TORONTO (JTA) — A Quebec court has quashed a bid to shut down a blogger who writes about his neighborhood Chasidic community.
The court on Tuesday rejected a restraining order against Pierre Lacerte, who blogs about what he considers to be local by-law violations by Chasidim in the Outremont district of Montreal, which is home to a large Chasidic community.
Michael Rosenberg, a local Chasidic businessman, sought the gag order against Lacerte, claiming that he was harassing Rosenberg and his family. Rosenberg also has filed a $375,000 defamation lawsuit against Lacerte that is pending.
Lacerte’s blog includes dozens of photos taken near an unmarked synagogue founded by Rosenberg’s family. Rosenberg and his son are in many of the photos.
Lacerte, an Outremont resident who has been criticized as anti-Semitic, has argued that the synagogue, which is housed in an apartment building, violates municipal by-laws and causes parking problems.
In its ruling, the court found that while Lacerte is "excessive, meticulous, passionate and difficult," there is no evidence that he is a violent person, the Canadian Broadcasting Company reported.
