Alex Kulbashian
Encyclopedia
Alexan Kulbashian (born December 7, 1981 in Lebanon
), also known as Alex Krause, is a Canadian
white supremacist who has been called a neo-Nazi by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
. Kulbashian jointly ran the now-defunct white supremacist
website of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
(CECT) group which was based in Ontario
, Canada
. The website was hostile to Jews, Muslim
s, ethnic minorities, and immigrant
s.
The content of that website brought Kulbashian and James Scott Richardson
to the attention of lawyer
Richard Warman
, who filed a federal human rights
complaint. The complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
in early 2004 sought $
80,000 in punitive fines and damages. One commission investigator stated: "The material posted and maintained on these websites would likely expose individuals who are not Christian
, non-Caucasian
, and individuals of other religions, other races and other national ethnic origins to hatred and/or contempt."
On March 10, 2006, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal fined Kulbashian $1,000 for communicating hate messages, and also ordered him to pay Richard Warman
$5,000 in damages for having personally named Warman as a Jewish lawyer
in a mocking reference to the Holocaust, gas chamber
s and the Auschwitz death camp. The website displayed Warman's home address as part of a Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team online newsletter. The Canadian media described the tribunal's decision as a "landmark ruling" on hate and the Internet. Kulbashian's Internet service provider, Affordable Space, was fined $3000. The tribunal issued permanent orders barring Kulbashian and Richardson from posting further hate messages to the Internet. Richardson and Kulbashian are currently appealing the decision on the grounds of error in judgement, as well as challenging the constitutionality of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act
.
On October 17, 2007, the Canadian House of Commons
unanimously passed a resolution banning Kulbashian and Paul Fromm
from the Canadian Parliament buildings after they attempted to hold a press conference about irregularities in the Canadian Human Rights Commission
in the parliamentary press theatre. Conservative
member of parliament Jason Kenney
said: "If they want to get a soapbox and go out in front of the Parliament Buildings in this free country, they're welcome to do so, but this House isn't going to let them use public, taxpayer-funded resources." New Democratic Party
MP Joe Comartin stated that that Canadian MPs took the same step when Holocaust denier
Ernst Zündel
attempted to speak in the parliament buildings in 1998. Comartin said, "While we recognize the broad scope of free speech in this country, you're not allowed to libel and slander anyone, you're not allowed to use hate literature."
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
), also known as Alex Krause, is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
white supremacist who has been called a neo-Nazi by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a public policy think tank devoted to research and analysis of critical issues facing the Middle East. The center is located in Jerusalem, Israel...
. Kulbashian jointly ran the now-defunct white supremacist
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
website of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team
The Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team was an Ontario-based white power website that was operated by Alexan Kulbashian and James Scott Richardson...
(CECT) group which was based in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The website was hostile to Jews, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, ethnic minorities, and immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
s.
The content of that website brought Kulbashian and James Scott Richardson
James Scott Richardson
James Scott Richardson, is a Canadian white supremacist and was a member of the Tri-City Skins, associate of Alex Kulbashian of Toronto, and leader of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team...
to the attention of lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Richard Warman
Richard Warman
Richard Warman is an Ottawa-based lawyer who is active in human rights law. Warman worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission from July 2002 until March 2004...
, who filed a federal human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
complaint. The complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is an administrative tribunal established in 1977 by the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is directly funded by the Parliament of Canada and is independent of the Canadian Human Rights Commission which refers cases to it for adjudication under the Act.The Tribunal...
in early 2004 sought $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
80,000 in punitive fines and damages. One commission investigator stated: "The material posted and maintained on these websites would likely expose individuals who are not Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, non-Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
, and individuals of other religions, other races and other national ethnic origins to hatred and/or contempt."
On March 10, 2006, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal fined Kulbashian $1,000 for communicating hate messages, and also ordered him to pay Richard Warman
Richard Warman
Richard Warman is an Ottawa-based lawyer who is active in human rights law. Warman worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission from July 2002 until March 2004...
$5,000 in damages for having personally named Warman as a Jewish lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in a mocking reference to the Holocaust, gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
s and the Auschwitz death camp. The website displayed Warman's home address as part of a Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team online newsletter. The Canadian media described the tribunal's decision as a "landmark ruling" on hate and the Internet. Kulbashian's Internet service provider, Affordable Space, was fined $3000. The tribunal issued permanent orders barring Kulbashian and Richardson from posting further hate messages to the Internet. Richardson and Kulbashian are currently appealing the decision on the grounds of error in judgement, as well as challenging the constitutionality of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act
Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act is a statute originally passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1977 with the express goal of extending the law to ensure equal opportunity to individuals who may be victims of discriminatory practices based on a set prohibited grounds such as gender, disability, or...
.
On October 17, 2007, the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
unanimously passed a resolution banning Kulbashian and Paul Fromm
Paul Fromm
Frederick Paul Fromm , known as Paul Fromm, is a Canadian neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier, based in Port Credit, Ontario. He hosts a radio show on the Stormfront web site and has ties to former Ku Klux Klan members David Duke and Don Black...
from the Canadian Parliament buildings after they attempted to hold a press conference about irregularities in the Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Human Rights Commission
The Canadian Human Rights Commission is a quasi-judicial body that was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the Canadian Human Rights Act to investigate and try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the provision of services within federal...
in the parliamentary press theatre. Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
member of parliament Jason Kenney
Jason Kenney
Jason T. Kenney, PC, MP is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
said: "If they want to get a soapbox and go out in front of the Parliament Buildings in this free country, they're welcome to do so, but this House isn't going to let them use public, taxpayer-funded resources." New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
MP Joe Comartin stated that that Canadian MPs took the same step when Holocaust denier
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
Ernst Zündel
Ernst Zündel
Ernst Christof Friedrich Zündel is a German Holocaust denier and pamphleteer who was jailed several times in Canada for publishing literature which "is likely to incite hatred against an identifiable group" and for being a threat to national security, in the United States for overstaying his visa,...
attempted to speak in the parliament buildings in 1998. Comartin said, "While we recognize the broad scope of free speech in this country, you're not allowed to libel and slander anyone, you're not allowed to use hate literature."
External links
- 2003 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents - Enhancing Protection
- http://www.chrt-tcdp.gc.ca/search/view_html.asp?doid=661&lg=_e&isruling=0Text of Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision against Kulbashian and James Scott RichardsonJames Scott RichardsonJames Scott Richardson, is a Canadian white supremacist and was a member of the Tri-City Skins, associate of Alex Kulbashian of Toronto, and leader of the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team...
.] - Richmond, Randy, "Hate Website Fine A First",The London Free Press, March 11, 2006.