Montreal candidate's death threat case quietly dropped?
A former Montreal city council candidate who posted messages calling for people and politicians to be “murdered” says he was arrested, charged and placed under a gag order — only for the case to later disappear without any public explanation.
During Montreal’s municipal election campaign, Rebel News reported on Sergio Da Silva, a Transition Montréal candidate, bar owner and contributor to Cult MTL.
Da Silva had published statements online including “Murder your local transphobe” and “If any politician talks about anything other than ways to fix the cost of living, simply murder them.”
Da Silva recently appeared on a podcast and portrayed himself as the victim of a smear campaign. He claimed Montreal police called him approximately one week before the election and ordered him to surrender. According to Da Silva, he was arrested over alleged online death threats and remained subject to release conditions and a publication restriction until July 2.
Da Silva argued that journalists failed to understand his language, describing the statements as political hyperbole rather than genuine threats.
But describing explicit references to murder as “hyperbole” does not erase their meaning — or prevent others from interpreting them as encouragement to commit violence.
More troubling is Da Silva’s claim that the prosecution was ultimately abandoned. He is now fundraising to cover more than $6,000 in legal fees, with his campaign reportedly collecting approximately $9,000 in two days.
Rebel News contacted the SPVM and Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. Police referred questions to the DPCP, which said no public information was available.
The DPCP’s guidelines state that reasons for declining charges are generally confidential unless disclosure is considered necessary to preserve public confidence.
But how does secrecy preserve confidence in a case involving alleged threats against politicians and members of the public?
Similar politically charged cases have also ended without meaningful explanations, including allegations involving attacks on a church and the intimidation of journalists.
Canadians deserve transparency when prosecutors abandon cases involving alleged political violence, threats and attacks on democratic participation. These decisions should not simply disappear behind closed doors.
Alexandra Lavoie
Quebec based Journalist
Alexa graduated with a degree in biology from Laval University. Throughout her many travels, she has seen political instability as well as corruption. While she witnessed social disorder on a daily basis, she has always been a defender of society’s most vulnerable. She’s been around the world several times, and now joins Rebel News to shed light on today’s biggest stories.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-07-21 22:52:46 -0400How sad that politicians speak first and regret it later.
