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.