Tomasz Winnicki
Encyclopedia
Tomasz Winnicki is a Polish
-Canadian white supremacist based in London, Ontario
. He was the subject of complaints before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
for his activities, and has also faced criminal charges on weapons offences. In July 2006, he was sentenced to nine months in prison for violating a Federal Court injunction barring him from posting hateful material on the Internet. In 2010, he ran unsuccessfully in the London mayoral election.
from Poland
in 1985, before immigrating to Canada
in 1987.
's Vanguard News Network web forum. Winnicki had previously posted using the username Thexder_3D, but later opted to post using his real name, after having been publicly identified.
As a result of his online writings, Ottawa
human rights lawyer Richard Warman
filed a federal human rights complaint against Winnicki. Winnicki was the subject of hearings before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
in August and October 2005, with closing arguments heard on December 12, 2005. Winnicki faced the possibility of a permanent cease and desist order, a penalty of up to $10,000 and damages of up to $60,000 for naming the complainant personally in the discriminatory material and attempting to retaliate against him for having filed the complaint.
The Federal Court of Canada
issued an injunction against Winnicki on October 4, 2005 enjoining him from posting hate propaganda until the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issues a decision in the case against him. The judge said:
"Having looked at these messages in their entirety and in context, I have no doubt that they are likely to expose persons of the Jewish faith to hatred or contempt, as these concepts have been defined in Nealy, supra, and approved in Taylor, supra. And the same can be said of the messages which target persons of the black race
. They are undoubtedly as vile as one can imagine and are not only discriminatory but threatening to the victims they target."
He concluded by saying, "I have no hesitation in holding that the words complained of are so manifestly contrary to the letter and the spirit of s. 13 of the CHRA that any finding to the contrary would be considered highly suspect."
Winnicki was also the subject of contempt of court
proceedings in Ottawa before the Federal Court, as he was alleged to have broken the injunction by continuing to post hate to the Internet.
In July 2006, Winnicki was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment by the Federal Court of Canada
for disregarding the court order and continuing to spread "the unrelenting message of hatred" over the internet. Winnicki faces a second contempt for continuing to violate the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's permanent cease and desist order of April 2006.
After spending less than three months in jail, Winnicki was released in the fall of 2006, pending his appeal of the nine-month sentence that was handed down in July 2006 for contempt of court. The appeal was heard on January 16, 2007.
Winnicki has been criticized by white supremacists for employing a Chinese
-Canadian lawyer, Chi-Kun Shi, to defend him before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
In April 2006, the Tribunal released its ruling and fined Winnicki $6,000 for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act and ordered him to pay an additional $5,500 in damages to the complainant, Richard Warman. The Tribunal found that Winnnicki's internet postings were "vicious and dehumanizing" and ordered him to stop posting hateful messages on the internet.
, where he resides with his mother, and in other cities. In September 2004, Winnicki and three others were stopped by the police as they were driving to a Toronto
rally in support of Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel
. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing weapons at a public meeting, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, after police found throwing knives, a bow and arrows, and body armour in his vehicle. Winnicki pleaded guilty to weapons charges on November 23, 2006, receiving a conditional discharge with 6 months of probation
.
member Joe Fontana
, who received 47.2% of the votes cast; Winnicki gained around 0.2% of the vote.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-Canadian white supremacist based in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. He was the subject of complaints before 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...
for his activities, and has also faced criminal charges on weapons offences. In July 2006, he was sentenced to nine months in prison for violating a Federal Court injunction barring him from posting hateful material on the Internet. In 2010, he ran unsuccessfully in the London mayoral election.
Background
Winnicki and his family immigrated to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1985, before immigrating to 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...
in 1987.
Internet activities
Winnicki is a prolific poster on Alex LinderAlex Linder
Alex Linder is the owner and operator of the Vanguard News Network , an antisemitic, white supremacist website launched in 2000 by Alex Linder. VNN is one of the most active white supremacist sites on the Internet, according to the Anti-Defamation League . Its motto is "No Jews...
's Vanguard News Network web forum. Winnicki had previously posted using the username Thexder_3D, but later opted to post using his real name, after having been publicly identified.
