Court won't shut down anti-Hasidic blog

Quebec court rejects restraining order against Pierre Lacerte, who writes about 'local by-law violations' by Hasidic community in Montreal

Daniel Horowitz|Published: 03.26.11 , 09:44

A Quebec court has rejected a bid to put a blogger who writes about the Hasidic community in his neighborhood out of business.

The court rejected a restraining order against Pierre Lacerte, who blogs about what he considers to be local by-law violations by Hasidim in the Outremont district of Montreal, home to a large Hasidic community.

Michael Rosenberg, a local Hasidic businessman, sought the gag order against Lacerte, claiming that he was harassing his family. Rosenberg also filed a $375,000 defamation lawsuit against Lacerte.

Lacerte, an Outremont resident who has been criticized as anti-Semitic, has argued that the synagogue, which is housed in an apartment building, violates municipal by-laws and causes parking problems.

According to the CBVC, the court decided that while Lacerte is "excessive, meticulous, passionate and difficult," there was no evidence showing him to be violent.

Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life