A Toronto judge has reserved his decision in the case of a former paralegal accused of advocating genocide and promoting hatred in email and on the internet, including an open Twitter account.Rupen Balaram-Sivaram has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, including the rare charge of advocating genocide. The charges stem in part from a series of hateful social media posts and emails he allegedly sent to public figures and media organizations that call for death to Jews, homosexuals, Westerners and Christians.He testified this past summer he did not create the social media accounts, including some under his own name, and denies putting out any information to the public to incite hatred.Last week in court, defence lawyer Jason Rabinovitch reiterated his client’s position that he did not commit any of the alleged offences. Alternatively, Rabinovitch told Superior Court Justice Michael Brown if he rejects Balaram-Sivaram’s testimony and finds he is behind the emails and social media postings, he should consider them “personal opinions” that are a reaction to news events.The postings in evidence are simply people having discussions in an open forum, as distasteful and disturbing as that may be, he said in court. In Canada, people are allowed to express contrary opinions, Rabinovitch said during final arguments.“He can hate the Jewish people,” Crown attorney Kim Motyl said in reply. But his comments take a “great leap” from engaging in political discourse to actively encouraging others to carry out violent acts.In her written submissions, Motyl wrote that Balaram-Sivaram’s “entire social media footprint is riddled with evidence of his belief that those of Jewish descent and homosexuals should be exterminated. Further, his hard devices — his computer, two USB drives and his cellphone are likewise full of such sentiment.”The prosecution cited several examples of how Balaram-Sivaram allegedly committed t ...
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