LeRoy St. Germaine (November 4, 1941-December 18,2023) –_R.I.P.
A free speech martyr and former political prisoner, LeRoy St. Germaine, passed away in hospice in Toronto, December 18, at the age of 82. The founder and publisher of Your Ward News, he was convicted in 2019, along with editor Dr. James Sears, under Canada’s notorious “hate law” (Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code) for “wilful promotion of hate” against two privileged groups, Jews and radical feminists. Being a proud Metis, Mr. St. Germaine was entitled to a reduced sentence because of his aboriginal background. Judge Richard Blouin urged him to consider some form of dialogue and apology with Jews and feminists the paper had allegedly offended. When asked Mr. St. Germaine’s decision, his lawyer told the judge in a low voice: “My client said ‘They can go fuck themselves!’” He was sentenced to a year’s house arrest; editor Dr. Sears got a year in jail, the maximum under summary conviction for this offence. Canada’s premier censorship group, the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith rejoiced: “This strong sentence was necessary to send a clear message — that repeated and remorseless attempts to spread hate in Canadian society will not be tolerated,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “The punishment fits the crime, and should help to deter similar hateful publications today and in the future.”
LeRoy St. Germaine was born in Manitoba. He held many jobs, including working in circuses in the U.S. He was a tireless promoter of musicians and music festivals. He was a fixture for many years in the East End of Toronto and always promoted local musicians. In 2011, he founded Your Ward News as a tabloid in East End Toronto. His longtime friend and Canadians’ Choice Party leader Bahman Yazdanfer remembers: “The paper took strong stands on local issues and went after certain politicians quite fiercely. LeRoy was always cool and calm, even after antifa thugs had vandalized the Main Street offices of Your Ward News. LeRoy was very sociable and very generous with his friends,” Mr. Yazdanfer recalls. In 2014, he teamed up with Dr. James Sears who took the paper in a new direction, with wildly satirical cartoons and writing. The paper often criticized radical feminists and the Jewish lobby in brilliantly satirical writing reminiscent of the National Lampoon. At its peak, YWN was distributing 350,000 copies across Ontario and its fame was spreading. The organized censorship lobby freaked out. Richard Warman, scribbler Warren Kinsella and various Jewish groups complained and got YWN’s mailing rights taken away. Shortly afterward, Mr. St. Germaine and Dr. Sears were charged with “hate”. Mr. St. Germaine was deeply loyal. Although in poor health, at age 79 he joined a regular CAFÉ protest outside the south Toronto jail where Dr. Sears was imprisoned.
On his business card, he dubbed himself “Grey Wolf.”
Michelle Erstikaitis, whom he hired as a reporter, remembers: “LeRoy St. Germaine
was a man who was full of ideas. He was always planning an activity or a Blues\
Festival.. He had a musical stage production company called Infinity Productions. In
the last few months of his life he was looking forward to working with Truckers’
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich, hoping to collaborate on a project together
he referred to mischievously as their ‘coupling’ as ‘Fellow troublemakers conspiring
together.’
Leroy’s ambition will be missed. He was certainly not a man who welcomed retirement.
Right up to the month prior to his hospitalization, he was working on organizing a ‘celebration of
life’ for his brother with whom he had been very close. who had just passed away.”
LeRoy’s wide circle of friends will miss him dearly. A celebration of his life will be held in the
New Year.
LeRoy Supporint Political Prisoner Dr. James Sears & CAFE Director Paul FrommLeRoy with rock thrown through window of YOUR WARD NEWS by antifa goons
CAFE SUPPORTED POLITICAL PRISONER DR. JAMES SEARS & PICKETED TORONTO SOUTH DETENTION CENTRE, SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2022 — SENT BACK TO PRISON FOR ACCEPTING FREE SPEECH AWARD
On February 3, former political prisoner Dr. James Sears was arrested at gunpoint in the parking lot having just seen his parole officer for his regular visit. He is charged with “breach of probation”. On February 17, in a telephone hearing, he was found guilty of “not being of good conduct”. Why? Because he accepted the George Orwell Free Speech Award from the CAFE and the presenter, Paul Fromm, “is a known White Supremacist”. [Not true.] Also, the Orwell Award was created by the late Doug Christie, “a far right lawyer.”
