The ex-leader of a far-right group who caused mayhem in the premises of a media outlet finally got away with it without a criminal record so that he could continue to fulfill his “patriarchal role” in his family.
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“The public interest wants a father to continue to support his family. He has been a truck driver for 5 years, he is the sole breadwinner in his family, he is looking for a better job. He has the right to improve his financial situation,” said judge Joëlle Roy to explain why she granted absolution to Raphaël Lévesque, this Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
Lévesque, 39, is the former leader of the identity group Atalante. In 2018, dissatisfied with the coverage of his group by a journalist from Vice Quebec, he used a subterfuge to have the door of the media opened with thugs.
Photo Michael Nguyen
Raphaël Lévesque, accompanied by his spouse, this Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
The group then caused mayhem by throwing, among other things, papers that they had brought, and then left the scene.
Lévesque was initially acquitted by Judge Roy, but the Court of Appeal overturned the decision, finding him guilty of breaking and entering. As is customary, the file had been brought before the magistrate, in order to impose a sentence.
Not even community works
And it fell this morning: not only Lévesque will not have a criminal record, but he will not even have to do community service, even if he himself said he was ready to do it.
“Community work has no place here”, commented the magistrate, qualifying the crime of the accused as “legally technical”, stressing that according to her, Lévesque had “taken precautions so that no offense is committed when he set up his operation.
In her decision, the judge recalled that Lévesque had apologized and that to show his good faith, he was even ready to take money out of his pocket. Thus, the judge sentenced him to pay a donation of $1,000 to Reporters Without Borders, as well as compensation of $400 to a journalist who had been affected by the events.
As part of his discharge, Lévesque will have to serve 18 months probation.
The Crown, which was not asking for incarceration, wanted Lévesque to have a criminal record.