Mob Rule

Last Friday night, St. Mary's University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) pro-life club hosted pro-life speaker Jojo Ruba from the Canadian Center for Bioethical Reform. Just after his presentation began, a mob of angry abortion activists disrupted his lecture. You can see video footage from the event in the above video. (They enter about 1 minute in).

Mr. Ruba kept his cool and tried to dialogue with the mob, but instead of answering his questions, they fell back on chants like "not the church, not the state, women must decide their fate," "women's bodies, women's lives, women won't be terrorized" and "Pro-life men have got to go! When you get pregnant, let us know!" According to media coverage, (here, and here) it looks like campus security showed up half an hour after the protestors, followed by Halifax police. The protesters were told to disband or face possible charges or arrest. At this point, coverage of the incident becomes unclear (I'm piecing it together from about a dozen blog posts, and some of them contradict each other)- I'm not sure if the protestors did disband, or if they remained outside the presentation shouting their rhetoric, but we do know that the speaker was ordered off campus by St. Mary's officials. He went to a nearby Catholic Church and finished his presentation.

This is absolutely ridiculous- the presentation had all the appropriate permissions, and did nothing wrong, but it was thrown off campus because a mob didn't like what it had to say? Huh? How does that make any sense? It seems there were fears that the mob might turn violent- an e-mail allegedly circulated earlier that day to pro-abortion supporters said they had to do whatever was necessary to prevent the presentation from going forward- but that is no excuse for shutting down the presentation.

What is happening on universities across Canada? What is happening to free speech? Are we no longer going to even pretend to claim we have free speech, because that's what seems to be happening. If the presentation had permission to occur (which it did) why was it forced to leave? The protesters should have been arrested. I believe strongly that everyone has a right to present their opinion, but that does not include the right to act as part of a violent mob. Had those protesters sat down to hear the presentation and then asked questions, I would have no problem with their behavior. However, instead of being respectful and engaging in meaningful dialogue, they engaged in mob activity and tried to suppress someone else's right to express their own opinion.

I hope St. Mary's administration realizes what they did was wrong and apologizes for it. Not only did they censor a valid academic debate, they gave into the will of a mob which sets a dangerous precedent. They should apologize to Mr. Ruba and take action against the members of the mob. At the very least, they should invite Mr. Ruba back, and pay all his expenses to have him give his talk again- this time without interruptions.

A quote from Gandhi has been going around the campus pro-life world lately- I thought I'd share it with all of you. "First they ignore us, then they ridicule us, then they fight us, then we win."

Update: To see the rest of the presentation, go here.

Updates

Thought I would give you updates on the current status of pro-life groups on university campuses that have been facing different challenges.

University of Calgary

As I reported here, the U of C was threatening to arrest or expel members of Campus Pro-Life (CPL) who erected the GAP (Genocide Awareness project) at the U of C. Despite those threats, the brave members of CPL went on with the GAP display on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Even though the U of C had Calgary Police on hand on Wednesday, the display stayed peaceful and the U of C, despite all their bluster, didn't do anything either day. This may not be the end of the story though- CPL has been advised that the U of C might proceed with some civil action.

I would like to commend the students who took this brave stand and stood up for the unborn. They faced possible arrest or the end of their academic careers, but they still stood up for what was right. I congratulate them all.

I would also like to congratulate the Calgary media, especially the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald, who recognized that the U of C's actions were wrong because they attempted to deny the free speech right that all Canadians should have. Both the Sun and the Herald ran editorials and columns about the situation. Neither paper endorsed the pro-life agenda, and several columnists wrote against it, but the papers recognized that the students have the right to express their opinion, and that is a start in the right direction.

At the end of the two days, CPL ran its GAP display. Some students protested with their own signage about human rights abuses in China (I'm not sure how that relates?) and heated discussions could be heard. That's what should be happening on a university campus. Hopefully this will be the end of it, and the university administration will take no further action, but if they do, CPL's members can at least know that they've done the right thing.