Thus, it’s clear Dr. Sears is in prison for his political views!!!
As part of our mission to support freedom of speech and the victims of tyrannical censorship laws, the Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) held a protest outside the Toronto South Detention Centre located at 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2, Sunday afternoon, March 6.
Whew, it was windy, in fact, so windy — gale force winds — that one regular of advancing years was unable to struggle across the four-lane Horner Ave to join us.
Thanks to J.L. for bringing a boom box and some Johnny Cash prison songs. Thanks, also, to E.H. for the photos of the protest.
The website of the poisonous taxpayer-funded Canadian Anti-Hate Network suggests that the issue may also be comments he made in jest about Teresa Tam in his talk after CAFE gave him the George Orwell Free Speech award soon after he got out of jail. We have a strong suspicion we know which liberty-hating individual in Ottawa made the complaint.
Those of us who cherish freedom owe it to our values to demonstrate and support Dr. Sears. These protests matter. Guards told him last fall that they knew for a fact that CAFE’s protests — six in all last year — were a factor in his being granted early parole.
* Amnesty International defines a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner as a person punished solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views. Both Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine are political prisoners — jailed because they criticized politically powerful minority groups. Free speech activist Raychyl Whyte has continued her lobbying of Amnesty to adopt Dr. Sears as a “prisoner of conscience”
* A lasting disgrace is that only one mainstream media writer has criticized this attack on freedom of the press, which they regularly condemn if it occurs in Hong Kong or the Philippines. FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
PLEASE SEND POSTCARDS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO ONE OF OUR MEN BEHIND THE WIRE.
Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA _______________________CAFE (The Canadian Association for Free Expression)P.O. Box 332,Rexdale, ON.,M9W 5L3 416-428-5308 http://cafe.nfshost.com
Time to Renew (for 2022) & Help CAFE Survive Financially
Canadian Association for Free Expression
Box 332,
Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 5L3
Ph: 416-428-5308
Website http://cafe.nfshost.com
Paul Fromm, B.Ed, M.A. Director
November 11, 2021 CAFE supporters welcome Dr. James Sears on his release from prison
Dear Free Speech Supporter:
Time to Renew (for 2022) & Help CAFE Survive Financially
It’s Remembrance Day and we recall with respect the bravery and sacrifice of Canadian men and women who fought and sometimes perished in war — wars ostensibly for freedom (but that’s another story). As I shall explain a bit later, those freedoms have been vacuumed away and, sad to say, many Canadians just don’t care. We have a monumental job to nudge more Canadians into caring. I am asking you to renew your subscription to the Free Speech Monitor (still just $20.00) and to send us a special Christmas gift donation. Quite frankly, CAFE is hanging on by a thread. Many of you have suffered financially because of the COVID lockdown hysteria — jobs lost, businesses closed. One of our key sources of income is meetings across the country. We see our supporters and they donate or buy books or videos. For much of the past 19 months meetings have been impossible. For instance, we have held just two in Toronto this year. Thus, a special Christmas donation to CAFE would be a huge help.
Good News: Political Prisoner Dr. James Sears Free on Early Parole
First, some good news. Dr. James Sears, the editor of the wickedly satirical YOUR WARD NEWS, was freed from the South Toronto Detention Centre — too late for Thanksgiving — on October 14, in early parole, having served four months of a 12-month sentence (the maximum) for “wilfully promoting hatred” against radical feminists and Jews. He emerged gaunt but smiling and unbroken. CAFE played a role, we are told, in his release. CAFE, from the start, has supported victims of Canada’s notorious hate laws. We staged six protests outside the prison for Dr. Sears. He became an immediate celebrity among both the prisoners and the guards. One guard sneered after one of our protests to Dr. Sears: “There were only 11 of your supporters at the protest.” Another guard retorted: “But that’s 11 more than any other prisoner has ever had here!” The protests also informed astonished prisoners and guards what Dr. Sears’ crime was — satire, jokes, the written word — not assault or theft or DUI. Many came to know Canada’s hypocrisy. We selectively preach about human rights but still toss dissidents in jail. We also contributed to Dr. Sears’ canteen or prison account. However, best of all, in the mysterious alchemy involved in parole decisions, apparently our protests had a positive effect. “Believe me, those protests helped you get early parole,” a guard told Dr. Sears. His co-accused, publisher Leroy St. Germaine also received a year in prison, but, because he was of Metis ancestry, got to serve his time under house arrest. Nevertheless, although 80 years old and not in the best of health Leroy came out to several of our protests in support of his old friend Dr. James Sears.
