141 Replies to “Solidarity”

  1. This commentary by Mark Steyn in The Economist pretty much sums up my sentiment:
    “Much of Canada’s press and many broadcasters are already noted for politically correct blandness. Some fear that the case can only make that worse. Mr Steyn and others hope it will prompt a narrower brief for the commissions, or even their abolition. As he put it in his blog, “I don’t want to get off the hook. I want to take the hook and stick it up the collective butt of these thought police.””

  2. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed , but ….. most of these HRC complaints are filed over PERCEIVED greivances . Personally , I’m deeply offended by what these HRC’s are doing on several fronts , Mark and Ezra being the latest examples . Not only am I offended by the HRC’s , as well I’m unbeliavbly offended by the parties that have advanced these cases . As a Canadian citizen , can I launch a complaint to one of these HRC’s , naming both the HRC’s in question and the various other parties that are offending me so . It sounds like there many others who are offended reading this as well . How does one file these complaints ? And why aren’t we all filing them ?

  3. Mr. Levant is doing an incredible job, and the airing of the videos to see the sham that is this court is fantastic.
    Has there ever been an equivalent to this in Europe/England, long lost to censorship and political correctness? Was there ever a single person in England who stood up for Western values publicly like Mr. Levant.
    What jurisdiction does a human rights tribunal have to judge whether the impact of someone’s action on the safety of a complainant? What witnesses and experts do they have to opine on this? This is beyond stupid.
    Maybe I’m being optimistic, but perhaps at some point Ezra Levant’s and Mark Steyn HRC complaints will be seen as the beginning of a turning of some politically correct tide.

  4. MaryT: If memory serves, those cartoons had already been published in Egypt without incident. And months before. The rage was stage-managed by Danish imams who literally went on tour through the ME with the cartoons adding some of their own very vulgar ones which were not in the original set, and for the express purpose of generating Islamic rage.
    lookout: Good to keep reminding us of Real Women.
    Dare I say it? We should really have been just as outraged with the treatment of Ernst Zundel and Doug Collins. It should go without saying that I found their views reprehensible.
    And again as to Ezra’s remark about the original purpose: to adjudicate squabbles about employment and housing with a racial aspect: if we’re talking about REAL freedoms, true freedom of association should permit me to NOT rent to or NOT employ whomever I wish, as non-intutive as that seems in the modern era!
    We really need to abolish all “hate” laws and confine the issue to incitement to violence against anybody, not just “protected” groups.
    There should be NO protected groups. There’s no such thing as “group rights”.

  5. Well you know, a civil disobedience strategy – launching multiple complaints against the HRC’s themselves, Federal to Provincial and Provincial to Federal may have some practical utility on a few different levels. I wonder what a court challenge (AB could be a godd first target)would produce in terms of possibilities, not the least of which would be to bring the issue more sqarely into the public view. One senses that we may be at one of those fortuitous crossroads, had we been prepared, and had we been a “we.”

  6. I think what Ezra Levant has done is LONG over due. This person has placed himself at the “Pointy End of the Stick” and MUST be supported.
    As you can seen in the vid,s he can more than amply hold his own with the “Bucket Brigade” of “Political Correctness” by out mentally maneuvering them one to one.
    The problem is, he is dealing with a system of entrenched idealism and they will not concede he is right no matter what. Just look at the “inquisitors face when Ezra said.” Why is that a relevant question” and her reaction to the statement by Erza ” It’s my bloody right to do so”. In other words this maven of the Kangaroo Court has already decided his guilt with an obvious “How dare you NOT show your belly to me young pup”.
    Just look at the inquisitors body language during his opening statement to see she has a over blown sense of Q,ness (Sorry Star Trek) to realize just how rough the road ahead of Ezra is.
    Am I the only one that has noticed the picture on the wall….it’s all uphill, rough and curves to the left?
    This is not over by a long shot and Erza will need a BIG infusion of cash and moral support to fight this “Good Fight”. Be prepared to pony up a substantial amount of encouragement and cash donations to help Ezra slay this dragon, that threatens us all.

