This is a heartwarming story. I only hope that Francophiles will excuse my not translating it into the mother tongue.
Quebec separatist and stout defender of the French language, Rheal Mathieu, was convicted of the botched firebombings of 3 Second Cup coffee shops in Montreal last fall. The shops were targeted because of their English name, and in at least one case, a gasoline bomb fizzled while customers and staff were inside. Mathieu’s terror campaign (he e-mailed a newspaper columnist asking “What do you want? More lead, blood, death?”) was not exactly his first brush with the law. He previously was convicted of manslaughter in two bombing deaths.
So what’s his sentence now for the firebombings? One month in prison. Add on a six-month term on weapons charges, plus the fact that he could serve as little as one-sixth of his sentence, and he might be back on the street in a month. This, a guy whom three judges believed too dangerous to release on bail.
I guess the court was sending a message here. Only the message appears to be “English-speakers, get the hell out of Quebec.”
Now, now. Are you a firebomber? You’re just having a kneejerk reaction that firebombing in this manner is inherently bad, without education and experience in the field.
wow. how interesting. has he, or have his minions, killed before? or are all their actions as bumbling as the botched bombings? maybe theyre lettin him out for the entertainment value.
seriously, though. dont know much of the current travails in quebec. is the political climate such that accusing the courts of wanting english speakers out of quebec, and of letting someone like this walk the streets because of that agenda, carries weight?
As much as I love firebombs and anarchy, I have to agree this is a ridiculous sentance for attempted mass slaughter of innocent civilians!
It reminds me of the Icelandic court case where a man admitted to committing horrible sexual acts with and in front of his child daughter, but was let off with a warning. Why? He was just charged with actually raping her, and he didn’t admit to that.
Why were no further charges persued? Oh, but he was a college professor! Couldn’t have that… :rolleyes:
It seems justice has taken a leave of absence around the world…
Seems to me, that a lot of societies descend into revolution or anarchy when judges no longer have the testicular fortitude to punish revolutionary criminal acts.
:::ducking, hoping to avoid invocation of Godwin’s Law::::
I don’t see Quebec as needing violence to pursue and obtain independence from Canada. It has the ability to determine its own future. In such a context, promoting and participating in utterly unnecessary violence seems to me to be reprehensible.
And “we” ought to be able to discuss this under my own screen name, without forgetting to remove my roommate’s from the cookie… sigh Anyway, the above is my post, not Hamish’s.