As a result of his online writings, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
human rights lawyer 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...
filed a federal human rights complaint against Winnicki. Winnicki was the subject of hearings before 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 August and October 2005, with closing arguments heard on December 12, 2005. Winnicki faced the possibility of a permanent cease and desist order, a penalty of up to $10,000 and damages of up to $60,000 for naming the complainant personally in the discriminatory material and attempting to retaliate against him for having filed the complaint.
The Federal Court of Canada
Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada was a national court of Canada that heard some types of disputes arising under the central government's legislative jurisdiction...
issued an injunction against Winnicki on October 4, 2005 enjoining him from posting hate propaganda until the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issues a decision in the case against him. The judge said:
"Having looked at these messages in their entirety and in context, I have no doubt that they are likely to expose persons of the Jewish faith to hatred or contempt, as these concepts have been defined in Nealy, supra, and approved in Taylor, supra. And the same can be said of the messages which target persons of the black race
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
. They are undoubtedly as vile as one can imagine and are not only discriminatory but threatening to the victims they target."
He concluded by saying, "I have no hesitation in holding that the words complained of are so manifestly contrary to the letter and the spirit of s. 13 of the CHRA that any finding to the contrary would be considered highly suspect."
Winnicki was also the subject of contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
proceedings in Ottawa before the Federal Court, as he was alleged to have broken the injunction by continuing to post hate to the Internet.
In July 2006, Winnicki was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment by the Federal Court of Canada
Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada was a national court of Canada that heard some types of disputes arising under the central government's legislative jurisdiction...
for disregarding the court order and continuing to spread "the unrelenting message of hatred" over the internet. Winnicki faces a second contempt for continuing to violate the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's permanent cease and desist order of April 2006.
After spending less than three months in jail, Winnicki was released in the fall of 2006, pending his appeal of the nine-month sentence that was handed down in July 2006 for contempt of court. The appeal was heard on January 16, 2007.
Winnicki has been criticized by white supremacists for employing a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-Canadian lawyer, Chi-Kun Shi, to defend him before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
In April 2006, the Tribunal released its ruling and fined Winnicki $6,000 for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act and ordered him to pay an additional $5,500 in damages to the complainant, Richard Warman. The Tribunal found that Winnnicki's internet postings were "vicious and dehumanizing" and ordered him to stop posting hateful messages on the internet.
Protests
In addition to his online activities, Winnicki has attended a number of political protests in London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, where he resides with his mother, and in other cities. In September 2004, Winnicki and three others were stopped by the police as they were driving to a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
rally in support of Holocaust denier 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,...
. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing weapons at a public meeting, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, after police found throwing knives, a bow and arrows, and body armour in his vehicle. Winnicki pleaded guilty to weapons charges on November 23, 2006, receiving a conditional discharge with 6 months of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
2010 mayoral candidacy
In 2010, Winnicki stood in the London mayoral election. The election was ultimately won by Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
member Joe Fontana
Joe Fontana
Joseph Frank "Joe" Fontana, PC is the current mayor of London, Ontario. He was previously a Liberal member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of London North Centre....
, who received 47.2% of the votes cast; Winnicki gained around 0.2% of the vote.
External links
- Federal Court - reasons for injunction dated Nov. 7, 2005
- Federal Court - contempt of court judgment dated July 12, 2006
- Court rules Winnicki can't post hate on Net
- London Free Press: News Section - 'Biggest hater' spotlighted
- HATE IN THE FOREST CITY: Who are they? TOMASZ WINNICKI
- http://www.cbc.ca/insite/AS_IT_HAPPENS_TORONTO/2005/11/16.htmlCBC Radio As It HappensAs It HappensAs It Happens is a long-running interview show on CBC Radio One in Canada. Its 40th anniversary was celebrated on-air on 18 November 2008. It has been one of the most popular and acclaimed shows on CBC Radio; it is also distributed in the United States by Public Radio International.The bulk of the...
segment on Winnicki] under title "Net Hate" broadcast November 16, 2005. - Federal Court sentences Winnicki to 9 months imprisonment for contempt - July 12, 2006
- CNEWS Canada: White supremacist jailed 9 months