  7. I have a question,
    Maybe I’m missing something here and this question will sound somewhat dumb but here it is anyway,
    If no one has ever won against the Human rights commisions, AND if even one wins against the HRC it is a financial punishment,
    then why bother spending tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers and legal experts?
    Don’t get me wrong I am not saying Ezra Levant/ Western Standard or McCleans/Mark Steyn should give up.
    That is NOT what I am saying.
    But shouldn’t they should use their brilliant minds and save their money?
    If I could express myself and defend myself as brilliantly as Levant and Steyn can , I know I would save my money.
    If I’m missing some information , feel free to educate me, as I said I might be missing something here.

  8. A few — a minority — of commenters in this thread seem to harbour a mistaken belief that Ezra is acting as some proxy agent to whip up anti-Muslim sentiments similar to their own. He’s not. He’s there to defend his and our right to FREE SPEECH.
    Let’s keep our eye on the ball.

  9. Giv e them hel! we are here to support you.nev er surrender! This is total bullsh1t.Our fredoms are being eroded on a daily basis and the sheople dont see it itn is called creeping socialism i believe.

  10. Two items of note in this:
    1. No notable/visible coverage by the MSM yet – and they should be all over it like a dog on a bone as it impacts them and their very existence directly; and
    2. The leftard trolls are noticeably absent from this thread, although I have no doubt that they are reading it. I don’t recall ever having seen a Kate post like this where they haven’t swarmed in with their usual psychotic rants. Perhaps they actually agree that the HRC outfits are a farce and a real travesty of justice.

  12. Levant, while not the most articulate with the greatest judgement, IMO, is doing all of us a service on this one. AB HRC has a tiger by the tail in Levant, and would be well-advised to disengage.
    This issue of “likely” to cause hatred or violence (or whatever) has gotten even murkier (and dangerous) with the Levant case. These cartoons were published in Western Standard some time ago, yet there have been no riots, no violence, nothing. Is there a statute of limitations on when the “likely” violence happens?
    IMO, the fact that there has been no violence, and some time has passed since the cartoons were published, proves that this act was UNLIKELY to cause violence. As for hatred, how ridiculous can this get. I hate you, you say something that offends me (I decide), which means you have caused the hatred I felt all along. Huh!!
    The big-time problem (ie-destroying our rights) with HRC and political correctness, is someone else gets to decide what you meant by something you said (like they’re mind readers or psychics or something), and based on their opinion, perspective, and quite possibly prejudice, get to take action against the “perpretrator” at no risk or cost to themselves (like a countersuit for example in civil court).
    This is a big problem, this Gulag mentality. I would like to see a court challenge against HRC, but frankly I don’t trust them on this type of issue, any more than I trust HRCs. I still think AB HRC will let this one die quietly.
    Then we have the Steyn case. When will it end?

  13. Inquisitor’s… overblown sense of “Q-Ness” -Glen
    –That’s a perfect analogy. For those who don’t know about that, a “Q” is an omnipotent being who believes it’s a god and regards mere mortals as irrelevant little toys to be tossed around at will. Such is the mentality and character of the commission interrogators. Cold, soullessly detached, barely-human bureaucratic automatons brainwashed by the state apparatus into believing that jackbooting peoples’ rights is the “right thing” to do.
    Or one could also consider the interrogators the equivalent of the Borg. Imagine:
    We are Borg. Rights are irrelevant. The Charter is irrelevant. Evidence is irrelevant. You must be punished. You will be found guilty where you stand.
    In Canada. I didn’t make this up. Choose your Canada.

