An Ontario man, Matthew Althorpe, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to three terrorism charges. Althorpe was an active member of the Atomwaffen Division, a known terror group, and admitted to creating and disseminating white supremacist propaganda. His activities included publishing manifestos on the messaging platform Telegram, which were found to have inspired multiple terrorist attacks, according to an agreed statement of facts presented during the case.
During the sentencing, Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly emphasized the long-lasting impact of Althorpe’s propaganda, stating that it can never be erased and will likely continue to incite further violence. Evidence presented in court indicated that his manifestos inspired at least six attacks that resulted in several casualties, promoting hatred against various groups, including Jewish, Muslim, and Black individuals. Althorpe's publications were notably cited by a teenager who stabbed five people at a mosque in Turkey in 2024, as well as by an attacker responsible for a shooting near a gay bar in Slovakia in 2022.
At a sentencing hearing held in January, Althorpe expressed remorse for his past actions and renounced his extremist beliefs. His defense attorney requested a lenient sentence of 12 to 14 years based on Althorpe's claims of regret and personal history. However, Justice Kelly highlighted concerns regarding the possibility of Althorpe continuing to harbor white supremacist ideologies and the risk of him reoffending in the future.
Kelly described Althorpe's offenses and his role in them as significant and serious, stating that they were not mere instances of misguided social media posts. She noted Althorpe's decade-long commitment to a white supremacist, militant accelerationist ideology, beginning his involvement in these extremist chat rooms around 2015. Even after distancing himself from the disbanded Atomwaffen Division, he reportedly took on a leadership role in a neo-Nazi fight club.
In defense of Althorpe, his lawyer portrayed him as a young man who strayed onto a dangerous path due to untreated childhood trauma and mental health issues. However, Justice Kelly dismissed these claims as inadequate justification for his actions. She remarked that his community’s assertions, suggesting boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic or poor influences as catalysts for his terrorism involvement, lacked merit. Kelly stated there was no evidence in Althorpe's upbringing indicating that he was encouraged by his environment to engage with terrorist groups.
The judge’s final ruling aimed to send a strong message against terrorism, affirming that those who engage in such acts must face severe consequences. She noted that had Althorpe not pleaded guilty and was convicted at trial, he would likely be facing a life sentence.
Following the sentencing, representatives from five Jewish organizations, which submitted community impact statements in relation to Althorpe's case, expressed satisfaction with the 20-year sentence. They emphasized that the threat posed by Althorpe extended beyond the Jewish community, impacting anyone who did not conform to his extremist views. These organizations, including the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism and B’nai Brith Canada, have urged the government to take stronger actions against sources of hate and radicalization in Canada, as well as to actively dismantle terrorist networks.
Justice Kelly noted that Canadian law stipulates a parole ineligibility period of half the sentence—10 years for Althorpe in this case—but clarified that he may apply for parole prior to that period. She stressed that this does not guarantee his release at that time, but only allows for the possibility of a parole application before completing half of his sentence.
