A well-known Halifax entrepreneur will not face charges after posting anti-Semitic comments on Twitter in January.
Jerry Reddick, more commonly known as the Dawgfather, has long been a popular fixture at Dalhousie University, serving up hot dogs to thousands of students each year.
But his Twitter account landed him in hot water after someone complained to police about some of his tweets on Jan. 14.
At the time, the hot-dog vendor said the tweets, some of which referred to Hitler, gas chambers and ovens, were meant to be satirical and he was simply trying to make a point about freedom of speech.
“They can say anything they want about the Prophet Muhammad, but we can’t say anything? I mean, don’t take it serious, because it’s not serious. It’s satire man,” he told CTV Atlantic in January.
But the tweets caused a backlash both on and off-campus, with some calling for a boycott of his business.
He later tweeted an apology, saying he ‘used a sledge hammer instead of a feather’ to get his point across about a double standard in free speech.
Police were investigating the matter as a possible hate crime but say the investigation is complete and charges won’t be laid.
“While Halifax Regional Police and undoubtedly many other people found these comments distasteful, shocking and offensive, they do not constitute a hate-related offence and the investigation into this matter has been concluded,” says Const. Pierre Bourdages.
