While sentencing a Vancouver man for running an illicit nightclub, a judge compared his actions to that of a fentanyl dealer’s.

By Ian Austen

While it’s very likely that no one other than deep introverts enjoys lockdown restrictions, several polls from the past year show that an overwhelming majority of Canadians support the rules and a large number of them want their governments to be more strict.

Tied to that is an apparent frustration and anger toward people who break or bend the rules. Anti-mask protests that have popped up in many parts of the country, particularly in Alberta, don’t appear to have advanced their cause with the general public and, in some cases, appear to have also been spreading racist messages. And there’s little obvious sympathy for the 536 air travelers who have been fined 3,000 Canadian dollars each for dodging the mandatory quarantine period in hotels that is required at entry.

This week, some of that anger and frustration spilled over into a sentencing hearing in Vancouver. The case involved a man who defied restrictions in British Columbia by turning a penthouse apartment into a makeshift nightclub, complete with topless dancers and a dancing pole. When the police entered on Jan. 31, there were 78 people squeezed inside.

“If someone who had been at your party was infected and died, as far as I’m concerned, you’re guilty of manslaughter,” Judge Ellen Gordon of the Provincial Court of British Columbia told the man, Mohammad Movassaghi, according to the CBC.

She didn’t stop there as she sentenced him to 11 days in jail, which included the 10 he had already served while waiting for bail; 18 months probation for violating two parts of the Public Health Act; and 50 hours of community service. He was also fined for breaking liquor laws by running an unlicensed bar.

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