Protesting criminal behaviour is not inciting hatred

By Letter to the Editor on September 26, 2018.

Re: “Who, exactly, is inciting hatred,” Aug. 18.

The letter by Mr. Hubbard was about someone recently charged by police with a crime. The person is accused of inciting hatred. At the accused’s first court appearance there were protesters who spoke publicly about inciting hatred. According to Mr. Hubbard the protests were hateful and the protesters were inciting hatred.

Mr. Hubbard quoted statements of the protesters. The statements showed they were protesting criminality — the inciting of hatred. If the accused had instead been charged with murder, and the protesters were protesting the crime of murder, would Mr. Hubbard believe this to be hateful and that the protesters were inciting hatred?

The position of Mr. Hubbard doesn’t make sense because, essentially, his letter claims that protesting criminal behaviour is inciting hatred and is therefore a crime. I am baffled by his position because I do not understand how publicly protesting criminality can be a crime.

Mr. Hubbard’s letter shows a basic misunderstanding of what happened, in the context of Canada’s criminal law. The accused was quoted by Mr. Hubbard as saying he had no hatred for anyone. This might be true, but it is not the issue. The issue, and the criminal charge, is inciting hatred, not having hatred for someone. Hatred is not a crime. Inciting hatred is a crime.

Mr. Hubbard is entitled to his own beliefs, but he his not entitled to his own law.