Alberta NDP candidate Diana Batten (Calgary-Acadia) retweeted a post commemorating American hacker Aaron Swartz from an account which praised communism. .“Aaron Swartz would have been 36 today,” said Vote Communist May 4th in a since-deleted tweet. .“Aaron committed suicide after being sentenced to 35 years in prison by authorities for transferring and sharing scientific articles from JSTOR.” . Vote CommunistAaron Swartz would have been 36 today. .The Twitter name had a Lebanese flag and hammer and sickle next to it. .Swartz was arrested by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Department on breaking and entering charges after connecting to the network in a closet in 2011. .He set his account to download academic articles from scholar database JSTOR using a guest account issued to him by MIT. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which carried a maximum penalty of $1 million in fines and 35 years in prison. .He declined a plea bargain under which he would have served six months in prison in 2013. Two days after the prosecution rejected a counteroffer from him, he was found dead in his apartment. .Alberta United Conservative Party candidate Ranjit Bath (Edmonton-Ellerslie) pointed out on Tuesday his NDP rival Rod Loyola walked with the Communist Party of Canada Edmonton Club during a parade. .READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Alberta NDP candidate marched in Communist Party delegation.“I've spoken to thousands of residents here in Edmonton-Ellerslie since I became the candidate, and it’s disturbing, but not surprising to see the Alberta NDP participating in a pro-communism march,” said Bath. .Loyola can be spotted at the front of the delegation, wearing a black hat, jacket, and track pants. His face is looking forward as he marches. .Former Alberta municipal affairs minister Shaye Anderson said in 2020 people should give communism a try. .READ MORE: Former Alberta NDP Minister: People shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Communism.“I know some people will see the word Communist and jump to all kinds of conclusions, but I’d say give it a read before you do that, it may surprise you,” said Anderson. .He shared an article from the People’s Choice covering communist solutions to issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and rioting over police racism..Batten could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
