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Christian street preacher sucker punched while preaching

Infinite Chaos

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A Toronto street preacher who confronts the public about “sinful” lifestyle choices believes he was the victim of a hate crime when a man sucker punched him last week near Yonge and Dundas streets.
Erik Fountas, 40, has been preaching at the bustling intersection for the last three years and says he’s routinely accosted for his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. “I get spat on and have things thrown at me almost every time I go out,” Link.

This was posted on an ex student's facebook and the reaction among her local friends in Toronto is the guy is involved in public "hate speech" so there's few defending his right to speak.
Meanwhile - Fountas is claming his assault amounts to "hate crime."

So who's correct and why?
 
Maybe not a hate crime, but a crime nonetheless. Merely engaging in speech you find to be unsavory doesn't justify assault, at least not here in the States.
 
Maybe not a hate crime, but a crime nonetheless. Merely engaging in speech you find to be unsavory doesn't justify assault, at least not here in the States.

Guess you have not made many trip in the hood ? A look will get you assaulted !
 
This was posted on an ex student's facebook and the reaction among her local friends in Toronto is the guy is involved in public "hate speech" so there's few defending his right to speak.
Meanwhile - Fountas is claming his assault amounts to "hate crime."

So who's correct and why?

Nobody should ever believe that Neo-Liberals couldn't bigot with the best to be baddest bigot on the block.
 
You have a right to free speech but no one has to like what you say. But punching someone is still a crime but not a hate crime.
 
So who's correct and why?
Nobody.

The assault was obviously wrong regardless of what he was saying (unless there's some major details we've not been made aware of) - I'd hope that doesn't need explaining.

Declaring it a "hate crime" at this point is presumptuous without any information about why he was attacked. I can't help thinking the preacher is too eager to push the idea that he was attacked for being Christian rather than being confrontational and arrogant.

I doubt the preacher is guilty of hate speech - established street preachers like him tend to know where the legal lines are and work right up to them. I don't think what he does is right ut nto that it should be illegal (and I don't think he should be punished for it after his death either :) ).
 
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