Windsor, Ont., man who tried to join far-right extremist group found guilty of terror-related charge

A Windsor, Ont., man who tried to join a far-right extremist organization has been found guilty of participating in the activity of a terrorist group.

Seth Bertrand, 22, was at the Superior Court of Justice on Thursday for the ruling by Justice Maria Carroccia.

The charge dates back to 2021, when Bertrand submitted an online application to a group known as the Atomwaffen Division, also called the National Socialist Order or the National Socialist Resistance Front.

The Canadian government has considered the group a terrorist entity since 2021.

Inspired by the neo-Nazi writer James Mason, the Atomwaffen Division calls for armed violence with the ultimate aim of establishing a white ethnostate.

Bertrand was charged with participating in or contributing to — directly or indirectly — the activity of a terrorist group.

Carroccia ruled that Bertrand's actions fulfilled the four conditions of the charge: That the group is terrorist, Bertrand knew it to be so, he participated in the group and his actions enhanced or contributed to the group.

The court heard that in Bertrand's application, he promised his loyalty to the Atomwaffen Division, and offered his experience as a mechanic and a military cadet.

He wrote that he considered gay people and Jewish people the enemy, and that he wanted to join in "actually doing things to help save/protect the white race."

Also online, Bertrand presented his real-world activity in 2021 — such as the harassment an LGBTQ+ couple and vandalism against a transgender support group — as proof of his worthiness for recruitment to the Atomwaffen Division.

Bertrand pleaded guilty in 2022 to three counts of mischief and one count of inciting hatred. He was given five months of house arrest and electronic monitoring.

In the terror-related case, the court heard Bertrand told an undercover RCMP officer about his attempts to join "domestic terrorism" and his desire to arm himself.

There's no minimum penalty for being found guilty of the charge Bertrand was facing, but it carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Bertrand currently isn't in custody. His sentencing hearing has tentatively been scheduled for Oct. 6.