Local mayor threatens to sue Montreal mayor over anti-Israel signs

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The mayor of Hampstead, a suburb of Montreal, is threatening legal action against the mayor of Montreal over electronic roadwork billboards being used by the city featuring anti-Israel messages, including “Free Palestine,” “Escalate Now” and “Globalize the Intifada.”

Lawyer Neil Oberman sent a letter of demand on behalf of Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi on Thursday.

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The letter demands that Plante apologize for “an abject failure to enforce the rule of law” and that she launch a full investigation into “the hate propaganda,” with a commitment to “investigate and prosecute the perpetrators”.

“Failing which our client will take the appropriate steps in law to safeguard the interests of his residents,” wrote Mr. Oberman, a lawyer at Spiegel Sohmer Inc. Oberman was named in June as the Conservative candidate for Mount Royal in the next election, a riding currently held by Liberal Anthony Housefather that includes Hampstead.

The electronic signs began showing the illuminated messages on Wednesday. The city said the signs were vandalized, with the padlocks on the panels broken and someone overriding the original city messages with unauthorized anti-Israel messages. A city spokesperson said the signs were not owned by the city, but belonged to a subcontractor.

“The City deplores this incident which unfortunately constitutes vandalism,” a city spokesperson said.

Levi said the response is insufficient given that he says the messages constitute hate speech against Jews.

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“We have seen the protests, we have seen all kinds of unlawful things take place in the city over the past almost year. And all that you’re getting from Valerie Plante is ‘this is not us, this is not who we are’. Well, clearly, you know that messaging is not working,” said Levi in an interview.

In the letter to Plante, Oberman wrote that Plante’s “inaction and incompetence have allowed anarchy to spread and damage the reputation and security of Montreal, Quebec and Canada.”

“The Hate Propaganda is a by-product of your inaction,” he wrote.

Oberman said the lawsuit is unrelated to his Conservative candidacy.

“I’m not acting as a candidate. I’m acting as an attorney. I’m continuing to practice law,” he said. “This is not political, this is legal, and none of my politics infer my mandates, as it would be inappropriate. This is a law issue, nothing more than nothing less.”

Eta Yudin, vice-president for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Quebec, also criticized Plante’s response.

“The Plante administration must understand that it must assume leadership in the fight against these dangerous and hateful actions. That individuals feel obliged to do this to call on the mayor to act is not surprising,” Yudin said.

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