On Wednesday, Canada’s government announced it plans to make online hate speech a crime punishable by as much as $20,000 (roughly $16,250 US) for the first offense and $50,000 ($40,600 US) for the second, reported CBC.
The news comes after a 20-year-old man crashed his truck into a family of five in Ontario – killing everyone but a 9-year-old girl – in an anti-Muslim terror attack.
During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Canada’s Attorney General David Lametti assured Canadians that the proposed law is not meant to target “simple expressions of dislike or disdain.” Instead, the law is designed to punish extreme forms of hatred that “expresses detestation or vilification of a person or group on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”
After the news made its way to social media, Pakistani singer Ali Zafar shared it on his Twitter writing, “Exactly what was needed. [The] same should be implemented here.”
Exactly what was needed. Same should be implemented here. “Canada to Make Online Hate Speech a Crime Punishable by $16,000 Fine” https://t.co/Jb74K1Np1q
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) June 24, 2021
Sharing an excerpt from the article he posted, Zafar added, “'Hate speech directly contradicts the values underlying freedom of expression and our Charter of Rights,' Lametti said. 'It threatens the safety and well-being of its targets. It silences and intimidates, especially when the target is a vulnerable person or community.'”
It is pertinent to mention here that in in September 2020, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)'s special court registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Meesha Shafi and eight others on the accusations of running a social media campaign against Zafar.
In his application, Zafar argued that the allegations against him were made under a premeditated plan conspired by Shafi, her friend and her lawyer, while numerous ‘fake’ [social media] accounts were also created to run the 'Me Too' campaign against him.
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