TORONTO — A man previously convicted of promoting hatred was arrested again last night in Toronto, after giving a speech to a small group gathered at an airport hotel.
“Well, so much for free speech and democracy,” said Brad Love, 48, as he was escorted from a conference room by eight officers.
It was Mr. Love’s fourth arrest in six years. One officer said Mr. Love was arrested on a breach of judge’s orders.
After pleading guilty to hate speech in Ontario, Mr. Love moved to Alberta a few years ago. He was invited to return to Ontario last night by Paul Fromm, a far-right activist whose views have also landed him in legal trouble.
Mr. Fromm said the essence of his friend’s speech was that “you have to be very careful what you say.”
Brad Love, 48, is arrested Thursday night. (DEBORAH BAIC/THE GLOBE AND MAIL)
Saying he was affronted by the “insolence” of Mr. Love’s arrest, Mr. Fromm said it would have never happened in Alberta, “a more homogenous area where you don’t have to look over your shoulder every time you tell a joke in a bar.”
He said his friend’s speech was critical of “black crime.”
Mr. Love, a bricklayer, is known for annotating newspaper articles with racist screeds and mailing them to politicians, police and Jewish groups. In 2003, he was arrested in Mississauga. After pleading guilty to more than 20 counts of willfully promoting hatred, he was sent to jail.
After serving part of his 18-month sentence, he was released. Then he was twice arrested for breaching probation. Mr. Love moved to Alberta, where he continued his campaigns, but was not prosecuted. About 30 people attended last night’s speech.
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