NASHVILLE, Tenn. โ Ryan Scott McCann, 29, of Ontario, Canada, was sentenced July 30 to 60 months in federal prison for two hate-motivated assaults committed during Goyim Defense League protests downtown last summer. A Davidson County jury convicted McCann in June of assault resulting in bodily injury and civil rights intimidation for attacking a Jewish man and a bartender with a Nazi flagpole.
McCann joined a rowdy Goyim Defense League demonstration on 3rd Avenue on July 12, 2024. Surveillance footage and witness testimony showed him striking a 20-year-old Jewish man in the face and ribs, then turning on a bartender who attempted to intervene. He livestreamed both attacks on Discord under the alias โAbrahimavich.โ
United States Attorney Thomas E. Johnson said McCannโs actions โsought to terrorize a community already reeling from antisemitic threatsโ and โdiverted precious law enforcement resources.โ He praised the sentence as โa clear message that threats and violence against Jewish institutions and individuals will not be tolerated.โ
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia added that the assaults โemboldened extremist elements and endangered public safety.โ He noted the bureau will continue pursuing individuals who use hate-fueled violence to spread terror.
Jewish community advocates in Tennessee welcomed the ruling. A spokesperson for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the sentence โreinforces that Canada and the United States stand united against antisemitism and will hold perpetrators fully accountable.โ
This article is based on verified information from WTVF NewsChannel 5, Fox17 News, and the U.S. Attorneyโs Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.