Freedom of Speech — Many Canadians Just Don’t Get It & Just Don’t Care
If you haven’t already done so, please read the lead article in the Free Speech Monitor (October, 2021) which accompanies this letter. Entitled “Freedom of Speech: Many Canadians Don’t “Get” It”, it references a recent Leger poll that found that 40 per cent of Canadians felt we had less freedom to discuss controversial topics today than a decade ago. Good, but only 40 per cent? With protests and public gatherings even religious gatherings banned or severely restricted for months over the past two years, with protesters fined and pastors heavily fined or jailed, how can only 40 per cent even see there’s a problem? What should be done about “hate speech”, whatever that is, on social media like Facebook and YouTube and Twitter — outlets, unlike most of the mainstream, largely Fake news media that remain open to dissident voices? Pathetically, 46 per cent of those surveyed felt the government should regulate or ban content it “considers hate speech” and 69 per cent supported social media monitoring (spying) and banning content they considered “hate speech”. In January, 65 per cent of Canadians said they’d support a nightly curfew — that’s house arrest, punishment without charge or trial — to fight COVID, even though they doubted the effectiveness of curfews! (Canadian Press, January 19, 2021)Now, that’s some special kind of stupid! Interestingly, the same poll found that 21 per cent said their own mental health was bad or very bad. [It shows!] Perhaps, many Canadians had been scared witless by the relentless media and government fear mongering about an illness with a 99.7 survival. The dangerous thing is that, if substantial numbers of Canadians don’t cherish or care about their liberties, governments which are full of control freaks won’t either. Also, implicit in all this is that our freedoms come from the government — they can stingily dole them out a little, when we’re good, and yank them back when we’re bad. THAT’S NOT THE NATURE OF OUR ANGLO-SAXON LIBERTIES! These liberties are inherent to our nature and, if you’re Christian, they are intrinsic to your nature as a human being, a child of God.
Well, the Charter and the Courts Will Protect Us from The Theft of Our Rights?
It’s a fond thought that Trudeau I’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, crippled by a weasel clause as it is, will protect your rights to freedom of speech, freedom to practise your religion, freedom of assembly. Thus far the Charter has proven as useful as a wet piece of Kleenex in a puddle during this pandemic. In several cases, the courts have said: “Well, yes, the restrictions imposed by the Medico-Stalinists violate your rights, but it’s all in a good cause. So, there!” Law Professor Bruce Pardy warned: “Ten days ago, the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench was the latest court to rebuff a constitutional challenge to COVID restrictions on civil liberties. Chief Justice Glenn Joyal ruled that provincial public health orders were constitutionally justifiable, joining courts from around the country in embracing the official COVID narrative and defending the authority of the pandemic state. [The case, argued on behalf of several religious groups by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms introduced 2,000 pages of academic testimony and four qualified expert witnesses, including the former Chief Medical Officer of Health of Manitoba. They challenged the scientific validity of the very basis for the COVID case count so lovingly cited by lockdown proponents — the PSR test.] Over the past 19 months, lockdowns, masking rules, traveller quarantines, closed borders, business restrictions, and now vaccine mandates have made Canadians less free than they have ever been. Yet so far, Charter challenges to COVID rules have been spectacularly unsuccessful. During COVID, the Charter has been useless!” (National Post, November 3, 2021)
Cancel Culture Where Dissent Can Get You Fired & Your Life Ruined On A Mere Complaint
Canadians like to think of themselves as “nice” people: We are polite and always apologizing. This self-congratulatory view is often wrong. All too frequently many Canadians are vicious, destructive nasty people. This is the environment we live in. Consider the Lavallee sisters and a boyfriend: ” Two Ontario sisters have been awarded $100,000 in a defamation suit against an activist who started a social media campaign against them, alleging a Snapchat video they made mocked the murder of George Floyd. The sisters, Shania and Justine Lavallee, were both fired from their respective jobs at Boston Pizza and Canada Border Services Agency in the spring of 2020, shortly after the social media campaign began. The Ontario Superior Court decision by Justice Marc Smith said that Solit Isak, who identifies as Black, initiated a ‘brutal and unempathetic campaign to destroy the lives of two young women.’ According to the ruling, Isak made dozens of posts about the sisters after viewing a screenshot of a Snapchat video made by Shania Lavallee, which were quickly amplified by social media and the news media. The screenshot showed Justine being pinned down by her boyfriend, who had his knee on her back and was holding her arms back. Isak viewed the image shortly after Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer—setting off a summer of protests about racial injustice—and believed the Snapchat post mocked his death. In the court ruling Isak admitted she never saw the video, and the sisters said the video was just play fighting, and they had no intentions of invoking Floyd’s death. … The court also never saw the video, as it was deleted by Snapchat, but accepted the word of the sisters and two of their friends who saw the video that there was no attempt to mock Floyd.” What exactly does it mean that Isak ‘identifies as Black’? Is she Black or is she a blue-eyed redhead who wishes she was Black? Her lobbying also got the boyfriend fired. Terrible as her behaviour was, equally vile were the reactions of those businesses and government bodies that blithely fired these people on mere complaints. There was no due process. Oh, and the big irony: Despite the French sounding name, the Lavallees are Eskimos! We have much to do to try to claw back some of our lost liberties!
