(CBC) The charge of public incitement of hatred against a Toronto man alleged to have held up what police called a “terrorist” flag during a demonstration last weekend could be difficult to prosecute and highlights the challenges of defining hate crimes, some experts say.
Prosecution of the man police allege waved a flag associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) while marching through the city’s downtown last Sunday will “be a real uphill battle,” said Barbara Perry, director for the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University.
“The standard has been set so high for the prosecution of what we call propaganda offences,” she said. “It’s hard to say if a symbol is, in and of itself, enough to demonstrate incitement to hatred.”
