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A Windsor man found guilty last year of participating in the activity of a neo-Nazi terrorist group has been sentenced to just under nine months in jail and three years probation.
The RCMP charged Seth Bertrand, 23, with participating in or contributing to — directly or indirectly — the activity of a terrorist group in 2022. The charge came after he tried to join the Atomwaffen Division, a far-right extremist organization, the year prior.
Justice Maria Carroccia delivered the sentence at the Superior Court of Justice in Windsor on Wednesday morning. She said she considered both the seriousness of the terrorism-related offence as well as factors such as Bertrand’s difficult family upbringing — and disavowal of his old beliefs — in determining the sentence.
Carroccia said the five days Bertrand spent in custody after his arrest would count for eight days of credit against his sentence. After that, he’ll serve three years probation and have restrictions on his internet use, among other conditions.
The charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Canada listed the Atomwaffen Division as a terrorist entity in 2021. Bertrand tried to join just a few weeks later, per the RCMP. In the online application, he pledged loyalty to the group, court heard, and listed his skills as a mechanic and military cadet.
The Atomwaffen Division “promotes a philosophy that individuals should carry out attacks against institutions and civilians to increase societal tensions, collapsing the government, and creating a National Socialist state for the white race out of the chaos,” according to the federal government.
In an interview with police in 2022, Bertrand admitting to trying to join the group but said he never carried out any official acts on its behalf.
“That was me for a while. It was f–ked. A very dark patch in my life that I do not like,” he said in the interview, a video of which was played during the trial.
Bertrand’s case dates back to 2021, when he was arrested for hateful vandalism targeting members of the local 2SLGBTQ+ community. He pleaded guilty to three counts of mischief and one count of inciting hatred the year after, and served five months of house arrest.
More to come.
