WARNING: This story contains descriptions and images of racist content online aimed at Jews.
Everyone agrees, even defense. To encourage hatred, fear and division by asking for violence against the Jews with their videos and images of terrorist propaganda, Patrick Gordon Macdonald goes to prison for a substantial period of time.
At a sentence hearing in the Superior Court of Ottawa last week, federal prosecutors of the Corona based in Montreal implored the judge to deliver 14 years for the “vile” crimes of Macdonald’s under the foreigner of Alias Dark, while his defense argued for six to eight years and approximately 10 months of credit for the time already served in the appointment and on bail under strict conditions.
In April, Judge Robert Smith condemned MacDonald for the three positions he faced: participate in the terrorist activity, facilitate terrorist activity and encourage hate against Jews for one or more terrorist entities, including the now missing Division Atomwaffen and James Mason Neo-Nazi. Smith is scheduled to announce its judgment decision in early September.
Until then, Macdonald, 28, is released on bail living with his parents under electronic monitoring and other conditions. The crown requested twice to return it back (after their conviction and at the sentence hearing last week), but the judge put on the side of the defense. Macdonald has not violated its conditions.
In 2018 and 2019, when he was 20 and 21, Macdonald helped create and share three racist videos of recruitment of terrorism in Ottawa, Belleville, Ontario, and Saint-Ferm.
A video shows people with skull masks who move through a wooded area and fire firearms. Near the end, the flags of the United States, Israel and the European Union are shown on the ground, being soaked in an accelerating and burned, interspersed with shooting of armed people who assault a building in tactical formation.
The video includes an insult against the Jews. “Stay Tuned Shooters”, is the last text to appear.
Patrick Gordon Macdonald showed no emotion since it was convicted of participating and facilitating terrorist activity by helping and sharing propaganda for the now missing terrorist group atomwaffen division, and inciting hatred against the Jews.
‘An almost indescribable negative impact’
The court heard an impact statement of B’Nai Brith Canada written by one of the regional directors of the Jewish human rights organization, Henry Topas.
Macdonald, hunched over with his knee elbows, observed from the gallery of the courtroom, his parents sat several ranks behind him as they have done during his trial.
“The videos that helped produce were designed to encourage a revolution to destroy the ‘Jewish system’ and encourage viewers to” purge the weak, “Tapas told the judge, appearing through a video.
“For Mr. Macdonald and the Atomwaffen division, we are a disease that needs eradication to allow the establishment of a white ethno-state. Such dehumanization has an almost indescribable negative impact in our community.
“The Canadian Jews did not survive the Holocaust, the pogroms and other unimaginable atrocities and difficulties to face threats to annihilated neo -Nazis terrorists in our homeland adopted,” he continued. “Our ancestors did not promise to contribute to the improvement of the Canadian society for their progeny to face calls to our eradication.”
More witnesses called
The crown produced two new witnesses for the two -day sentence hearing: an “analyst” who works in the national security sphere whose identity is protected by a publication prohibition, and the expert witness Matthew Kríner, executive director of the Consortium of Acceleration Research and Institute to counteract digital extremism.
Prosecutors Carly Norris and Catherine Legault said that calls for murder in propaganda are particularly aggravating, and that the court needs to send a strong message that people cannot publish content such as Macdonald’s online, then throw their hands and say that they are no longer responsible for it.
“Because there are people from there who will consume this, and consume it and consume it … young people who can easily be manipulated,” Norris told the court.
Defensor Douglas Baum lawyer said that in Canada, the “obviously repulsive” beliefs and propaganda of Macdonald never equivalent to anything else “than an evil fantasy”, without links with a real violent action.
He also rejected the crown argument that Macdonald’s propaganda will live online forever, radicalizing some and instilling fear in others. Baum told Judge Macdonald that he cannot be responsible for the Internet era and the public domain where its content circulates: “Otherwise, you can never overcome this. Otherwise, there is no redemption.”
‘My remorse is sincere’
Macdonald, a criminal for the first time, read a statement saying that he assumes “full responsibility” for his actions and is “forgiveness for the horrible things I said and drawn. I wish never do anything like this again.”
He apologized to the “broader Canadian community with all his diversity: Jewish, Muslim, black, indigenous, Asian and any other person who lost myself.
“My regret is sincere, and I hope you can accept it.”
He also thanked the organizations with which he has volunteered during the last two years, creating logos and posters. Organizations include a nursery, the Scottish society of Ottawa, a band of Scottish pipe, a committee of dissemination of refugees of the Catholic Church, the Association of the Canterbury Community, an Indian Festival, the Knights of Columbus and the intervention program itself.
‘He did not assume all the responsibility’
A report prior to the sentence written by the Macdonald’s probation officer, dated June 20, said MacDonald “disputes some of the details of his crimes” and “did not assume all his responsibility for his actions”, but added that Macdonald did not deny that he was involved in white supremacists, Neo-Nazi subcultures.
He participated in an intervention program for people with hateful, partial or extremist ideologies from August 2023 to June 2025, and met his social worker.
The Crown said that a letter from the Macdonald intervention program did not contain a review of its progress, nothing about whether it renounced its ideologies and did not mention whether it is likely to reincidate. Defensor Doug Baum lawyer replied that he did not ask for opinions like that because he would be equivalent to “speculation” about what is happening in his client’s mind.
Macdonald and his family told the probation officer who has renounced white supremacist, neo -Nazi ideologies.
The report indicates that, due to Macdonald’s current legal danger, it is “difficult, if not impossible”, evaluate whether that is true “, however, all the information available for the writer indicates that the subject has made positive changes in this regard.”
He lacked direction, did not fit
Their parents were “firm” that white racist or supremacist opinions were not taught at home, according to the report.
Macdonald told the probation officer that he lacked direction in his adolescence and early 20 and was caught in the white supremacist, the neo -Nazi subculture, who supported him when he began to create his terrorist propaganda. But he said he was not satisfied with his life at that time, and that the subculture was an “scapegoat” for his personal problems.
Around the moment he learned that the police and intelligence officers looked at him in 2021-2022, “he began to rethink his beliefs and focus more on himself instead of broader political issues,” says the report.
Police care has negatively impacted his life, his family told the officer. Macdonald said that his relationship with a long distance girlfriend ended in 2022 after the Canadian security intelligence service contacted her, and her mother believes she was not receiving work because the police contacted potential employers.
He cannot have a bank account because the RCMP is investigating his finances, he said, and is in Ontario works for financial support.
