This episode of AW@L Radio looks at the tendency of free-speech warriors to platform extreme right-wing and hateful speakers, looking at an old example, and a contemporary one.
First up is an article from Michael Bueckert titled "No Platform for Apartheid" from africasacountry.com (https://africasacountry.com/2018/04/no-platform-for-apartheid) which looks at canadian conservative MP Tony Clement's actions when he was a student. Clement broke off from the U of T Law Society to invite a pro-apartheid speaker to campus. While this is not breaking news (Geordie Dent wrote up a piece for the Toronto media coop in 2013 on the matter - http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/story/blog-tony-clement-and-south-africa-apartheid/20388), the Bueckert piece is more in depth and in context of the campus "free-speech wars".
Rejuvenating the old free-speech-to-cover-for-racism on campus is the "Laurier Society for Open Inquiry" and their lead propagandist Lindsay Shepherd. Why is it always racists that they want to platform? WLU prof and noted narcissistic David Millard Haskell announced on twitter he could just debate fascism away, just like they did in 1939...
Just a few weeks since LSOI and their guest, known white nationalist Faith Goldy had their event shut down through community action, and while Lindsay Shepherd was being all buddy-buddy with Faith on twitter, Faith went on a podcast to hype a book from the 1930s which is known as a canonical work of global fascism. She called the book, which calls for the elimination of Jewish people several times "very very very very spot on".
This is why we de-platform!
The episode ends with an update on the resistance to Kinder Morgan's "Trans Mountain" pipeline. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs announced that their leadership would be taking action at the terminal site in BC to block access. https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/major_win_for_indigenous_rights_as_kinder_morgan_announces_beginning_of_the_end_for_pipeline_and_tanker_project
As the fight continues out west, take action locally, call your local MP to demand an end to the project, or get out there and join the fight against the dozen other pipelines that threaten your communities health.
For more AW@L radio episodes, check http://grandrivermc.ca
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