  14. EBD is correct. It must be remembered that these cartoons were originally published in Denmark. Therefore, the question of freedom of speech/expression/press belongs in Denmark.
    When the Western Standard picked up the story about 2 years ago, it was simply to publish the facts about what was causing such a stir in the Muslim world.
    Here is a link in a Brussels publication:
    http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/698
    While these cartoons would be considered mildly humourous if any other group or politician had been the target, it must be remembered that the WS did not create the cartoons or re-publish them with the goal of humour. It re-published them so that its readers could have the correct information as to what was riling Muslims.
    Therefore this case is even more troubling than if thw WS writers had created these cartoons on their own.
    WHAT IS REALLY ON TRIAL HERE IS THE RIGHT FOR A MEDIA ORGANIZATION TO PUBLISH FACTS ABOUT A GROUP THAT THAT SAME GROUP DOES NOT WANT PUBLISHED BECAUSE IT FINDS THOSE FACTS EMBARASSING.

  15. Friend of USA @5.58PM,
    The Stalinist show-trials gave the “defendants” more opportunity to defend themselves than these HRC “commissions”. One only needs make a claim on paper and the government, AKA the taxpayer, pays for the inquisition, trial and sentencing. The poor soul brought up before the HRC has to cover all their own costs, including time. They are not allowed to be represented by a lawyer. They must explain and grovel before the commisar. There is no legal form to these “show trials”. Nothing before them would stand up in a real court. Which, of course, is why people chose these venues rather than real courts. Laws of evidence and rules of fact do not pertain to these persecutions.
    I can complain that you have ofended me, and, even if not accepted by teh commisars, they launch a persecution on you and that costs you. The merest complaint launches an inquisition.
    Watch the videsos, Ezra nails it.
    That woman in the video is not a judge, she is not even a lawyer in many a jurisdiction, she is a COMMISSAR. An appointee from a political grouping, appointed for political reasons.

  16. Brent Weston @6:18PM.
    No, it is not about supressing facts that organisations do not want.
    It is about the liberty to speak one’s mind freely, without fear of persecution.

  17. Make sure you watch the videos of the inquisition now up on Ezra’s site.
    “I think you’re playing silly bugger here.”
    We all do.

  18. How one comes away from that not feeling ill at ease, if not downright ill, I don’t know.
    This is where our country and its Charter has taken us?
    Grateful for the foresight that Ezra and his lawyer had, to notify the HRC that they would be taping the sessions. And that they would not be kept in a locked drawer somewhere.
    This will do for a line in the sand for many of us. Go, Ezra!

  19. A few — a minority — of commenters in this thread seem to harbour a mistaken belief that Ezra is acting as some proxy agent to whip up anti-Muslim sentiments similar to their own
    That’s weird, EDB, I’ve read the comments — I don’t recall encountering anti-Muslim sentiments in this thread! Or are you just being superior?
    Glad it’s a minority though — whew!
    Lots of anti-liberal-fascist censorship comments though.

  22. I don’t speak for EBD, Irwin, but I think that your 2:48 and 5:08 comments were off topic, and in the latter case you were rewriting history (I was there too). But much more importantly, this thread is about the AHRC inquisition and about Mr. Levant’s and all our right to freedom of thought and speech. This thread is not about you, or me, or any other squabbles commenters have had here.
    Please let’s not argue about that in this thread.
    The matter at hand is more important than that.
    This is not an abstract debate, it’s the real thing.
    Also, folks, I don’t think spamming the AHRC is a wise idea. This is a situation that will play out over time; it may even end up at the supreme court. This is a situation that will require us to provide long-term support to Mr. Levant in his defense of our fundamental freedoms, not simply some short-term ranting and venting.
    So while carefully considered letters to politicians, and yes, even the MSM, are not in my opinion a problem and are even a good idea, running around screaming and babbling isn’t going to help anyone. Not that you were suggesting that, Wimpy.
    Finally, if anyone hasn’t yet watched the videos at
    ezralevant.com then I strongly recommend that you do.

  23. I just can’t understand how a this person can have such authority ( or think she does ) over another Canadian in regards to HIS free speech rights while flouting the law?
    Also strongly agree with Mr. Levit that this board is as guilty of driving the negativity wedge further and maintaining a false sense of security or reality, by even addresssing a fasiscts as someone of merit, respect and ethics. And this person’s judgments are rammed down our throats, no matter what?
    Thing is regular Canadians who have really been wronged are denied any kind of justice from any of these useless pools of fools.
    Bill I am with you, I am deeply offended
    Where do I file? 😉

  24. Me No Dhimmi:
    My bad — too many comment-thread tabs, not enough general sense of wherewithal.
    Is there an emoticon for “embarassed”?

