Demonstrators outside courthouse greet man accused of inciting hate
By Medicine Hat News on August 11, 2018.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel Anti-racist demonstrators congregated outside Medicine Hat Provincial Court on Thursday for the first court appearance of Loki Hulgaard, who was arrested earlier this week for inciting hatred and possessing illegal firearms. “I have no hate for anyone,” Hulgaard, 35, said outside the courthouse, where he made a brief appearance before having his case adjourned to Aug. 20. The protesters, who declined to provide their names and had their faces covered, shouted slogans at Hulgaard as he walked away from the courthouse, such as “We are all one” and “We don’t need hate.” The accused is out on $4,000 no-cash bail. The demonstrators said they decided to show up to promote the message that intolerance has no place in Medicine Hat. “In this case, we feel like the first line of defence here is, obviously, the legal system, but we would also like to put out a call to action in our community,” one said. “While we’re asking people to publicly call out this type of activity if they see people putting up flyers or stickers or distributing this type of hate propaganda, we’re not asking individuals to put themselves in harm’s way. “But if we call it out publicly as a community, we’ll find that there’s far more tolerant people than there are intolerant people.” Demonstrators also claimed they’ve noticed a significant increase in the amount of hate crimes occurring in the Hat, which must be opposed. “I feel that if I’m not involved in a fight against hatred, then I am complicit with the hatred,” said the demonstrator. They added they were hoping to see Hulgaard get the maximum penalty for his alleged crimes. Hulgaard faces 14 charges — one count of inciting hatred, two of possessing a firearm with the serial number removed, four of unsafe storage of a firearm, three of possessing a prohibited device and four of unauthorized possession of a firearm. Duty counsel said the accused has been approved for Legal Aid, but still needs to find a lawyer. Hulgaard was arrested after a local business owner reported to police that he attempted to use money with anti-Semitic slogans printed on them. The Medicine Hat Police Service then searched his home, seizing laptops, USB sticks, hate literature, illegal firearms and ammunition. The MHPS is examining the computers and USB drives to see if there’s a connection with other hate-related incidents in the city, and have stated more charges could be coming. 18
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