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UTT firebombing update

One of the arrested suspects in the April firebombing of Talmud Torah elementary has been released due to “insufficient evidence”:

Simon Zogheib, 19, was arrested in connection with the library fire at the United Talmud Torahs School.

One of his lawyers, Serge Segal, said the Crown decided not to proceed with the charges because of a lack of evidence.

It’s always hard to tell what to think in these cases. The media is banned from elaborating much, because two other suspects are still in custody awaiting trial. And of course, it’s impossible to know whether Zogheib is really innocent or just legally “not guilty”. Without the facts, it’s impossible for any of us to make a judgment.

I will say this, though: if the police and legal system are incapable of bringing the true perpetrators of this crime – whoever they may be – to justice, it will be a real shame… and a real failing of the system. There is an obligation to crack down on this kind of despicable hate crime against innocent children, to prevent it from recurring.

{ 14 comments… add one }
  • John Anderson 10.20.04, 7:02 AM

    Being released does not mean that more evidence cannot be sought. He may actually not be guilty, but if he is the game is not over.

  • segacs 10.20.04, 3:50 PM

    I never said he was innocent. I said they aren’t going to prosecute him at this time. And while in theory they could gather more evidence, in practice it rarely happens.

  • Ikram 10.20.04, 5:21 PM

    According to today’s Gazette:

    Jewish leaders familiar with the case reassured the community yesterday that there is no need for alarm and that the withdrawal … is in the interest of justice.

    One even wished Zogheib well ….

    “Our heart goes out to him because the Crown has found there is not enough evidence and he had to go through all this,” said Jeffrey Boro, president of the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Jewish Congress.We’re not on a witchhunt; we’re here to make sure the community is protected.”

    Indeed.

  • Josh 10.21.04, 3:08 PM

    Always the skeptic,
    misplaced faith in Canadian justice.

    Was shopping at Winners on my trip to Mtl in May holding my then three month old daughter. Five of our semitic friends saw me at the pants rack and decided to, whadduya know, shop for pants, in exactly my size – how about that?
    Sure three of them made some remarks to their friends as if they didn’t want anything to do with the intimidation, but these two hung as close to me as possible without body contact.
    What to do? Make eye contact? Say something? Tell them in Arabic to lay off? Confront them? My hands were full and wondered about the ‘settler brings conflict to Mtl’ headlines, so I ignored them.
    Sure it was a long thirty seconds, but the incredible thing is that for thirty seconds, they had the courage(?) to try to intimidate me (and my baby). Back in the early nineties, everything was cool because their was a number equality, now there are 250 000 Arabs/Muslims in the Montreal area, who appaerntly are just now experimenting with their ‘strength’. Be strong Canadian Jews if this is the struggle you think you will overcome.

  • Jonny 10.21.04, 4:08 PM

    Josh,

    In a sense, this is what unites the jewish community, a community in which there are deep divisions at every level.

    These “friends” of ours have done more for the zionist cause than any conspiracy theory we could ever come up with. G-d bless em.

  • Yoni 10.21.04, 10:30 PM

    Hang them high and hang them often

  • Francis 10.21.04, 11:42 PM

    Very easy to stereotype. Fun, too.

  • Hanthala 10.22.04, 4:58 AM

    Yeah JOsh, been there from the opposite perspective. Didn’t think that was possible did ya? Well, it is and no, its not good for the Zionist cause either.

    Segacs, just cuz they don’t got evidence don’t mean he ain’t guilty.

  • cliff from montreal 10.22.04, 8:23 AM

    Hanthala,
    Usually I reserve my comments for jerks like rube, but you will suffice for now.
    Love your apples to oranges comparison so much so that I assume that you must work for CAIR. Yep, I know how it feels to be surrounded by angry Jews in a store. Every time I go into a kosher bakery, minding my own business, and suddenly a massive hoard of angry bubbies surround me urging me on to buy healthy food. Man it happens every time too. Kind of like those car swarms in Gaza, eh?
    So please explain “been there from the opposite perspective” comment.
    Be honest for once too, ok?

