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The mayor of the Montreal suburb of Hampstead has threatened to take legal action against the mayor of Montreal over electronic billboards used during roadworks in the city that bore anti-Israel slogans, including “Liberate Palestine,” “Upgrade Now,” and “Global Intifada.”
Neil Oberman Attorney A letter of claim was sent on Thursday on behalf of Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levy.
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The letter demands that Plante apologize for “failure to thoroughly enforce the rule of law,” launch a full investigation into “hate propaganda,” and promise to “investigate and prosecute the perpetrators.”
“Failing that, our client will take appropriate legal action to safeguard the interests of its residents,” wrote Oberman, an attorney with Spiegel Sohmer Inc. Oberman was nominated in June as the Conservative candidate for the next Mount Royal riding, currently held by Liberal Anthony Housefather, which includes Hampstead.
The electronic signs began displaying illuminated messages on Wednesday. The city said the signs were vandalized, with padlocks on the panels broken and unauthorized anti-Israel messages overwritten with the original city government messages. A city spokesman said the signs did not belong to the city but to a subcontractor.
A city spokesperson said: “The council strongly condemns this incident which unfortunately constitutes an act of vandalism.”
Levy said such a response was inadequate given that the messages constituted hate speech against Jews.
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“We’ve seen the protests, we’ve seen all kinds of lawlessness that’s been going on in this city for almost the last year. And all you hear from Valerie Plante is ‘This is not us, this is not us.’ Well, obviously, you know that messaging is not working,” Levy said in an interview.
In his letter to Plante, Obermann wrote that Plante’s “inaction and incompetence have allowed anarchy to spread, undermining the reputation and security of Montreal, Quebec, and Canada.”
“Hate propaganda is a byproduct of your inaction,” he wrote.
Oberman said the lawsuit has nothing to do with his Conservative candidacy.
“I am not acting as a candidate. I am acting as an attorney. I will continue to practice law,” he said. “This is not politics, this is legal, and my political views do not affect my mandate because that would be inappropriate. This is a legal issue, nothing more than that.”
Eta Yudin, vice president of the Quebec Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, also criticized Plante’s response.
“The Plante administration must understand that it must take the lead in the fight against these dangerous and hateful acts. It is not surprising that people feel obligated to do so and are calling on the mayor to take action,” Yudin said.
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