On Thursday, the Montreal Gazette reported that the Quebec Tribunal of Human Rights has handed down a $4,000 fine to a man for "intolerable racist conduct" on a call with a Bell Canada customer service agent in 2016.
The man, Jean-François Éthier, called to cancel his service. When the agent, Mohamed Jied, mentioned his first name to the Éthier, the recording shows that the call broke down into a fight, with Éthier shouting racist insults.
"Take your bags, take your turban and get out of Quebec," yelled Éthier in one part of the conversation.
"I am Canadian," replied Jied. This did not deter Éthier, who continued to shout at him.
"Get f**ked, okay?" said Jied, finally losing his patience. "Young man, f**k you."
"You are all terrorists. That is guaranteed," shot back Éthier.
Jied later called back three times to apologize for his own loss of temper. He was fired for the insults and for calling back a customer against corporate policy, but successfully appealed this decision to the labor board, which downgraded his termination to a six month unpaid suspension.
The Tribunal of Human Rights found in favor of Jied on November 22. "Discriminatory language, because of its hostility and intensity, constitutes intolerable racist conduct in a free and democratic society with such fundamental values as those underlying the Charter of Rights," wrote judge Mario Gervais.