  • Hanthala 10.24.04, 4:57 PM

    Cliff, I doubt they would bother you but I have on more than one occasion been surrounded by angry Jews yelling racist remarks. I’ve seen mobs of angry Jews assault and spit on people. A friend of mine was accosted in a coffee shop by an angry Jewish man who ended up making death threats. People have recorded such incidents on tape. Just because the media doesn’t care to report it, doesn’t mean it did not happen.

  • cliff from montreal 10.25.04, 5:32 AM

    Hanthala,

    You said “I have on more than one occasion been surrounded by angry Jews yelling racist remarks”
    Where, when, why and most importantly..what did they say? What were you doing to get such a reaction if it happened at all? Please answer honestly using facts, don’t twist the truth as you like to do.

    You also said ONE “Jewish man ended up making death threats” in a coffee shop to your ‘friend’ no less. Hum,evidence from a ‘third party’ Works for me, what about you Judge? Hanthala, where are the witnesses? Exactly what was said? How did you know his religion? Could this ‘threat’ occurred during a heated conversation? Could the comment have been mis-quoted? Could your ‘friend’ have tried the ‘Hey I’ll piss the dude off royally and suck him into saying something he may regret’ which is the fav debating technique that the LLL’s always use when they have run out of arguments to debate with!
    Wow, Hanthala,using your amazing logic, one could assume that all Allah followers are bloodthirsty killers and head choppers because OBL is of the same ilk!

    You also said “People have recorded such incidents on tape.”
    Hum, one more nail in your coffin Hanthala. You of course are referring to the one or two nut bags who allegedly left threatening messages on some guys TAS machine.Great deduction.You must belong to the “Jews control everything” club.You are a small person with a smaller mind!Tell me something, since when did Bell Canada in addition to caller ID, also have the option to identify some ones religion as well? Or is that a gift that Allah gives to special people?

    You also said “Just because the media doesn’t care to report it, doesn’t mean it did not happen”
    Your comment here really shows your true colors.Could it be that you are falling back on some old excuses employed by bigots like yourself,implying that the same media that won’t report negative issues about Jews is in fact controlled by Jews,right? You are so full of it.You know and I know that the Canadian media would have reported these incidents at the drop of a hat, had they occurred in Montreal. After all, this is what we are talking about,incidents in Montreal, right?I’ve seen angry mobs of Jews too, except these mobs were in Israel, and usually after some Islamic freak nut had provoked them while they were peacefully praying.Where and when have these angry spitting mobs occurred in Montreal? It would be helpful to provide time, dates, pictures, video, news reports from a credible organization.

    In closing.
    I’m certain that the media you subscribe to only reports what it wants you to see, and judging from your lame comments, I can deduct that you are being fed a diet of propaganda and lies.

    PS
    What the Montreal/Canadian media isn’t reporting is that there are gangs of Arab thugs traveling on the Montreal transit system targeting non-Muslim women and harassing them.

  • 8opus 10.27.04, 6:33 AM

    Cliff, Hanthala is speaking in generalities to give the impression that this sort of thing happens all the time, but she is really referring to a rather specific set of incidents — all of which took place at Concordia over a very compressed period of time.

    It sounds like the point that Hanthala is trying to make is that anti-Jewish feelings among Arabs and anti-Arab feelings among Jews are exact mirrors of each other, and exist to almost precisely the same extent. Whether or not that’s true is a separate matter, I guess.

  • cliff from montreal 10.27.04, 8:11 AM

    8opus,
    I’d prefer to have Hanthala speak for Hanthala!
    The end result of this futile exercise is that Hanthala is actually justifying a violent act against innocents, (don’t forget the subject line) and at the same time condemning a whole group of people based on the alleged actions of one or two, who may or may not be ‘Jews’ or even exist for that matter!. Hanthala spews ‘hearsay’ like a farmer spreads manure on his fields, with more or less with the same result.I see through Hanthala’s bull, and I suspect many others do as well.Can’t fool me,Hanthala is a bigot not a victim.

  • Simon Zogheib 09.06.06, 8:52 AM

    I did not do it and they prooved it!!
    and i am not guilty im innocent !

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