Update: Public Incitement of Hatred

In follow up to a media release sent earlier today, Milan PAPEZ Jr., 53, has been charged with three counts of public incitement of hatred and one count of defamatory libel.

Original release below.

Public Incitement of Hatred

The Calgary Police Service has charged a man with public incitement of hatred.

Since the beginning of the year, the CPS Hate Crimes Co-ordinator has received more than a dozen complaints from citizens regarding two men carrying signage and allegedly publicly inciting hatred in the downtown core.

The messages were targeted towards two specific individuals, as well as a specific community within the downtown core.

Milan PAPEZ , 72, of Calgary, has been charged with four counts of public incitement of hatred and one count of defamatory libel.

Charges against another man are pending.

As defined by the Criminal Code of Canada, Section 319 (1), charges of public incitement of hatred are warranted when by communicating statements in any public place, they incite hatred against any identifiable group when such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace.

The CPS Hate Crimes Co-ordinator position, established in 1996, works within the Diversity Resources Unit to assist all officers with cases involving hate-biased or hate-motivated crimes.

Anyone with information about this case, or any hate-motivated crime or incidents, is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: tttTIPS.com

TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637