  25. Just been reading some of the comments over at LGF, and it appears this is going international. Ezra is doing a BIG THING here. Go Ezra, Go.

  26. I’ll be glad to keep my comments on topic.
    I think I owe Ezra an apology.
    I was openly hard on him for originally printing these cartoons,not because of their content or his claims of freedom of speech,but because I thought he was simply ‘whoring the publicity’ from the Danish controversy for nothing more than profit.
    Now his magazine is demised and he still must face this ‘lynching mob for PC’ness’,I congratulate him for republishing on his website and standing up for all of us disgusted by this undemocratic persecution.
    “You may start your interrogation”….I love it.
    Ezra…you now have my FULL support…BTW…sorry.

  27. WC @7.03pm hey, I thought I had posted that on EUreferendum; how come it ended up here? Damn!
    But, I must say, I like his “bring it on” approach. This female commissar, who probably is more concerned about her teenage son’s desire for drugs, is getting tit-deep into la merde (as we canqdians saty).
    I think she will fold before the AHRC will. Expect to see a pathetic mess.

  28. Hi everyone. I suggest we absolutely flood the Alberta HRC with complaints: humanrights@gov.ab.ca
    Here’s mine, which I also cc’d to all Members of Parliament in Ottawa.
    To the members of the Alberta ‘human rights’ commission;
    As with many ‘government’ offices, communication by the public is often made difficult – so I’ll use what avenue is provided, namely this e-address.
    I wish to question the acceptance of the complaint against Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant, by Mohamed Elmasry and the Canadian Islamic Council. The complaint should never have been accepted by the Commission in the first place. Canada is not the former Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia nor China. We have a long and established standard of free speech and political comment and to diminish that standard by accepting the legitimacy of the complaint is to in itself diminsh the freedom that people like my uncle, Peter Biollo of Edmonton, (dead at age 21 as a WWII bombardier) died to protect.
    It is not the role of ‘human rights’ commissions to protect others from ‘offense’ but from acts of discrimination in employment and housing. No act of discrimination due to race, religion or gender has occured. And as in the case of Mclean’s Magazine and Mark Steyn, Mr. Elmasry has not even claimed the materials to be false or inaccurate, but rather that they were ‘offensive’ and hurtful. Nor is their any proof that any articles by any publisher have led to acts against Muslims anywhere in Canada. Only a charge that they are ‘likely’ to do so. This strikes me as psychologists might say, ‘projection’. The theory of projection is that we project on to others that which we are inclined to do ourselves.
    Canada is and has always been a land of acceptance or, as wonks like commission members prefer, ‘inclusion’. We do not attack others for their personal religious beliefs, but we will not stand idle when those religious beliefs are used as a weapon against our own freedom. Generations of immigrants have sought Canada as a safe haven and just as we have welcomed Chinese, Poles, Germans, Philippinos, and Peruvians, we welcome Muslims who wish to embrace Canadian ways and values.
    But we will never accept people who embrace a ”political Islam’ that demands special rights for themselves while at the same time, attempts to proscribe the rights of those around them. Do not be blind to what is taking place throughout the world by ‘political Islam’ and it’s supporters. Political Islam is a clear and present danger to any society which incorporates its’ perverted values.
    As a quasi-judicial commission you have already bowed to the political pressure of ‘political Islam’. Now they’re watching to see just how far you are prepared to prostrate not only yourselves, but the Canadian people. As Arnold Toynbee famously said, “Civilizations are not murdered. They commit suicide.” I’m here to say that you do not have the power to step towards suicide on my behalf.
    I support Ezra Levant and all free Canadians. The human rights ‘commissions’ must be abolished. If Imam Elmasry has a complaint, let him lay a charge in a Canadian court of law.

