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Quebec man found guilty of fomenting hatred against Jews appeals 15-month sentence
His lawyer is seeking a retrial, arguing the judge was biased while the Crown says the conviction was supported by substantial evidence.
On Wednesday, Gabriel Sohier-Chaput's appeal against his guilty verdict and 15-month jail sentence for fomenting hatred against Jews was heard by the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal.
In September 2023, Judge Manlio Del Negro rejected a joint three-month recommendation, sentencing Sohier-Chaput to 15 months and calling him a "hate influencer" who "represented a continued risk to society."
Defence lawyer Antonio Cabral argued for a retrial, claiming Del Negro "undermined her credibility as a lawyer" during an exchange where the judge told former lawyer Poussard to "stop speaking."
Crown lawyer Xavier Lyonnais countered that the conviction relied on substantial proof, arguing one "difficult exchange" should not justify a new trial; the Court will render its decision later.
Sohier-Chaput previously admitted to writing between 800 and 1,000 articles as "Charles Zeiger" for the Daily Stormer, including a piece declaring 2017 would be the year of "non-stop Nazism, everywhere.