MONTREAL – A small Quebec neighborhood has been locked in a drawn-out battle for the final two years with a neighborhood family that accuses it of being “the most racist city in the world.”
Last month, a Quebec Superior Court choose ordered Yahia Meddah to take down indicators that includes swastikas that he had held on his property within the municipality of St-Barnabé-Sud, a neighborhood of roughly 1,000 individuals northeast of Montreal.
The indicators accused the municipality of racism and directed individuals to go to an internet site describing how his family had been intimidated by the native authorities.
Linda Normandeau, director basic of the municipality, mentioned the neighborhood was shocked by the looks of the Nazi image, and had no alternative however to search a court docket order to get the indicators eliminated.
“I have the impression that the community has literally been taken hostage,” she mentioned. “We’ve had something totally unacceptable, shocking and disturbing imposed on us by a citizen.”
The Canadian Press was unable to attain Meddah for this story.
Saint-Barnabé-Sud is a welcoming neighborhood, however the ongoing battle with Meddah and his family has been expensive and time-consuming, she mentioned. Normandeau hopes to search recourse from a brand new Quebec regulation that permits for fines in opposition to individuals who harass elected officers.
The Meddah family has lived in Saint-Barnabé-Sud for years, however Normandeau mentioned the connection between Meddah and the municipality soured within the fall of 2022, after the native authorities heard complaints that the family was working a generator indoors.
The municipality ordered an emergency inspection that exposed the presence of a generator, a barbecue and propane tanks contained in the constructing, which was not geared up with smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, in accordance to Superior Court paperwork. Normandeau mentioned she believes about 12 individuals dwell on the property, together with 4 kids.
But when inspectors went again in February 2023, in accordance to court docket paperwork, Meddah wouldn’t allow them to in and as a substitute advised them to communicate to his lawyer and are available again with a warrant.
So started a protracted authorized battle. The municipality sought the proper to conduct a followup inspection, whereas Meddah accused Normandeau of harassment and discrimination.
In a call June 7, Justice J. Sébastien Vaillancourt dominated that Saint-Barnabé-Sud “clearly” had the proper to examine the premises, and that the allegations of discrimination “are in no way supported by the evidence.”
“This case has taken on a scale that it never should have,” Vaillancourt wrote.
Shortly after the June ruling, Normandeau mentioned, the swastikas appeared on Meddah’s property. A photograph of one of the indicators exhibits a black swastika overlaid with crimson lettering that reads “the most racist city in the world.”
Meddah additionally launched an internet site itemizing his grievances in opposition to Normandeau and the native authorities. Normandeau mentioned the web site host took it down, however Meddah rapidly launched one other, which was additionally shut down.
Normandeau mentioned she requested police to intervene relating to the swastikas, however was advised they might not since Canada doesn’t have an express ban on the show of the Nazi image.
“People were very, very shocked when the swastikas appeared,” Normandeau mentioned. “I think they should be banned.”
So the municipality went again to court docket to request a short lived injunction, which was granted on June 25. Normandeau mentioned the swastikas have since been eliminated, although different indicators have taken their place. The municipality is ready for one more court docket date to prolong the injunction in opposition to the swastikas, however she hopes to resolve the difficulty out of court docket, she mentioned.
The complete affair has already value the municipality tens of hundreds of {dollars}, Normandeau mentioned. “For a small community, this has taken up a lot of resources.”
She mentioned she hopes Saint-Barnabé-Sud would possibly find a way to profit from a brand new Quebec regulation, handed final month, that features fines of up to $1,500 for anybody who harasses an elected official. The provincial police pressure additionally has an motion plan to battle the intimidation of elected officers and municipal managers.
As director basic, Normandeau has not been elected. But she mentioned individuals in her place additionally want safety. “I am the person responsible for civil security,” she mentioned. “We’re on the front lines.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed July 10, 2024.
