James Sears
| James Sears | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Dimitrious Sarafopoulos c. 1961 (age 54–55) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
James Nicholas Sears (born Dimitrious Sarafopoulos[1] ca. 1961)[2] is a Canadian perennial candidate, political figure, and professional pickup artist who also goes by the name Dimitri the Lover. Sears is trained as a physician and describes himself as a retired Canadian Armed Forces Medical Officer (Captain).[1] In the 1980s while a medical student with the Canadian Armed Forces, Sears was noted for erratic behaviour, graduating in 1988 despite "documented reservations". During his subsequent internship he was judged "immature" and entered psychotherapy in 1990. Following complaints from female patients, Sears' medical licence was revoked by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in 1992 after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault.[2]
In the 2014 Toronto civic election, Sears was a city council candidate in Ward 32 and received 797 votes (roughly 3% of the vote).[3][4] His campaign included a website with an interactive animation that asked users to choose one of three playable characters, Rob Ford, Vladimir Putin or Adolf Hitler to "spank" the bare bottom of a cartoon caricature of city councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, Sears's rival in the election.[5]
He also ran in the 2015 federal election as an independent cadidiate (no party affiliation) and placed fifth out of seven candidates, getting 254 votes (less than 0.5% of the vote).[6]
Sears is editor in chief of Your Ward News, a low-budget free newspaper distributed in the east Toronto neighbourhood of The Beaches. The publication, which claims to have a circulation of 50,000, has been criticized for using antisemitic caricatures and language, described by former Canadian Jewish Congress Chief Executive Officer Bernie Farber as "classic anti-Semitic tropes" and "a clear attempt at a hateful representation of Jews".[7] The newspaper promotes the New Constitution Party, an unregistered neo-nazi political party led by Sears.[1][7]
Sources
- 1 2 3 "Message From NCP Leader, Dr. James Sears". New Constitution Party of Canada. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- 1 2 "Disgraced doctor is T.O.'s seduction guru". Toronto Sun. December 30, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
By 1986, Sears was in the Canadian Armed Forces and while still a third-year medical student was evaluated by a military psychiatrist who suggested there was "something seriously wrong" with Sears.
- ↑ "2014 Municipal Election Results - Councillor Poll by Poll" (PDF). 31 October 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- ↑ "'Dimitri the Lover' back making headlines". Toronto Sun. March 25, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Toronto city council candidate James Sears promotes online ‘spanking’ game against female rival". canada.com. Postmedia News. June 30, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Federal Election 2015: Beaches-East York riding results - Toronto | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- 1 2 "Beach residents decry ‘offensive’ newsletter". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 20, 2015.