James Scott Richardson
Encyclopedia
James Scott Richardson, is a Canadian white supremacist and was a member of the Tri-City Skins
, associate of Alex Kulbashian
of Toronto
, and leader of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
(CECT). With Kulbashian, Richardson operated two websites that attracted the attention of lawyer
Richard Warman
, who filed a human rights complaint against the two men and their organization.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
ruled that the two websites encouraged violence against immigrants
and visible minorities
. The tribunal found that Richardson was "directly involved in the drafting, editing, and posting of the Hate Messages in the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team's newsletter." Richardson was fined $1,000 in what Canadian Press
described as a "landmark ruling" on hate and the Internet. On March 10, 2006, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Richardson and Kulbashian were liable for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act
, and ordered them to pay $8000 in fines and compensation. Kulbashian's Internet service provider, Affordable Spaces, was fined $3000. This case marks the first time in Canadian history that an Internet service provider has been found guilty of hosting a website that was promoting ethnic hatred against visible minorities.
Richardson and Kulbashian are currently appealing the decision on the grounds of error in judgement, as well as challenging the constitutionality of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Tri-City Skins
Tri-City Skins was an Ontario-based white power group active from 1997 to 2002 in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area. James Scott Richardson was the group's most visible member, and in October 2001, police believed that Tri-City Skins had 25 members in southwestern Ontario...
, associate of Alex Kulbashian
Alex Kulbashian
Alexan Kulbashian , also known as Alex Krause, is a Canadian white supremacist who has been called a neo-Nazi by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Kulbashian jointly ran the now-defunct white supremacist website of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team group which was based in Ontario, Canada...
of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and leader of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
The Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team was an Ontario-based white power website that was operated by Alexan Kulbashian and James Scott Richardson...
(CECT). With Kulbashian, Richardson operated two websites that attracted the attention of lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Richard Warman
Richard Warman
Richard Warman is an Ottawa-based lawyer who is active in human rights law. Warman worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission from July 2002 until March 2004...
, who filed a human rights complaint against the two men and their organization.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is an administrative tribunal established in 1977 by the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is directly funded by the Parliament of Canada and is independent of the Canadian Human Rights Commission which refers cases to it for adjudication under the Act.The Tribunal...
ruled that the two websites encouraged violence against immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and visible minorities
Visible minority
A visible minority is a person who is visibly not one of the majority race in a given population.The term is used as a demographic category by Statistics Canada in connection with that country's Employment Equity policies. The qualifier "visible" is important in the Canadian context where...
. The tribunal found that Richardson was "directly involved in the drafting, editing, and posting of the Hate Messages in the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team's newsletter." Richardson was fined $1,000 in what Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
described as a "landmark ruling" on hate and the Internet. On March 10, 2006, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Richardson and Kulbashian were liable for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act
Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act is a statute originally passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1977 with the express goal of extending the law to ensure equal opportunity to individuals who may be victims of discriminatory practices based on a set prohibited grounds such as gender, disability, or...
, and ordered them to pay $8000 in fines and compensation. Kulbashian's Internet service provider, Affordable Spaces, was fined $3000. This case marks the first time in Canadian history that an Internet service provider has been found guilty of hosting a website that was promoting ethnic hatred against visible minorities.
Richardson and Kulbashian are currently appealing the decision on the grounds of error in judgement, as well as challenging the constitutionality of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
External links
- "Tribunal told of plan to shoot Chretien", CNEWS (Sun Media)Canadian Online ExplorerCanadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
, Richmond, Randy, September 1, 2004. - "Hate Website Fine A First", Richmond, Randy, The London Free Press, March 11, 2006.
- Rights tribunal launches probe into 'vile' websites: Panel to rule whether anti-Semitic sites violated hate laws
- Audit of anti-Semitic Incidents: Patterns of Prejudice in Canada 2004 pdf document.