University of Guelph

The news from U of Guelph is not a positive. If you remember, I posted here about Guelph Life Choice being denied club status. The decision was supposed to be made yesterday by the Central Student's Association (CSA) but they, once again, refused to make a decision (reported here). Instead, they are setting up an "unbiased tribunal" (yeah I bet- sorry I will stop editorializing) to make the decision. However, while the terms of reference for the tribunal are put together (by the end of December) and the members of the tribunal are picked (in January) Life Choice has been granted interim club status, and it sounds like they have big plans between now and then. My prayers are with them in this endeavor, and I hope that by some miracle an independent, unbiased tribunal is chosen. If not, they will face a long, uphill legal battle, but in the end I think they will win. Not only is right on their side, but in this case, the law is as well. The sooner the CSA recognizes that, the better for everyone involved.

(picture courtesy of Lifesite news)

More on the Death of Free Speech

Canadian campuses are at it again. This time it's Queens University in Kingston, ON. In a creative twist on taking away the right to free speech, Queen's has hired "student facilitators" who will act as conversation cops on campus. Their job is to step into any conversation they overhear that they deem offensive, racist or bigoted.

What?

Yeah, that's right; students at Queen's can no longer have conversations without fear of conversation cops. Any conversation you have might be eavesdropped on, and someone can jump in to "educate" you if they feel you are speaking in an offensive manner.

Read the story here

Has anyone ever heard of the Charter and the right to freedom of expression? Oh right, I forgot, it only applies if you are on the politically correct side of the debate. Otherwise, the so called "tolerant" won't tolerate a thing you say. If someone uncomfortable with being called out, the administration thinks that's a good thing, because that forces them to think about what they are saying.

So, I'm wondering a couple of things. First, what happens to Catholic students or students of other religious faiths who believe that, oh, let's say homosexual marriage is wrong and make a statement to that effect? If the conversation cops hear, they get to interfere? What about the right to free speech? What about the right to freedom of religion? Second, what about pro-life students. Does this mean pro-life conversation can be shut down because it is offensive? What kind of university is Queens trying to be? Obviously not one that believes in an open and honest dialogue on issues affecting the world at large.

Apparently we are trying to create an atmosphere of "inclusivity." Well, I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel like it will be an inclusive atmosphere if I have to look over my shoulder every time I have a conversation with friends.

It's disgusting that this can occur in a public institution. I invite everyone to contact Queens and express their disgust at this policy.

I just don't know what else to say. What's happening Canada? Why is no one speaking out about this? Who's standing on guard for thee?

The Death of Free Speech in Canada

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the problem of university campuses denying pro-life groups club status. Today's post is about a new twist on the denial of free speech on university campuses. The University of Calgary is threatening to arrest or sanction members of the Campus Pro-Life (CPL) group next week when they bring GAP (Genocide Awareness Project) to the U of C. GAP is a graphic visual display comparing abortion to other genocides around the world by showing pictures of aborted children, and pictures of other genocides around the world. The U of C says that CPL can only display the GAP boards if they face them inward so no one can see them unless they choose to walk into the circle. Read the full story here. However, the U of C doesn't make any other group turn its display boards inward. Several local media outlets have picked up this story, including the Calgary Herald who wrote an editorial on the issue.

The U of C is denying the members of CPL their Charter right to freely express their opinion. CPL has done the GAP project before, but it has always been a peaceful display. That hasn't stopped the U of C from claiming that the display might insight violence, and that is reason enough to shut it down. University campuses are supposed to be a bastion of free speech, but if my 6 years on campus has taught me anything, it's that free speech is only allowed if it is speech that the campus administrators approve of. If they don't approve, it's no longer free speech, it's hate speech. And, shocking, that's exactly what the U of C is claiming.

If the U of C is truly pro-choice (not pro-abortion) then they should have no problem with a display that shows the consequences of abortion. However, you and I both know that pro-choice really means pro-abortion in the world today, but pro-choice is a less charged term than pro-abortion. It's as though they do not trust the students, faculty and staff of the U of C to actually evaluate the issue of abortion. What are they afraid of if people see this display? Yes, it is graphic, but the truth often is. The U of C is a public institution, funded by taxpayer dollars. As such, they are bound by the Charter, and their students have the right to free speech that they do not have the right to censor.