The Challenge
Doug Christie prophetically warned us after three decades battling for free speech in Canadian courts: “Don’t look to constitutions or bills of rights or charters of rights and freedom for the liberties you have. You only have such freedoms as you are prepared to fight for.” Since 1983, CAFE has been in this fight, promoting freedom of speech by assisting the victims of censorship, by publishing our monthly newsletter, the Free Speech Monitor, by presenting daily, timely information on our website http://cafe.nfshost.com, by holding meetings (COVID crackdowns permitting) and rallies and by producing numerous videos like these recent ones:
I thank you in advance and gratefully wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas. You might want to consider buying some of the historic Doug Christie dvds on the back of the enclosed coupon and using them as Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers.
Sincerely yours,
Paul Fromm
Director
CAFE, Box 332, Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 5L3
The Wuhan Flu has cramped CAFE’s operations, especially holding meetings, as we do across Canada. This has slashed our income. Nevertheless, we have maintained our publishing schedule, bringing out the Free Speech Monitor each month and, of course, maintaining our very active website — http://cafe.nfshost.com. Can you help make up the financial shortfall? Send CAFE a Christmas gift. Make your cheque payable to CAFE.
__ Orders from the other side of this coupon for Christmas gifts & stocking stuffers. $____.
___Please renew my subscription for 2022 to the Free Speech Monitor ($20).
___ Wuhan Flu or not, I am one of Canada’s tiny band of free speech freedom fighters. Here is my donation of $______ to assist in CAFE’s work so that more people “get it” about the importance of freedom of speech in these times of fear, hysteria and power grabs by control freaks.
CAFE HELD ITS FOURTH “FREE POLITICAL PRISONER DR. JAMES SEARS” PROTEST OUTSIDE TORONTO SOUTH DETENTION CENTRE ON AUGUST 19
TORONTO. August 19, 2021. The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) held its fourth protest today in support of political prisoner Dr. James Sears, sentenced to the maximum — one year incarceration for writing satire criticizing privileged minorities. We were joined by John (McCash) the Evangelist, a dynamic veteran of many pro-freedom protests, including many END THE LOCKDOWN rallies in Queen’s Park.. As of today, Dr. Sears has been in jail for over nine weeks. * In January, 2019, Dr. Sears, Editor, and Leroy St. Germaine, Publisher of the satirical tabloid YOUR WARD NEWS were convicted on two counts of “wilfully promoting hate” against privileged groups (Jews & Women) in contravention of Canada’s notorious “hate law” – Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code. Each was sentenced to the maximum — unprecedented for a first time offender — of a year in jail. As Leroy is of Metis heritage, he was allowed to serve his sentence at home, * In November, 2020, under protest, Dr. Sears and Leroy St. Germaine argued their appeal by Zoom.
* On June 14, the appeal was denied and the sentences upheld. Dr. Sears was immediately ordered to prison and denied even a few hours to say goodbye to his wife and young son.
* Dr. Sears’ Application for Leave to Appeal his conviction and sentence was turned down by an Ontario judge on July 16, but Dr. Sears was NOT informed and had to learn of the decision from a friend on the outside on July 29!
