Abstract
At the preliminary hearing in a child murder case in Niagara, Ontario in 1920, a mob set fire to the venue and nearly hanged the defendant. His appeal to the crowd to “be Britishers” with “Canadian” rather than “American values” supposedly spared his life. However, reading the riot based on local historical conditions, and repeated, racialized criticisms of the justice system, provides a more illuminative interpretation of the defendant’s capture and release by the mob. This interpretation⎯which explores systems of justice, vigilantism, and race⎯is developed from new scholarship on vigilantism and lynching that views them transnationally, as expressions of community dissatisfaction with modern justice systems. In this context, racialized perceptions of crime and anxieties about “dangerous foreigners" can be aggravating factors.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
