Patron found guilty of promoting hate in online video

By Nolan Kowal

Travis Patron — the founder and former leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party — was found guilty Wednesday of wilfully promoting hate towards an identifiable group.

The charge stemmed from an online video Patron posted in 2019 called “Beware the Parasitic Tribe.”

During closing arguments Monday, Crown prosecutor Ryan Snyder said “words matter,” and the trial was specifically about those words, not private conversations or actions.

Instead, he drew focus to the video’s public nature, saying putting it online was an attempt by Patron to communicate and not a private conversation, especially as the leader of a federal party.

Snyder also said the statement promoted hatred by advocating for the expulsion of a people. While that group was not named as Jews in the video, Snyder said Patron’s video had “pretty much every anti-Semitic trope in the history of anti-Semitic tropes.”

The prosecution pointed to a quote from Patron’s video, which said: “What we need to do is remove these people once and for all from our country.”

On Wednesday, a jury of six men and six women deliberated for less than an hour before returning its verdict in Estevan Court of King’s Bench.

Before the deliberations began, Patron told Judge D.N. Robertson that the Crown was violating Section 319 of the Criminal Code of Canada, saying its actions were “prejudicial.” Robertson dismissed the claim, saying he had already ruled on the matter.

Patron, who represented himself, also raised questions about some of the witnesses who testified during the trial.

Patron wore a long-sleeved grey shirt on Wednesday and was sporting a full-grown beard. He carried a black bag full of unknown contents into the courtroom with him. At one point, he was seen combing over papers that were in front of him. He also had a dictionary on his desk.

Following the verdict, Robertson and Snyder discussed sentencing for Patron. They decided that a sentencing hearing will be held Oct. 20 in Estevan; Patron will remain in custody until then.

During the sentencing discussion, Robertson asked occasional questions to Patron, who replied with “I exercise my right to remain silent,” and “No comment.”

In August, Patron was found guilty on two counts of assault causing bodily harm in Regina and was sentenced to 18 months in jail. With credit for the time he spent on remand, Patron’s sentence amounted to one day on each charge, to be served concurrently.

Patron ran for the Canadian Nationalist Party — which has been criticized for its far-right stance and an ideology perceived by some as hateful and racist — in the 2019 federal election in the Souris-Moose Mountain riding. He finished last with 168 votes.

— With files from 980 CJME