When Justice Fails
Canadian Court Hands Suspended Sentence to Former Lawyer for Holocaust Monument Vandalism
In a courtroom decision that reeks of moral equivocation, an Ontario judge this week sentenced Iain Aspenlieder, a former City of Ottawa lawyer, to mere time served for vandalizing Canada's National Holocaust Monument
A former City of Ottawa lawyer who defaced the National Holocaust Monument in June 2025 has been given a suspended sentence and two years of probation, in a decision that rejected calls to classify the act as a hate crime and has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish organizations.
Iain Aspenlieder, 46, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to mischief related to a war memorial after painting the words "FEED ME" in red paint on the monument on June 9, 2025.
He was arrested on June 27, 2025, and initially charged with mischief to a war memorial, mischief over $5,000, and harassment by threatening conduct.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne London-Weinstein sentenced Aspenlieder on January 7, 2026, crediting him with 152 days of time served, equivalent to about five months in custody, and imposing conditions including a ban on approaching Jewish or Israeli institutions, a firearms prohibition, and a victim surcharge.
The judge described the act as premeditated and harmful to the Jewish community but ruled that prosecutors failed to prove antisemitic intent beyond a reasonable doubt.
Aspenlieder characterized the vandalism as a protest against Canada's involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict and expressed remorse during the proceedings.
Prosecutors had requested a two-year prison term.
Jewish advocacy groups condemned the ruling. B'nai Brith Canada stated it "normalizes Jew-hatred," while the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) called the lack of additional jail time disappointing, describing the vandalism as a "deliberate act of desecration."