By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Quebec Court Judge Sylvain Lépine has sentenced Pascal Tribout, 38, of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, near Oka, to five years in jail for making online threats against the Jewish community and using a 3D printer to illegally produce firearms.

“These charges are serious,” Judge Lépine ruled last week. “His comments [about Jews] are unacceptable… the manufacture of these weapons is worrisome.”

As previously reported by The Suburban, Tribout, who pleaded guilty to charges relating to the illegal manufacture of firearms and antisemitic hate speech, had made hateful comments against the Jewish community in a public forum on the social network Telegram.

The RCMP, which arrested Tribout last year, stated at the time that “violent statements will not be tolerated, whether made on social media or through any other means of communication. Perpetrators may face criminal charges involving significant sentences. Such incidents must be reported if we are to combat this type of crime.”

Jewish community organizations welcomed the sentencing. B’nai Brith Canada officials said they expressed the concerns of the Canadian Jewish community to the court.

“This verdict is a welcome sign for all Canadians,” said Henry Topas, B’nai Brith Canada’s Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, who represented the Jewish community at the Feb. 26 sentencing. “This case shows that antisemitism is not only a threat to Jews but also can be a matter of national security.”

Topas added that Tribout “failed to demonstrate remorse or issue an apology.”

B’nai Brith Canada’s statement adds that Tribout’s case is precedent-setting, “marking the first time Crown prosecutors have brought someone to justice under a statute relating to the spread of computer data used to manufacture 3D-printed weapons.

“These so-called ‘Ghost Guns’ are a significant concern because they do not have serial numbers and thus cannot easily be traced.”

Officials from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs stated that “as we said last year, this case is a reminder that antisemitism exists in many forms, such as the far-right neo-Nazi and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

“We welcome this sentence. From arrest to conviction, the authorities acted with determination against the threat posed by Mr. Tribout. It is up to them to act in this way at all times in the fight against antisemitism.” n