A LaSalle man, Nicholas Amor, was sentenced to two years in jail by a Windsor judge for committing antisemitic crimes described as “vile, filth, disgusting.” Amor, aged 30, faced charges of public incitement of hatred and possession of a weapon, to which he pleaded guilty on March 6. He has been in custody since his arrest in October, and after factoring in time served, his actual jail time amounts to about 15 months.
Ontario Court Justice Mikolaj Bazylko criticized Amor’s social media posts during the sentencing hearing, labeling them as repetitive and repulsive. Bazylko emphasized that Amor’s words were not mere expressions but had the potential to cause harm, particularly targeting Jewish individuals. The court heard excerpts from Amor’s inflammatory Facebook and Instagram posts, where he advocated for violence against Jewish people, including the creation of Molotov cocktails.
Following his release, Amor will be placed on three years of probation and prohibited from possessing any weapons for a decade. His probation terms entail avoiding synagogues, Jewish schools, events related to Palestine or Israel, and engaging on social media platforms except for WhatsApp to communicate with family members.
The impact of Amor’s actions on the local Jewish community was profound, as noted by Marion Zeller, the executive director of the Windsor Jewish Federation and Community Centre. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center reported Amor’s posts to the authorities, highlighting the perceived threat to public safety posed by his rhetoric.
During the victim impact statements in court, Amor expressed remorse for the impact of his actions on others. Notably, his defense lawyer mentioned that Amor has a Jewish background, further complicating the gravity of his offenses.
While incarcerated, Amor cooperated with authorities to remove his social media presence. The judge urged him to educate himself and emphasized that promoting hatred and violence is unacceptable. Additional charges against Amor by LaSalle police were dropped, but London police have pursued separate charges against him related to an alleged assault during an anti-war protest in October.