  29. Ezra Levant is a patriotic and courageous Canadian.
    A while back leftist Canadians tried to suggest to the USA that Canada was somehow more humane, more sensitive, and more intelligent about human issues.
    Regrettably, the Human Rights Commission is engaged in utterly shameful treatment of one of Canada’s most honorable citizens.
    The Western Standard published those cartoons in the face of threats and implied physical violence by a community that is known specifically for carrying out such threats.
    When a huge population of global journalists cowered from personal threats, Levant and his staff demonstrated the courage of their convictions by standing up to those who insisted that the world community bow to their influence.
    When North America is in the hands of men like Ezra Levant we are secure and safe from enemies who would strike us and cause us to be chilled by fear.
    This is a very ugly and shameful thing for Canada to have such a totalitarian-leaning commission that singles out the most distinguished among us for retribution.
    The Human Rights Commission and their supporters should be ashamed.

  30. Vitruvius at 6:47
    “Also, folks, I don’t think spamming the AHRC is a wise idea.”
    Well, how will they understand that peopole object if we don’t tell them?
    “This is a situation that will play out over time; it may even end up at the supreme court.”
    I hope it will, and I think this is Ezra’s plan. And I am behind him and will assist in finance.
    “o while carefully considered letters to politicians, and yes, even the MSM, are not in my opinion a problem and are even a good idea, running around screaming and babbling isn’t going to help anyone. Not that you were suggesting that, Wimpy.”
    You are correct, I never advocate running around, screaming and babbling 🙂 But forget the MSM, the CBC particularly. I advocate tough intellectual argument … AKA reasoning.

  31. Vitruvius: I watched the three videos at LGF. Assuming they’re the same as on his site, I was a bit disappointed with the last two. I may be way off base here but I regretted his synagogue fireboming point — not because it wasn’t spot on, but because it made the thing look a bit personal. Better to have made the point that Canadians were amazingly well-behaved post 9/11 and that in the US and Canada antisemitic hate crimes dwarfed anti-muslim hate crime. Assuming “drawf” is ok in this context.
    I was also uncomfortable with his aggressive finger-jabbing body language, again not because his anger was unjustified, but because I thought it could swing the sentiment over to the commissar.
    Why did you publish? Good question back — is this relevant and why — but how about after that: ‘cos I’m in the news business and this was the biggest story in the world and I thought Canadians deserved to see what the fuss was all about.
    Here’s something I was wondering: What about saying: “Look, didn’t the CBC play videos of the aircraft crashing into the twin towers after it had been determined that Muslims did it? Wouldn’t showing these over and over again expose Muslims to more contempt than my publication of these mild cartoons? Etc.
    The opening statement was huge — powerful. But I found the rest quite weak, damn it.
    Prediction: He will win! He can’t but win, and it’ll be the first win since inception 30 years ago. The HRC knows they’re in trouble if they bring in a “guilty” “verdict”.
    Steyn will win too. Hope he follows Ezra’s path and does a video. That’ll be something to treasure.

  32. I would advise that people do NOT harass, spam, or insult the HRC in any way. The only way they are going away is through the court of public opinion influencing political will.
    I can just see the first article a week from now about how this poor functionary of the HRC has been scarred for life by abusive email, online threats, etc. And she was only doing her job, like all the other good jobs she did…. etc.
    Keep calm.
    Let Ezra do his work.
    Support the man.
    Do not undo the moment with foolishness!!!!

  33. I can just see the first article a week from now about how this poor functionary of the HRC has been scarred for life by abusive email, online threats, etc. And she was only doing her job, like all the other good jobs she did…. etc.
    Just who do you think these abuses would be reported by ?

