Ontario: London Public Library Deplatforms Joanna Williams' talk on Sex, Gender and the Limits of Free Speech on Campus
(no this is not a parody article)
The public library in London, Ontario refuses to rent their space to the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS) for their annual Furedy lecture which will be featuring author and speaker Joanna Williams. The talk title is "Sex, Gender, and the Limits of Free Speech on Campus".
True North News broke the story in their online publication and in an interview with SAFS President Marc Mercer. True North then added another article after receiving an internal communication around the reasons why SAFS was denied their right to rent the space. The article from True North News states that the London Public Library CEO Michael Ciccone wrote in an internal memo regarding the reasons for deplatforming Williams:
that the library approaches its values “through the lens of exceptional customer service and a commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression.”
The speaker, Joanna Williams, also shared her reflections on this censorship in Spiked Online.
If you want to see what kind of lecture warrants deplatforming for reasons such as:
“A risk or likelihood of physical danger to participants or the audience or misuse of the property or equipment;
“The potential or likelihood of the event to negatively impact or impede the ability of others to enjoy the services and facilities of the Library, and/or Library operations;
“The Renter or Event content is or is likely to be in violation of Library policy, including, but not limited to, the Library’s Rules of Conduct, Charter of Library Use or Workplace Harassment and Sexual Harassment Prevention policies.”
You can check out the Furedy Lecture yourself this Friday, May 19th at the Delta Hotels London Armouries 325 Dundas Street, London, Ontario | 6:30 to 8:00pm. Admission is free.
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Some more coverage of this censorship incident:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/how-woke-won-author-london-library-refusal-1.6846015
A CBC interview with the library CEO and the deplatformed speaker: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-158-london-morning/clip/15985600-london-library-denies-request-woke-ideology-speaker-event
And interestingly the London Public Library decides not to censor even when groups actually asked for them to censor…how does the institution explain their different decisions?
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-library-rejects-call-by-jewish-group-to-cancel-pro-palestinian-comedians-show
https://www.bnaibrith.ca/antisemitic-american-comedian-to-perform-in-canada/
I don't see how this is a surprise. Read the language of the CFLA in this:
http://cfla-fcab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CFLA-FCAB_statement_meeting_rooms.pdf
In that you see a spectrum of mish-mashed thinking on intellectual freedom and meeting room regulation:
"Publicly funded libraries that make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use."
Great! They got that answer correct. But then you see these:
"CFLA-FCAB affirms controversial expression is supported in the library. Equally so, challenge to controversial expression is supported. CFLA-FCAB does not, however, endorse the exercise of prior restraint as a means to avoiding controversy in the library."
Starting to hedge their bets a bit, here. "We affirm controversial expression, but we also support the people who want us to shut the controversial expressers down. But, um, we don't think it's good to shut people down IN ADVANCE (like they did in Ontario)."
"CFLA-FCAB unequivocally directs libraries to work within the Canadian law and human rights codes."
And, of course, Canadian law and human rights codes can be interpreted so as to allow authoritarians to jaywalk in spiked heels right over "controversial expression" in this case.
"CFLA-FCAB recognizes Canadian public libraries are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which identifies freedom of expression as one of the four fundamental freedoms in Canada, subject only to reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society."
And the London, Ontario public library branch is probably perfectly within the malleable "reasonable limits prescribed by law" in shutting this event down.
People joke about how "similar" the US and Canada are, but the First Amendment--capitalized on purpose--is a huge difference between the US and most of the democratic countries we suppose have freedom of speech/expression, even one right up there, just over that imaginary line.