Sunday, March 03, 2013

Read and weep for freedom of speech on Canadian Campuses




"... United States and Canada are the two worst places in the world for pro-palestinian talks in college campuses, academic freedom..."

 Indeed.

Act I: Here is a little historical record for this statement:
"For the duration of the standoff, ticket-holders pushed their way through a thick crowd of protesters and police outside the building, entering the Hall building through a secured access point complete with metal detector. They were then escorted to the auditorium where the lecture was to take place. Ticket holders later complained that the protesters had subjected them to antisemitic slogans and even physical attack. Holocaust survivor Thomas Hecht was kicked in the groin by protesters and a local Rabbi was also physically assaulted.[2]

Shortly after ticket holders were escorted into the Hall building the large window front that protestors and bystanders were banging on shattered, prompting a police officer to immediately discharge pepper spray through the window of the Hall building, poisoning both the small minority of protestors involved and the large majority of innocent bystanders. The spray entered the building's ventilation system forcing an evacuation of the entire building. At approximately the same time, a second window on the building's first floor, on the western side was broken when protesters threw a metal barricade into it because they were being intimidated by police.

The immediate result of the protest and subsequent evacuation was the cancellation of the lecture"

 And here is the visual record

Act II: The follow-up: 

 "A Montreal university has barred former
Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak from speaking on
campus, igniting a storm over whether the institution
is curbing free speech in the name of keeping peace on
its politically fractious campus.

Concordia University, the site of violent clashes two
years ago that scuttled a speech by former Israeli
leader Benjamin Netanyahu, has turned down a request
by a Jewish students group to have Mr. Barak deliver a
lecture this month."

*****

Just a little reminder and then, two questions: 

Who exactly is being denied the exercise of their freedom of speech?
What good is a cause that needs to rely on lies, distortions and violence in order to sustain its "justice"?

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