Montreal superintendent, building owner ordered to pay tenant $13K after racist remarks

A Montreal superintendent along with the owner of the building have been ordered to pay a total of $13,000 for moral and punitive damages after actions targeting a Muslim tenant.

Alain Barchichat called Mohamed Assedine Tighrine a “damn Muslim,” smeared dog excrement on his door and wrote “Canada love it or leave it” near the elevator, a Quebec’s human rights tribunal heard.

Over the course of several years, Barchichat got into several verbal confrontations with Tighrine, who had been living in the Côte-des-Neiges apartment building on Ridgewood Avenue since 2007.

A neighbour told CBC News that Tighrine moved out this past summer. Neither Tighrine nor Barchichat could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Tighrine told the tribunal that after the building was bought in 2010 by the current owner, Sofilco, they tried to to evict him.

He also said Barchichat insulted him in front of his then 10-year-old son, calling him a derogatory term for homosexual.

There was also racist graffiti sprayed near the elevator of the apartment building, which read: “I hate Muslims.”

At one point, Tighrine found dog feces spread on the door of his apartment.

He said he called the company which owns the building, Sofilco, but it did not intervene.

Barchichat denied the allegations and called Tighrine a trouble maker.

The tribunal sided with Tighrine, and ordered Barchichat to pay damages.

Sofilco will have to pay half of the settlement because the tribunal ruled that the company didn’t do anything to stop the harassment.

CBCnews.ca

~Wakenya Canada