MONTREAL — A Superior Court judge will deliberate before deciding what penalty a Quebec man should face after being found in contempt of court for failing to remove swastikas from outside his home.

Anthony Delisle, a lawyer representing the municipality of St-Barnabé-Sud, argued that Yahia Meddah should be fined a total of $14,000 and possibly face jail time to ensure court orders for removal of the Nazi symbols are respected.

Delisle says the court’s sanction needs to end once and for all the battle between Meddah and the municipality of about 1,000 people northeast of Montreal.

Richard Beaulieu, a lawyer for Meddah, argued that a $2,000 fine or community service would be sufficient given it is a first offence.

Justice Chantal Lamarche found Meddah guilty of two counts of contempt of court in March for failing to abide by a November court order that ordered him to remove swastikas and other signs from around his home that compare the municipality to the Nazi regime, as well as taking down a website that calls St-Barnabé-Sud “the most racist city in the world.”

The signs went up after a dispute last June with city inspectors over problems with his property.

Lamarche heard sentencing arguments Thursday in St-Hyacinthe, Que., telling lawyers she will render a written decision at a later date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.