A Terrebonne man, facing charges of inciting hate over a video posted to Facebook in which he praised the man behind the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting, pleaded not guilty on Friday.
Pierre Dion was arrested on Thursday night and was charged with two counts of inciting hatred. He was released from the Laval courthouse after paying a $500 bail and agreeing to comply with several conditions.
The video was published on the second anniversary of the shooting that left six people dead.
Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and another six of attempted murder in March.
A judge is expected to issue a ruling on Feb. 8 on Bissonnette’s sentence. He faces up to 150 years in prison.
In another video posted to YouTube in April, Dion calls Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a traitor” because of his policies regarding immigration.
On Thursday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he would not support the creation of an anti-Islamophobia Day in the province, saying “I don’t think there’s any Islamophobia in Quebec.”
