The trial for a Montreal, Quebec man accused of being one of the most influential neo-Nazis in North America began on Monday, the Montreal Gazette reported.
Gabriel Sohier Chaput, 35, was charged with promoting hatred against Jews for an article – “Canada: Nazis trigger Jews by putting up posters on c**** church” – written for the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website in 2017.
On Monday, Sohier Chaput told the court that he had only written part of the article. The prosecution is resting its case on proving that he wrote the entire article.
The article called 2017 a “year of action” and said, “We need to make sure no (social justice warrior) or Jew can remain safely untriggered.”
It called for “non-stop Nazism, everywhere, until the very streets are flooded with the tears of our enemies.”
The charge against Sohier Chaput of willfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group is an offense that comes with a maximum two-year prison term. On Monday morning, Sohier Chaput pleaded not guilty.
In court, Sohier Chaput admitted that he was behind the name Zeiger, under which the article was written. The article contains multiple slurs and offensive terms for Jews. It also mentions a Global News story about neo-Nazi posters found at a British Columbia bust stop.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Lafrenière said during the trial that the fact that the defendant wrote for the Daily Stormer will factor into the case.
In 2018, the Montreal Gazette reported that Montreal was home to one of North America’s “most influential neo-Nazis,” who was trying to build a white supremacist network in his city, referring to Sohier Chaput, who worked as an IT consultant. The report characterized Sohier Chaput as “probably” the “second-most prolific writer” on the Daily Stormer.