Ontario court sentences neo-Nazi propagandist to 20 years for facilitating terrorist activity
Matthew Althorpe’s “hatred and violent extremism targeted all those who did not align with his grotesque ideology,” several Jewish advocacy organizations wrote after the ruling.
Door of a courtroom (File)
Matthew Althorpe, 29, of Thorold, Ontario, was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice after pleading guilty to terrorism-related offenses tied to neo-Nazi propaganda that inspired attacks abroad.
Althorpe pleaded guilty in October to facilitating terrorist activity, instructing others to carry out terrorist acts and willfully promoting hatred.
Prosecutors said Althorpe was an active member of the Atomwaffen Division and a leader within the so-called Terrorgram Collective, producing videos, manifestos and online posts that promoted violence against Jews, Muslims, Black people and other groups. Prosecutors said his materials, disseminated on Telegram, were cited in multiple terrorist attacks, including a 2022 shooting outside an LGBTQ bar in Slovakia and a 2024 stabbing at a mosque in Turkey.
“Terrorists know that online hatred can lead to violence and that their words and images are weapons that can convert the minds of others and inspire them to commit violent acts,” said George Dolhai, director of public prosecutions.
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Jewish advocacy organizations, including Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, B’nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, submitted community impact statements to the court.
In a joint statement after the ruling, the groups wrote that the sentence sends a “powerful message” that those “who spread hate, inflict violence, and terrorize communities will be held fully accountable under the law.”
“The threat posed by Mr. Althorpe was not only to the Jewish community,” the groups stated. “His hatred and violent extremism targeted all those who did not align with his grotesque ideology.”
The organizations called on the Canadian government to strengthen anti-terror laws, counter radicalization, dismantle extremist networks and expand support for community security.
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