NDG public meeting marred by Nazi salute

A public consultation meeting Tuesday in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce turned nasty when a man in attendance raised his arm in a Nazi salute and shouted "Heil Copeman" at borough mayor Russell Copeman.

"I was shocked.  I never imagined in Montreal, in 2015, to see such open anti-semitism. I was absolutely shocked," said Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, who attended the meeting.

He very shockingly gave me what cannot be misconstrued as the nazi salute, and said 'Heil Copeman- Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce boroguh mayor Russell Copeman

The meeting was to discuss a proposed development at the former St-Columba Church on Hingston Avenue.  

The former church has been home to the Chabad Jewish Community Centre since 2013.  

Now a developer wants to add residential units to the site.

Nazi Salute

About a dozen people spoke out against the proposed development, and many began to focus on noise complaints at the existing Jewish Community Centre, according to several people who attended the meeting.

At one point, Bernath addressed the meeting himself, to apologize for the noise problems and pledge to work together with others in the community.

In an interview, Copeman recalled that he applauded Bernath's remarks. He then heard a man shouting at him.

"He very shockingly gave me what cannot be misconstrued as the nazi salute and said 'Heil Copeman'," Copeman said.

Julia Bronfman was also at the meeting. She said the man didn't stop there.

"He started speaking of the Jews and how they treat the Palestinians and he started screaming all sorts of nasty things that didn't make sense at all," Bronfman said.

Bernath said Copeman told the man that he was offended, particularly because many of his wife's relatives died in the Holocaust.

He said the man continued with offensive remarks.

"He started saying something to the nature of 'I'm from the South Side of Chicago, you don't know what a Holocaust is.  I can tell you what a Holocaust is," Bernath said.

The man was eventually escorted from the room by security.

'Open hatred'

The incident has left the rabbi shaken.

"What do you do with such open hatred?  It wasn't even in a way that was politically correct.  It was just open anti-semitism.  It was just unbelievable," Benrath said.

Bronfman, while outraged, had a slightly different reaction. She feels much of the opposition to the development project was couched in veiled anti-semitism. She said there was nothing veiled about what this man said.

"You know, I'd rather people say what they're thinking than just sort of hide it.  At least you know where you stand," she said.

Copeman said he's encountered anti-semitism before, but not like this.

"I've had vandalism on election posters. The odd swastika would appear. I've always tried not to blow these events out of proportion, but this one was particularly ugly,"  Copeman said.

After thinking about it for two days and discussing it with advisors, Copeman reported the incident to police, but decided not to file a formal complaint.