A disturbing story regarding antisemitism and assault has finally played out at the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, Ont.

Here’s the skinny: on Jan. 6, 2024, Tilda and Malcolm Roll, along with two other parishioners, left Saturday morning services at the Chabad Flamingo synagogue in Thornhill, Ont. Along came Kenneth Gobin, then 34, on an electric bike. He was wearing trouble on his shirt.

Gobin mounted the curb and made a beeline toward the synagogue attendees on the sidewalk, nearly colliding with them. But this was no accidental near-miss. Gobin was inexplicably enraged. He correctly assumed that the Rolls and their friends were Jews. He began yelling at them, saying words to the effect of, “Hitler should have killed you all!” and “You should have died in the Holocaust!”

Gobin then spat on Tilda and her husband, Malcolm, who was trying to shield his wife from his phlegm.

The hatred continued: according to witnesses, Gobin raised his arm above his head, performing a “heil Hitler” salute.

Given the preponderance of eyewitness testimony, Gobin was found guilty of two counts of assault and breaching his probation.

Today, serial violent offender Kenneth Gobin was sentenced to 12 months in prison + 2 years probation. He attacked a group of Jewish people simply because they were Jews. Kudos to Justice Townsend for sending a message that violent antisemitism = jail time https://t.co/K3Y6VEajN9

— David Menzies (@TheMenzoid) May 13, 2025

Last Tuesday, Gobin was back in court to be sentenced by Justice Michael Alexander Townsend. The Crown was asking for an 18-month sentence while Gobin’s lawyer argued that a 90-day sentence would be more appropriate.

Justice Townsend sentenced Gobin to 12 months in prison and two years probation. Yet the question arises: why wasn’t this reprobate behind bars to begin with given that Gobin has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2007. And much of his rap sheet is for violent crimes, including assault, armed robbery, and assault with a weapon. Indeed, at the time of the January 2024 assault outside the synagogue, Gobin was on probation for a previous conviction.

In his eight-page decision, Justice Townsend noted: “All Canadians have the right to be who they are, worship how they wish, love who they want, believe in what they wish to believe, and to do all this free from violence, discrimination and intolerance. We live in a world right now that seems to be marred with hatred and discord. Every time we turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, we can see that headlines constantly to difference and divide, rather than community, acceptance and togetherness.”

Justice Townsend also noted: “Mr. Gobin’s actions were disgusting – both morally and physically. To spit on someone shows the ultimate in disrespectful and degrading behaviour. It sends a message to a person that they are worthless. Assaulting someone by spitting on them can leave an injury longer lasting than a black eye. To spit on someone, all the while shouting hateful language is even more demeaning. Spitting on a Jewish person, telling them that you wished Hitler had killed them and the entire community, saluting and praising the person responsible for the Holocaust, is a despicable act of assault.”

As well, it was apparent in court when Gobin made a brief statement last Thursday that he harbours very little contrition or empathy when it comes to his odious behaviour. In fact, he actually played the victim card, claiming that Jews in his neighbourhood frequently spit on him; that they call him a “dirty paki”; and they frequently “put dead fish on the trunk of my car.”

His unsubstantiated allegations drew gasps from those in attendance. And Justice Townsend was buying none of it.

When Rebel News scrummed Gobin outside the court, we found him to be equal parts flippant and in deep denial. He stated he isn’t an antisemite given that he has several “clients” who are Jewish (which was a very odd thing to say given that it was noted in court that Gobin is currently unemployed and lives at home with his parents.)

It should also be noted that the Toronto Police Service recently released some disturbing statistics regarding hate crimes. The TPS noted that reported hate crimes in the city rose 19% in 2024 over the previous year. It also found that the Jewish community, while representing less than 4% of Toronto’s population, was the target of 40% of reported incidents.

New data shows hate crimes against Toronto's Jewish community skyrocketing

Despite accounting for less than 4% of the city's population, new data from Toronto police shows that 40% of reported hate crimes targeted the Jewish community in 2024.https://t.co/5XLU938Ne8

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 13, 2025

We applaud Justice Townsend for sentencing Gobin to serve prison time as opposed to house arrest. Gobin needs to be punished, and perhaps he can use his 12 months behind bars to reflect upon his inexplicable and irrational hatred toward the Jewish people. As well, hopefully this sentence sends a message to other Jew-haters that this sort of vile and outrageous behaviour will no longer be tolerated.

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