* Dr. Sears is virtually incommunicado. He has contacted his wife or supporters only eight six in three weeks and then only for extremely brief conversations!. * Many people across Canada and the world have sent Dr. Sears postcards and letters of support. After six weeks behind bars, as of July 29, he had received NONE of these letters. Maybe the COVID ate them. Finally, because of our protests, as of August 3, Dr. Sears was finally receiving his mail.
* Dr, Sears complained to the prison authorities of sciatic pain but was breezily told there was only one physiotherapist to deal with the large prison population!
* On August 14, I had a brief conversation on the phone with Dr. Sears. He is really grateful for your letters and support. He is encouraged and delighted by our protests. He is a “celebrity” in prison and rightly so. * On August 10, I dropped some money off at the prison for Dr. Sears’ canteen and shall leave some more later this week. I welcome your contributions
* Amnesty International defines a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner as a person punished solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views. Both Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine are political prisoners — jailed because they criticized politically powerful minority groups.
* A lasting disgrace is that only one mainstream media writer has criticized this attack on freedom of the press, which they regularly condemn if it occurs in Hong Kong or the Philippines. FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
PLEASE SEND POSTCARDS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO ONE OF OUR MEN BEHIND THE WIRE.
Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA _______________________CAFE (The Canadian Association for Free Expression)P.O. Box 332,Rexdale, ON.,M9W 5L3 416-428-5308 HTTP://cafe.nfshost.com
CAFE PROTEST TO SUPPORT POLITICAL PRISONER DR. JAMES SEARS JOINED BY FELLOW ACCUSED LEROY ST. GERMAINE, 80 YEARS YOUNG
TORONTO. August 8, 2021.The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) held a protest outside the Toronto South Detention Centre located at 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2, Sunday afternoon, August 8, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. and we were joined by his co-accused and fellow political prisoner, YOUR WARD NEWS publisher, Leroy St. Germaine, who was given a similar maximum sentence of one year, but was allowed to serve is under house arrest. Leroy was given this ferocious sentence despite the fact that he was 78 years old!
As of today, Dr. Sears has been in jail for over s weeks. * In January, 2019, Dr. Sears, Editor, and Leroy St. Germaine, Publisher of the satirical tabloid YOUR WARD NEWS were convicted on two counts of “wilfully promoting hate” against privileged groups (Jews & Women) in contravention of Canada’s notorious “hate law” – Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code. Each was sentenced to the maximum — unprecedented for a first time offender — of a year in jail. As Leroy is of Metis heritage, he was allowed to serve his sentence at home.
* In November, 2020, under protest, Dr. Sears and Leroy St. Germaine argued their appeal by Zoom
* On June 14, the appeal was denied and the sentences upheld. Dr. Sears was immediately ordered to prison and denied even a few hours to say goodbye to his wife and young son.
* From prison , Dr. Sears is seeking leave to appeal. A judge is studying the leave application and a parallel application for bail, pending the appeal. The process is ponderously slow.
* Dr. Sears is virtually incommunicado. He has contacted his wife or supporters only 12 in seven weeks and each call was extremely brief.
* For the past few weeks Dr. Sears has been in the infirmary, apparently to protect other prisoners from him because he won’t take the COVID vaccine.
* On July 29, we learned that Dr. Sears did not know that his Application for Leave to Appeal had been turned down — 13 days after the decision. Who is interfering with his mail? He also indicated that he’d received NONE of the many cards and letters sent to him.
* CAFE exposed this outrage on Twitter, Facebook and on our webpage. Amazingly, on August 3, a bundle of the missing mail was given to him. He wants to express his delight and gratitude to all the people who wrote to him.
* Keep those letters coming.
* Amnesty International defines a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner as a person punished solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views. Both Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine are political prisoners — jailed because they criticized politically powerful minority groups.
* A lasting disgrace is that only one mainstream media writer has criticized this attack on freedom of the press, which they regularly condemn if it occurs in Hong Kong or the Philippines.
* For the past two weeks every Wednesday, videographer “Lily” has been holding a one-woman freedom protest outside the prison.
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
PLEASE SEND POSTCARDS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO ONE OF OUR MEN BEHIND THE WIRE.
Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
_______________________CAFE (The Canadian Association for Free Expression)P.O. Box 332,Rexdale, ON.,M9W 5L3 416-428-5308 HTTP://cafe.nfshost.com
Former Political Prisoner Leroy St. Germaine Joins Free Dr. James Sears Rally
SUPPORT POLITICAL PRISONER DR. JAMES SEARS & PICKET TORONTO SOUTH DETENTION CENTRE, THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021– 3:00 P.M.
TORONTO. July 22, 2021.The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) held a protest outside the Toronto South Detention Centre located at 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2, Thursday afternoon, July 22, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
As of today, Dr. Sears has been in jail for over five weeks. * In January, 2019, Dr. Sears, Editor, and Leroy St. Germaine, Publisher of the satirical tabloid YOUR WARD NEWS were convicted on two counts of “wilfully promoting hate” against privileged groups (Jews & Women) in contravention of Canada’s notorious “hate law” – Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code. Each was sentenced to the maximum — unprecedented for a first time offender — of a year in jail. As Leroy is of Metis heritage, he was allowed to serve his sentence at home.
* In November, 2020, under protest, Dr. Sears and Leroy St. Germaine argued their appeal by Zoom
* On June 14, the appeal was denied and the sentences upheld. Dr. Sears was immediately ordered to prison and denied even a few hours to say goodbye to his wife and young son.
* From prison , Dr. Sears is seeking leave to appeal. A judge is studying the leave application and a parallel application for bail, pending the appeal. The process is ponderously slow.
* Dr. Sears is virtually incommunicado. He has contacted his wife or supporters only eight times in five weeks and each call was extremely brief.
* For the past few weeks Dr. Sears has been in the infirmary, apparently to protect oher prisoners from him because he won’t take the COVID vaccine.
* Amnesty International defines a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner as a person punished solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views. Both Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine are political prisoners — jailed because they criticized politically powerful minority groups.
* A lasting disgrace is that only one mainstream media writer has criticized this attack on freedom of the press, which they regularly condemn if it occurs in Hong Kong or the Philippines.
* For the past two weeks every Wednesday, videographer “Lily” has been holding a one-woman freedom protest outside the prison.
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
PLEASE SEND POSTCARDS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO ONE OF OUR MEN BEHIND THE WIRE.
Send letters of support to one of our “men behind the wire”: Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
_______________________CAFE (The Canadian Association for Free Expression)P.O. Box 332,Rexdale, ON.,M9W 5L3 416-428-5308 HTTP://cafe.nfshost.com
SUPPORT POLITICAL PRISONER DR. JAMES SEARS & PICKET TORONTO SOUTH DETENTION CENTRE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021– 3:00 P.M.
TORONTO. July 7, 2021.The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) held a protest outside the Toronto South Detention Centre located at 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2, Wednesday afternoon, July 7, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
As of today, Dr. Sears has been in jail for over three weeks. * In January, 2019, Dr. Sears, Editor, and Leroy St. Germaine, Publisher of the satirical tabloid YOUR WARD NEWS were convicted on two counts of “wilfully promoting hate” against privileged groups (Jews & Women) in contravention of Canada’s notorious “hate law” – Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code. Each was sentenced to the maximum — unprecedented for a first time offender — of a year in jail. As Leroy is of Metis heritage, he was allowed to serve his sentence at home.
* In November, 2020, under protest, Dr. Sears and Leroy St. Germaine argued their appeal by Zoom
* On June 14, the appeal was denied and the sentences upheld. Dr. Sears was immediately ordered to prison and denied even a few hours to say goodbye to his wife and young son.
* From prison , Dr. Sears is seeking leave to appeal. A judge is studying the leave application and a parallel application for bail, pending the appeal. The process is ponderously slow.
* Dr. Sears is virtually incommunicado. He has contacted his wife or supporters only three times in three weeks.
* Amnesty International defines a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner as a person punished solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views. Both Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine are political prisoners — jailed because they criticized politically powerful minority groups.
* A lasting disgrace is that only one mainstream media writer has criticized this attack on freedom of the press, which they regularly condemn if it occurs in Hong Kong or the Philippines.
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER, DR. JAMES SEARS
PLEASE SEND POSTCARDS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO ONE OF OUR MEN BEHIND THE WIRE.
