This week's Calgary Herald column from yours truly revisits the issue of free speech on campus, and finds it very interesting that previous friends of censorship are now suddenly crying foul about the suppression of their point of view:
Now, the same forces that would gleefully gag pro-life groups are suddenly aghast at the decision by Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to ban an anti-Israel poster. These universities, we're told, are guilty of unfair, arbitrary censorship. You don't say.
Of course, just as the Genocide Awareness Project could objectively be described as offensive in nature, the same is true of this particular poster.
It depicts an Israeli military helicopter killing a Palestinian child (complete with clutched teddy bear). Given the ugly history of the Jews-kill-children libel, there are some disturbing overtones to an already offensive poster.
However, banning a poster which echoes an ancient conspiracy theory is an effective way to fuel another conspiracy theory: that of undue Jewish influence --a. k. a. the notorious "Zionist Lobby."
Strange, then, that these all-powerful conspirators are unable to prevent Israeli Apartheid Week or to silence anti-Israel professors and students. Nor have they prevented the intimidation of Jewish and pro-Israel student groups. All-powerful conspiracies ain't what they used to be, I guess.
If the supporters of Israeli Apartheid Week and this controversial poster truly believe in a free exchange of ideas, they ought to mean it. They need to accept the presence of pro-Israel views, speakers, and counter events. Let's remember that intimidation is censorship, too.
Ask former (and possibly the next) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his visit to Concordia University. Ask former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak about his visit to Concordia (oops, never mind--they didn't let him come speak).
The rest here. The poster was also the subject of this post.
Of course, just as the Genocide Awareness Project could objectively be described as offensive in nature, the same is true of this particular poster.
It depicts an Israeli military helicopter killing a Palestinian child (complete with clutched teddy bear). Given the ugly history of the Jews-kill-children libel, there are some disturbing overtones to an already offensive poster.
However, banning a poster which echoes an ancient conspiracy theory is an effective way to fuel another conspiracy theory: that of undue Jewish influence --a. k. a. the notorious "Zionist Lobby."
Strange, then, that these all-powerful conspirators are unable to prevent Israeli Apartheid Week or to silence anti-Israel professors and students. Nor have they prevented the intimidation of Jewish and pro-Israel student groups. All-powerful conspiracies ain't what they used to be, I guess.
If the supporters of Israeli Apartheid Week and this controversial poster truly believe in a free exchange of ideas, they ought to mean it. They need to accept the presence of pro-Israel views, speakers, and counter events. Let's remember that intimidation is censorship, too.
Ask former (and possibly the next) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his visit to Concordia University. Ask former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak about his visit to Concordia (oops, never mind--they didn't let him come speak).
The rest here. The poster was also the subject of this post.
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