularly stands in every election. Quite sensibly, the good folk of Sudbury regard him as a nutcase. However, his thoughts are evidence for the view that religious fundamentalism often foments harm.
I would not loose too much sleep over that. This man is a fraud, not a politician but someone running for office as an independant. He has been a bible thumping person, who should be more at ease in the US. He has also been accused of assault in the past. Those comments are therefore worthless except he may he may have committed a criminal act in doing this.
Censoredagain, please read what Catherine posted and then consider that in the U.S. the law is pretty well the same. Further, if you so believe that free speech is an absolute, please openly and publicly declare your intent to kill the president….see how long your free speech lasts.
Bottom line, Canada’s hate crimes law is quite balanced as it criminalizes speech that ‘most’ but sadly not all people would consider reasonable….unless you’re a nazi or a member of the KKK, then you would probably see it as wrong headed or draconian. Also note, that the law makes it clear that any “hate” speech charge must pass the truthfullness test, that is to say, it isn’t hate if the statement is true and provable.
How very sad and tragic in modern Canadian society that we still have people with mental health issues that would incite hatred and even suggest that people be executed for who they are. Fortunately, I do not live in the Sudbury, Ontario region where I might be obligated to vote for such a person and I trust the good people of Sudbury would have the sense and compassion not to elect such a individual as their representative in Ottawa. I sincerely hope that justice will prevail and this individual will be held accountable for hate crimes under the laws of this great and beautiful country.
Censoredagain,
I don’t know where you live. But here in “crazy” California, which last time I checked was still part of America, what Popescu said would be illegal as well.
California Penal Code 422.6
(a) No person, whether or not acting under color of law,
shall by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate,
interfere with, oppress, or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the Constitution or laws of this state or by the Constitution or laws of the United States in whole or in part because of one or more of the actual or perceived characteristics of the victim listed in subdivision (a) of Section 422.55.
Protected categories in CPC 422.55:
(1) Disability.
(2) Gender.
(3) Nationality.
(4) Race or ethnicity.
(5) Religion.
(6) Sexual orientation.
(7) Association with a person or group with one or more of
these actual or perceived characteristics.
I think I’m going to throw up. HOW DARE anyone say that I should be executed.
Execute Popescu!
christian nazis at it again