A University of New Brunswick law student is under investigation for disseminating hate speech online. The student is accused of spreading hate literature against women, blacks, First Nations, homosexuals, the mentally disabled, and other minority groups.
Shane Martinez, also a UNB law student, discovered the website—www.prank.org—while trying to find his classmate’s contact information online. Martinez, who was working on a class assignment with the student in question, was shocked to find the site, which he says goes as far as to promote genocide against the mentally disabled.
But when The Varsity checked prank.com, the site seemed more of a repository of juvenile practical jokes—admittedly incredibly mean-spirited ones—than the fanatic hate forum Martinez described.
For example, in a comment that is representative of the site in general, user RedNeckClown made a post titled “fun sex prank,” which read: “after you’re done bagging your girlfriend wip [sic.] out a fresh condom and claim you forgot to put on one to begin with.” RedNeckClown lists his location as “Far From Black People.” Another, higuy93, suggests emptying a friend’s shampoo bottle and filling it with Nair hair-remover. This is roughly the pinnacle of discourse on the site—most forum threads quickly degenerate into users insulting each other. Martinez claims the student had been posting hateful comments over the past few years under the user name ROB. In March 2008, Shane filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.
When The Varsity checked prank.com for evidence of hate crime, the only posts by ROB that were found still online dated back to 2004. In one representative post, ROB advised would-be pranksters, “pranking isn’t for cowards. If someone is bullying you, pranking them won’t help, it will only prove how much of a loser you are. Don’t be a fag [sic.], kick your bully’s ass, if you need a baseball bat or a piece of rebar to do it, that’s ok.”
UNB communications manager Dan Tanaka told The Varsity, “The allegaations are serious and the panel is looking to determine what, if any, impact the alleged activities have had on the learning environment within the faculty.” The panel, along with the board of deans and the president, is expected to make a decision in late November. UNB told The Daily Gleaner. “We’re dealing with allegations at this point.” Because the incident occurred during the student’s own time and while they are off-campus, it lies outside the university’s disciplinary code. The university has, however, set up a panel to further investigate the matter.
If the student is found guilty, the consequences could range from a mere letter of reprimand to an outright expulsion from UNB. The Fredericton Police is also investigating the incident as a possible public incitement of hatred.