Jim and Diane Present – Jim Speaks with PAUL FROMM CONCERNING THE JAMES SEARS CASE as well as Life In Canada, July 6, 2021
/ Send letters of support to one of our “men behind the wire”: Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA
_______________________CAFE (The Canadian Association for Free Expression)P.O. Box 332,Rexdale, ON.,M9W 5L3 416-428-5308
Send letters: Dr. James Sears, Political Prisoner, Toronto South Detention Center, 160 Horner Ave, Toronto, ON M8Z 0C2 CANADA ********************************************
Political Prisoner Dr. James Sears Begins His Third Week in Jail, Pending Appeal
TORONTO. June 27, 2021. Political prisoner Dr. James Sears sentenced to the maximum, a year in prison, for violating Canada’s notorious “hate law”, Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code remains on hold in the South Toronto Detention Centre.
His appeal of his 2019 conviction was denied in a June 14 ruling. The editor of the satirical tabloid YOUR WAR NEWS immediately sought leave from the Ontario Court of Appeals and bail, pending the appeal. He was finally able to get word to his supporters today. A combination of COVID fearfulness and the sclerotic nature of Ontario’s justice system at the best of times has kept the brilliant writer and medical doctor behind prison bars.
A judge will render his decision by Zoom. The judge must read over the materials filed and decide whether there is any merit to his application for leave. If he decides there is, Dr. Sears will be released on bail.
He is in good spirits and is hopeful.
In January, 2019, Judge Richard Blouin found Dr. Sears and his co-accused Leroy St. Germaine of “wilfully promoting” hatred against privileged groups, namely, Jews and women in his satire.
Amnesty International considers a person a “prisoner of conscience” or political prisoner if they are punished or jailed solely for the non-violent expression of their political, religious or cultural views.
POLITICAL PRISONERS DR. JAMES SEARS, EDITOR, & LEROY ST. GERMAINE LOSE APPEAL TORONTO. MONDAY, June 14, 2021. The long awaited decision on the appeal by Dr. James Sears, editor, and Leroy St. Germaine, publisher of the satirical tabloid YOUR WARD NEWS was handed down over Zoom this morning. Judge Peter Cavanagh of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice turned down all defence arguments and upheld the convictions of the two writers on two counts of wilfully spreading hatred against Jews and women, in violation of Canada’s notorious “hate law”, Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code.
Both the convictions and the ruthless sentences, the maximum, a year in prison were upheld. Dr. Sears, in a weighty submission argued that his case had been sabotaged by inadequate representation. His lawyer refused to call expert witnesses. Dr. Sears also argued that the trial Judge Joseph Blouin failed to give adequate reasons for his judgement.
Despite Dr. Sears’ plea to be allowed time to file an already prepared Application for Leave to Appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal, both the Crown and the Judge couldn’t wait to consign Dr. Sewars to prison. He was taken into custody that afternoon. He has since been held in the Toronto South Detention Centre at 160 Horner Ave. in Etobicoke. Leroy S. Germaine, in consideration of his Metis heritage, was given house arrest. That sentence has been nearly entirely served.
Dr. Sears is scheduled for another video conference, June 21, to seek bail pending appeal. Amnesty International considers a person persecuted or imprisoned for the non-violent expression of their or religious views to be a political prisoner. Despite Canada’s preachy foreign policy about human rights violations in select countries, it is itself a nation that keeps political prisoners.
Paul Fromm, Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression, which has fiercely supported Dr. Sears and Leroy St. Germaine, called the verdict “a travesty. Canada is sinking deeper and deeper into a totalitarian police state, where laws shelter minorities from criticism. I had a bad feeling about this day,” he added. “June 14 is the day, in 1940, when the Soviet communists who had invaded the Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, began mass deportations of leaders and intellectuals to Siberia. The choice of this day for Judge Cavanagh seemed almost kabbalistic. Needless to say, the minority censorship groups that had lobbied hard to shut down the persky satirical tabloid gloated. Global News (June 14, 2021) reported: “
Jewish groups welcomed Cavanagh’s decision. Noah Shack, a vice president with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Sears had been able to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories, misogyny, homophobia, and racism in their ‘most grotesque forms’ for too long.”
“Shack’s comments show that it is really ideas and political opinions that the censorship lobby want squelched,” Paul Fromm responded.
