RCMP lay P.E.I.’s first hate crime charges over alleged antisemitic posts

Maria Sarrouh reports RCMP have laid charges over alleged antisemitic posts, with the accused in custody ahead of a Jan. 13 court date.

The Prince Edward Island RCMP have laid what they believe are the province’s first hate-crime charges against a 25-year-old man, tied to alleged antisemitic social media posts.

The case began with several complaints and grew into a months-long investigation. Police allege Matthan Runighan illegally obtained a firearm and, in August, executed a public safety warrant at his home, where officers seized a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition.

“The balance here in (this) situation, in looking at comments like this, all comes down to public safety,” said Cpl. Gavin Moore, a media relations officer with the P.E.I. RCMP. “We certainly recognize that inciting hatred, making commentary like this, has extreme possible consequences.”

Runighan is facing two hate crime charges: public promotion of hatred toward Jews and willful promotion of antisemitism. Police say those add to four firearm-related charges, including improper storage and possession of a firearm without a licence and four counts of breaching court-ordered conditions.

A Facebook account that appears to belong to Runighan seemed to have been wiped Wednesday. But B’nai Brith Canada released screenshots of posts it says were reported through its 24/7 Anti-Hate Hotline and later shared with police. In one, the word “virus” appears next to a Star of David, with “anti-virus” written next to a swastika. In another, the post says, “Just remember that Jews are the enemy, and always have been, and always will be.”

Henry Topas, B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, pointed to the recent Bondi beach attack as an example of the real-world impacts hate-motivated incidents can have.

“If you saw what happened in Australia recently, the idea of promoting any kind of narrative which equates Jewish people with anybody doing anything hateful is out of place,” he said.

The RCMP have described the promotion of hatred as “toxic, dangerous and hurtful.”

“Anybody who sees this particular case and looks at current events can’t help but draw comparisons,” Moore said. “It speaks to the importance of bringing information to police.”

Across Canada, hate crimes against Jewish people rose 71 per cent from 2022 to 2023, totaling 900 police-reported incidents, according to the federal government’s published figures.

Topas hopes Bill C-9 will give police stronger tools to respond to cases like this. The federal “Combatting Hate Act” passed its second reading this fall. The bill would amend the Criminal Code to remove the Attorney General consent requirement for laying hate-propaganda charges, like the ones Runighan is facing, and create a new hate-crime offence and a hate-symbol offence.

Police say the accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in P.E.I. Supreme Court on Jan. 13, 2026.