{"id":20308,"date":"2021-10-31T04:49:55","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T08:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=20308"},"modified":"2021-10-31T04:49:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T08:49:55","slug":"mike-ward-comedian-who-mocked-young-disabled-singer-wins-free-speech-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/10\/31\/mike-ward-comedian-who-mocked-young-disabled-singer-wins-free-speech-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Ward: Comedian who mocked young disabled singer wins free speech case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Canadian comedian who mocked a disabled singer has won his free speech case in Canada’s top court.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a 5-4 split decision, the Supreme Court ruled that jokes told about the singer, who was a child at the time, did not amount to discrimination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It marks the end of a nearly decade-long legal battle over a segment in a stand-up comedy special.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The case, which tested the limits of free speech in Canada, has received widespread attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It began in 2010, when Mike Ward, a popular comedian from Quebec known for his edgy comedy, started telling jokes about child singer Jeremy Gabriel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The stand-up act at the centre of the case dealt with issues of race and religion, as well as what Mr Ward has called the “sacred cows” of the province’s celebrity industry, people who in his view were for various reasons – too rich, too powerful – seen as out-of-bounds for mockery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the segment in question, Mr Ward made jokes about Mr Gabriel, who as a boy had become a minor celebrity province and was known in the press as “Petit Jeremy”. Mr Gabriel has Treacher Collins Syndrome, a genetic disorder that can affect facial bone structure and, in his case, caused severe deafness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The jokes referenced Mr Gabriel’s disability and mocked his appearance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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