Saint-Barnabé-Sud homeowners face court over Nazi symbol dispute

Homeowners face legal action for displaying Nazi symbols and defamatory posters amid a dispute with town officials.

Homeowners in Saint-Barnabé-Sud are set to return to court amid a heated dispute with town officials.

The residents have expressed their anger by displaying posters outside their home showing swastikas and comparing town officials to dictators, including Nazis.

B’nai Brith said using the term Nazi should not be taken lightly.

Town officials refused to give an interview on Thursday as the matter is still before the court.

However, in a statement, they said “that the municipality considers these kinds of messages unacceptable and that they go beyond all forms of freedom of speech and expression.”

The municipality has taken the homeowners to court multiple times over the past year.

On Nov. 15, 2024, a judge ordered any defamatory link between the town and the Nazi regime, including the swastika, Adolph Hitler and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un be removed.

The judge also ordered the removal of a website where the homeowners claim they are victims of harassment and discrimination and declare the town the most racist in the world. As of Thursday, the link was still active.

Provincial Police (SQ) officer told CTV News patrol cars are regularly stationed outside the house.

B’nai Brith noted that using the symbols of a regime that systematically killed millions is deeply disturbing.

“I am, the son of a Holocaust survivor, who from his entire family, it was only he, an uncle and aunt who survived,” said Henry Topas with B’nai Brith.

B’nai Brith is pushing for a federal bill to make showing the swastika illegal unless it is in a historical context.

“That law must be instituted to allow this to be banned. This must be banned,” he argued.

The homeowners will be back in front of a judge on Friday for contempt of court for failing to remove the website and the signs on their house.