  34. Jemma 54 writes: “This is a ‘turning point’ in Canadian history and it is all Canadian citizens who are on trial here. If Ezra goes down the rest of us go too.” This is so true. And yes where is the media coverage of this event and Ezra’s statements? As others have noted, there are very few news stories mentioning the hearing. In the United States, this would be front page news on every major daily and a top story on news broadcasts of whatever stripe. I do not believe that Canadians value their rights, and the price of such indifference is to lose those rights. The MSM is complicit in this sell-off of Canadian freedoms. Go Ezra — one of the few remaining public figures who seems to care about what being a Canadian should stand for.

  35. Just noticed Wimpy’s comment: “Just been reading some of the comments over at LGF, and it appears this is going international.” — well that might give our Canadian press a clue that they are missing something significant. It seriously puzzles me that the MSM does not see this as a signficant and dangerous assault on freedom of speech. I can only conclude that they have sold their souls and do not care. Too bad — journalism used to be an important pillar in a democracy.

  36. I can’t believe that there are those who council that the HRC not be spammed or harassed. Don’t issue threats or profanity, but anything else you have to say in voicing displeasure should be said again and again and again.
    If you stay quiet, you are doing exactly what the Muslims want. If you stay quiet, you will become England, or Holland, or France. Silence is absolutely the greatest enemy of freedom. Legal arguments to and fro with all sorts of complexities also are the enemy, for it is in that complexity that truth always gets lost. That’s why Ezra is keeping is simple and hard hitting.
    Imagine, the complainants in this case incur no cost, while the one defending themselves incurs all the cost … and you and me. Each and every one of you who pays taxes in Canada, is paying for the persecution of Ezra Levant.
    Make noise, write, email, spam … let it be known that you and I have the right to bitch, complain, and criticize Islam, Christianity, Liberals, neo-cons, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, and even Don Cherry.

  37. The fascists came for Ezra Levant and I stood up for him. I looked around and saw I was not alone and that we were many.
    I think it will make all the difference.
    Good luck to you Ezra, thank you for standing up to the fascists.

  38. Really, this is only the beginning.
    The only thing that can make or keep a society free is strict adherance to a constitution that clearly defines the rights humans possess by virtue of being human – and that expressly limits what their government is permitted to do in order to serve those rights.
    We haven’t got such a constitution in Canada; we are coasting on such British traditions as remain undiluted by decades of unchallenged erosion from social engineers and nanny-statists. Trudeau’s vaunted Charter is flawed from its preamble onwards. There is nothing in it that will stop any HRC from doing to any other person they chooses to harass, exactly what they are now doing to Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn – even if both complaints against them are dismissed outright tomorrow. This is not a fight that will be fought just once, so long as there is no ironclad guarentee that our government can do nothing but serve wholeheartedly every right we have.

  39. The “Prophet Mohamad is dead”, “I don’t think I could have offended him.” Someone should post the name of the imam, his address, his web page, maybe he needs to hear from some real CANADIANS.

  40. It’s crucial that we fight for our freedoms, sad that we have to.
    We got along quite well, thank you, before these misfits to modern democracies arrived on the scene.
    We’re so nice, we tolerate real hate rants from people like Elmasry, they don’t have to pay big bucks to defend themselves. A little slap on the wrist or a chance to say they didn’t really mean it in a convoluted, contrived story to be accepted as an apology.
    The Trudeau Charter has been rendered useless as anything close to protecting our freedoms as long as HRC’c and their Commissars can abuse the rights of our people.

  41. HRC unintended consequence or stupidity ?
    Surprise … surprise , Borovoy , one of the intellectual lib-left founders of the HRC concept back in the 70’s was so naive that he never envisioned the HRC’s being used to stifle freedom of speech ?
    Another shining success for the liberal totalitarian mob!
    George Jonas (quoted below)
    http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/01/04/george-jonas-it-s-a-human-right-to-be-an-idiot.aspx
    ” …. A few public intellectuals finally professed a little unease when the HRCs they helped create began venturing into areas of ostensibly fundamental freedoms. “During the years when my colleagues and I were labouring to create such commissions,” wrote the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Alan Borovoy after an HRC called the Western Standard on the carpet for reprinting some cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, “we never imagined that they might ultimately be used against freedom of speech.” …. ”

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