I want to congratulate all the members of CPL who believe so much in the duty to protect the unborn that they are willing to face arrest and possible academic sanctions. That is a courageous action, and an action that will increasingly need to be taken if campuses continue down the path of denying free speech. May God Bless them and give them the strength they need next week to stand up for free speech, and more importantly the unborn.

Lest We Forget

Tomorrow on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour we pause for a moment of silence to remember. We remember those who have and are fighting and dying for our freedom. They are the men and women who served in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, Afghanistan and countless other locations in the world. They are the people who are willing to die for their country.

I am proud of my family, on both sides, who have defended and died for this country. I am told my grandfather used to say "I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." That's what he and other veterans fought for. We seem to be at risk of losing that right in this country, but tomorrow is no the time to worry about that. Tomorrow is a day of remembrance, so please, at 11am tomorrow pause for a moment of silence, and say a prayer for all our veterans and their families.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

We will remember them.

Pro-life Campus Groups

UPDATE (Oct 31 3:20pm): I just received an e-mail saying the same thing has happened at the University of Victoria. See here for the story. If you would like to contact them to express your displeasure, here's the information:

UVic Students' Society
University of Victoria
PO Box 3035 STN CSC
Victoria, BC V8W 3P
Ph: (250) 472-4317
Fax: (250) 472-4851
alma@uvic.ca

It's happening again. University campuses, which are supposed to be bastions of free speech, are attempting to silence opinions that they don't agree with. On 21 October 2008 the University of Guelph's Central Student Association (CSA) refused to allow Guelph's pro-life club, Life Choice campus club status. See here for the original story. Yesterday, after almost 5h of debate, the CSA put the motion over for another week. Not only did they not make a decision, the CSA felt the atmosphere in the room was "unsafe" and moved its members to an in-camera session to finish the debate.

Life Choice was denied club status on the basis of last year's "Life Fair." It was alleged that "people had been harassed physically and handed offensive literature at the Life Fair." However, the life fair was last March, and the club was never made aware of complaints- at least, not until the CSA yanked their club status. See here for info on last night's meeting.

I encourage everyone to write to the CSA and express your feelings at this denial of free speech.

Central Student Association
Room 274, University Centre
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 2W1
phone: 519-824-4120 ext. 56748
email: csatalk@uoguelph.ca

The pro-lifers at Guelph are facing the same battle that many other campuses have fought- McGill, York, Carleton and Capilano to name just a few. Always, the allegations are the same- essentially that the club's very existence offends the student union's rules around women's fundamental right to make their own choices. This is garbage, and we all know it. Section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives every Canadian the right to free speech. These clubs are simply exercising their right to free speech and association- a right that was upheld (shockingly) by the BC Human Rights Tribunal. While a Human Rights Tribunal carries no precedential value, a quasi-judicial body has upheld the right of pro-life clubs to exist on university campuses. And yet, despite that, University Student Unions feel they have the right to muzzle free speech on their campuses. That is wrong.

The expression of pro-life views is not hate speech.

The expression of pro-life views is not intolerance.

The expression of pro-life views does not violate women's rights.

The expression of pro-life views merely gives the unborn a voice. Isn't giving a voice to the vulnerable an action that should be supported?

Abortion is not a legal right in Canada, no matter what anyone argues. It is a practice that has absolutely NO laws governing it; one way or the other. Speech around abortion can never violate the law because there is no law. Thankfully my pro-life group has never had to face a challenge to its club status, but my prayers are with Guelph Life Choice's members and all people who advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

All of us have a duty to speak out whenever free speech is muzzled, because if we don't, one day it we will be muzzled, and there will be no one there to save us. Please take a few minutes to contact the CSA and local Guelph papers. If we don't speak, who will?