"Racist" Community Safety Issues Through a Dissident Lens
"I have the impression that the community has literally been taken hostage. We've had something totally unacceptable, shocking and disturbing imposed on us by a citizen.""People were very, very shocked when the swastikas appeared.""I think they should be banned.""I am the person responsible for civil security. We're on the front lines."Linda Normandeau, director general, municipality of St.-Barnabe-Sud, Quebec
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"[Saint-Barnabe-Sud] clearly [has the right to conduct inspections on a household. Allegations of discrimination] are in no way supported by the evidence.""This case has taken on a scale that it never should have."Justice J. Sebastien Vaillancourt
Canada, unlike Germany and perhaps other national jurisdictions, has no explicit ban on the display of the ultimate Nazi symbol; the Swastika. And perhaps that should be changed. A small town in Quebec has been roiled for the past two years. A family in residence in the community accuses it of being "the most racist city in the world". And why would that be? According to the family, the town is 'racist' because it is concerned that safety issues are being flouted.
In June, a Quebec Superior Court judge ordered Yahia Meddah to remove signs he had hung on his property with swastikas prominently in view. It is not a symbol thought highly of by most intelligent people who know its history. The town, situated northeast of Montreal with a population of about 1,000 people has been in an uproar over the signs directing a visit to the property owner's website claiming intimidation by the local government.
The individual responsible for municipal affairs related to social cohesion in the observance of local bylaws spoke of the shock experienced by the community in view of the Nazi symbol being given such prominence. A situation that warranted a court order to have the signs removed by the home owner. Evidently relations between Yahia Meddah and the municipality have deteriorated following complaints from neighbours of a generator being used indoors at that address.
Those complaints led the municipality to order an emergency inspection, at which time the presence of a generator, a barbecue and propane tanks being used inside the building -- not equipped with smoke or carbon monoxide detectors -- was revealed. The town believes that about a dozen people, including four children live on the property.
When inspectors returned to the home for further inspection, the home owner refused to give them access without a warrant. Which led to a protracted legal battle where the municipality sought the right to conduct its followup investigation while Meddah accused the town's director general of racism and harassment. In June a ruling asserting the right of the municipality to inspect the premises gave rise to the home owner's posting of the swastikas.
A website listing his grievances against the local government and Ms. Normandeau in particular was launched by Meddah. And when the website host removed the website, it was speedily re-launched, then also shut down as well. Police were asked to intervene, to have the swastikas removed but in the absence of a federal ban on their display the police advised they could not proceed as requested.
A return to court requesting a temporary injunction was granted on June 25, leading to the removal of the swastikas. Other signs were put up in place of the swastikas. The several years spent in efforts to resolve the problems inherent in this man's refusal to respect municipal and safety concerns meant that tens of thousands of dollars were spent by the municipality: "For a small community, this has taken up a lot of resources" commented Ms. Normandeau.
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| Quebec Superior Court, Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) |
Labels: Citizen Grievances, Cry 'Racism', Invoking Nazism, Municipal Affairs and Responsibilities
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, July 14, 2024
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