Anti-feminist blogger who worshipped Polytechnique shooter sentenced to one year
Anti-feminist blogger Jean-Claude Rochefort, 74, has been sentenced to a year in prison for wilfully promoting hatred towards women.
Rochefort openly glorified the Polytechnique shooter, who claimed the lives of 14 women in 1989 as part of an anti-feminist attack.
He repeatedly referred to the killer on his blog, which had a following of thousands of men associated with the "incel" movement, a contraction of the words "involuntary celibates."
Judge Pierre Labrie rejected the nine-month house arrest sentence sought by the defence. The offence carries a maximum of two years.
Rochefort will also be on probation for three years following his release.
During this period, he will be prohibited from possessing weapons and writing anything on the internet connected to the content for which he was convicted. In addition, he will be banned from going near the Université de Montréal or the Université de Québec in Montreal.
Jean-Claude Rochefort (2010 file photo)
Crown prosecutor Jérôme Laflamme said the conviction demonstrates a growing trend of punishing crimes against women more severely.
"This is an offence that is insidious. [It's] another example of violence against women that was taken seriously by the judge and the court," he said.
Speaking to reporters before his sentencing, Jean-Claude Rochefort expressed little remorse for his actions.
He described himself as a "victim," "prophet," "martyr" and a "great persecutor" of the Quebec state. He stressed he was only expressing his "philosophical opinions" and that he had no responsibility for the Polytechnique massacre because he "did not kill anyone."
Rochefort has long been known for publishing hateful comments online.
In 2009, he was arrested and charged with public incitement to hatred a few days before the mass femicide's 20th anniversary commemoration.
But he got away with it on a technicality: the notion of "identifiable group" linked to the offence, as outlined in the Criminal Code at the time, only applied to distinctions based on "colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation" -- not on sex.
The court therefore concluded in 2010 that women were not a group explicitly protected by the section of the law in question, and the charges were dismissed.
However, the law has since evolved -- in part because of Rochefort -- and the concept of an identifiable group has expanded considerably to include national origin, age, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, and sex."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.