World Headlines: Inside the online worlds breeding white supremacist violence

First Up

By Manuela Vega

Good morning. Here’s the latest on the Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard’s conviction, the online worlds producing a growing form of terrorism, and U of T Law’s lack of accommodations for students with disabilities.

DON’T MISS

Steve Russell/The Star

courts

Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman

Though a sentencing hearing will be held later this summer, a judge says Jacob Hoggard likely faces more than two years in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a young woman in 2016, but not guilty of raping a 16-year-old fan and sexually touching her when she was 15. The 10 men and two women of the jury deliberated for six days, twice saying they were deadlocked on “some counts.” Here’s what we know about the women’s testimonies, Hoggard’s defence and the judge’s thoughts.

More: The testimonies of the two complainants, who did not know each other, had several similarities. Hoggard maintained that both sexual encounters were consensual. Justice Roberts expressed skepticism over the defence argument that the women had a motive to make up the sexual assaults.
Wait, what? Hoggard was charged earlier this year with sexual assault causing bodily harm to a third complainant — something the jury did not know about due to a publication ban.

Steve Russell/The Star

white supremacy

Young, white, male and full of hate

One year after four members of the Afzaal family were killed in a brazen attack in London, Ontario, police say the accused killer may have been using a “dark web” tool to seek illegal or extremist content. The alleged findings sound all too familiar, as more people charged or convicted of hate-motivated attacks emerge from an odious shared online world. The beliefs they spout online transcend borders, evade law enforcement and encourage what experts say is an evolving and growing form of terrorism. Here’s what we know about online extremism and what experts say must be done to stop it.

More: One of the few programs in Canada to combat online hate and violent extremism in youth and young adults, ETA has more than 50 people enrolled in the GTA. They work with clients in various stages of radicalization, challenging the hateful narratives they’re interested in and introducing services to get to the “roots of how they ended up where they are.”
Go deeper: Violence intervention programs have been essential improvements but are heavily underfunded and understaffed, said a terrorism expert.

Paige Taylor White/The Star

accessibility

U of T’s law school is denying access to virtual classes, disabled students say

For more than a decade, Anushay Sheikh dreamt of being a lawyer. But after the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law allegedly repeatedly denied her requests for accommodations to attend classes she couldn’t make in-person due to her disabilities, she dropped out and filed a human rights complaint. The president of the university’s Disabled Law Students Association said Sheikh’s experience is one many others have faced, usually without any adequate explanation. Here’s more on the responsibility universities have to accommodate disabled students as the pandemic’s online era ends.

More: A representative for the law school told the Star online learning was meant to be an “exceptional and temporary measure.” According to Sheikh’s human rights tribunal application, the university told her it is only providing online accommodations for students “whose disability-related barriers are uniquely and specifically tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Go deeper: The Ontario Human Rights Code says organizations must accommodate disabled people to the extent it won’t cause undue hardship, such as issues with cost, safety or legal restrictions.

WHAT ELSE

Canada is looking to ease family reunification amid frustrations over “super visas” and lotteries.

Inadequate disability supports make the message clear: Your government will help you die, but not live with dignity.

At least four people were struck by a driver during a B.C. march for residential school survivors.

Car theft in Toronto is up 60 per cent. Here are four ways to make sure your car isn’t next.

If John Tory wants to be a good mayor, he should take lessons from Rob Ford.

Housing correction won’t stop real estate from rising long term, real estate watchers say.

Pod-style housing is popping up in California. Could they be a solution for cheaper living in Toronto?

The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial provides lessons in tackling harmful content on social media.

The GTA has an abundance of hard-to-find imported fruit. Here’s where to find it.

Here’s how Canada’s loonie became a desired international currency.

GET THIS

Cameron Tulk/The Star

Inflation is skyrocketing. Here’s how the Bank of Canada is responding.

CLOSE-UP

Giovanni Capriotti/The Star

AJAX, ONT.: Kim Phuc Phan Thi is photographed at Faithway Baptist Church, in Ajax, Ontario, on Sunday May 22, 2022. Also known as “Napalm Girl”, Phuc was nine years old when she became the subject of photojournalist Nick Ut’s iconic 1972 image of a napalm attack in Vietnam. “Everyone can live with love, with hope, and forgiveness,” Phuc told the Star on the 50th anniversary of the image. Here’s more on the story behind the photo.

Thanks for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below.