SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — An Australian man charged with posting a YouTube video that threatens Jews will stand trial.
Brendon Lee O’Connell, 38, of Perth, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Magistrates’ Court in Perth. The trial is scheduled to open Nov. 20, according to the Web site Perth Now.
O’Connell was charged in May with “conduct likely to entice animosity or racist harassment” after he allegedly uploaded a 10-minute video — still available in two parts on YouTube — in which he allegedly says of the Jews, “Your days are numbered” and “I will put you in the camps with the rest of them.”
If found guilty, he would be the first person convicted under West Australia’s racial vilification laws since they were enacted four years ago. The maximum penalty for the offense is 14 years in jail or a fine of up to $18,000.
O’Connell videotaped the waiting media as he left court, according to the Web site report.
