Coulter in Trouble! Surrounded! [update at #262: Ann’s O.K., says U of O is “bush league”]

2000 protesters surrounding building with rocks and sticks -- pulled fire alarm in the building. Blogs calling for ann coulter to be hurt. MPs were banned from going, i was denounced by an MP in the parliement today. cops just shut it down!

Here's an UPDATE from Ann...

...with her first public comments AFTER the leftists shut her down....
...and, she EXCORIATES them!

From www.vancouversun.com:

Ann Coulter lambastes University of Ottawa and Canada's 'free' speech
‘It’s always the bush league schools,’ Coulter contends
By Zev Singer and Kristy Nease, Ottawa Citizen March 23, 2010 9:05 PM

In this file photo, television personality Ann Coulter speaks to the audience.
Photograph by: Lucas Jackson , Reuters

OTTAWA — After protesters at the University of Ottawa prevented Ann Coulter from giving a speech Tuesday night, the American conservative writer said it proved the point she came to make — free speech in Canada leaves much to be desired.
Then she said what she really thought of the student protesters who surrounded Marion Hall, making it to unsafe, in the view of her bodyguard, for the pundit to attempt entry.
“The University of Ottawa is really easy to get into, isn’t it?” she said in an interview after the cancelled event. “I never get any trouble at the Ivy League schools. It’s always the bush-league schools.”
Coulter said she has been speaking regularly at university campuses for a decade. While she has certainly been heckled, she said this is the first time an engagement has been cancelled because of protesters.
“This has never, ever, ever happened before — even at the stupidest American university,” she said.
Coulter remarked on the reception she has had since entering the country.
“Since I’ve arrived in Canada, I’ve been denounced on the floor of Parliament — which, by the way, is on my bucket list — my posters have been banned, I’ve been accused of committing a crime in a speech that I have not yet given, I was banned by the student council, so welcome to Canada!”
The “accusation” of which Coulter speaks is a reference to an e-mail she received from University of Ottawa vice-president and provost Francois Houle on Friday, warning her that freedom of speech is defined differently in Canada than in the U.S. and that she should take care not to step over the line.
Coulter said that letter set the tone for and encouraged the protesters. She said it’s well known on the campus speaking circuit that conservatives need to travel with security staff, as she did.
“I’m pretty sure little Francois A-Houle does not need to travel with a bodyguard,” she said. “I would like to know when this sort of violence, this sort of protest, has been inflicted upon a Muslim — who appear to be, from what I’ve read of the human rights complaints, the only protected group in Canada. I think I’ll give my speech tomorrow night in a burka. That will protect me.”
Canadian conservative political commentator Ezra Levant, the other speaker travelling with Coulter on the three-city tour, presented by the International Free Press Society of Canada, told the half-filled hall that no more people would be able to enter and that Coulter had been advised it would not be safe for her to appear.
Coulter’s bodyguard ultimately made the judgment, after conferring with security staff on site.
In a short speech, Levant said Tuesday was “an embarrassing day for the University of Ottawa and their student body, who could not debate Ann Coulter . . . who chose to silence her through threats and intimidation, just like their vice-president did.”
Levant laid the blame squarely on Houle.
“A fish rots from the head down,” he said. “Francois Houle got his wish. He telegraphed to the community that the University of Ottawa is not a place for free debate.”
Houle could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Levant said the spectacle showed “just how eroded our Canadian values of free speech have become” — especially on university campuses.
“I think this has turned into a teaching moment for the entire country, a reminder that freedom of speech is a Canadian value,” he said.
Rita Valeriano was one of several protesters inside the hall who, with chants of “Coulter go home!” shouted down the International Free Press Society of Canada organizer who was addressing the crowd.
Valeriano, a 19-year-old sociology and women’s-studies student, said later that she was happy Coulter was unable to speak the “hatred” she had planned to.
“On campus, we promise our students a safe and positive space,” she said. “And that’s not what (Coulter) brings.”
Outside the hall, Sameena Topan, 26, a conflict studies and human rights major at the U of O, spoke to the Citizen on behalf of a group of protesters.
“We have a large group of students that can very clearly outline the difference between discourse and discrimination,” Topan said of the protest. “We wanted to mobilize and make sure that’s clear on campus, that there’s a line between controversy and discrimination, and Ann Coulter has crossed it. Numerous times.”
“We had concerns about (the event) at the beginning, but especially after we saw what happened at the University of Western Ontario, when she called out a Muslim girl there and was saying she needs to take a camel because Muslim people shouldn’t fly. That kind of stuff just reaffirmed everything that we were afraid of and that’s when . . . we really got worried.”
Topan was pleased to hear the students behind her shout, “Hate speech cancelled!” in unison.
“I think that’s great. I think we accomplished what we were here to do, to ensure that we don’t have her discriminatory rhetoric on our campus,” she said.
Jonathan Reid, 18, a Carleton political science student and a fan of Coulter, brought a book to be signed.
During the protest outside after the event was cancelled, Reid and a group of other students shouted a counter-chant, “No more commies on our campus!,” while pumping their fists. The Coulter protesters moved forward to face them, and TV crew lights lit angry faces.
“It’s a shame,” Reid said of the cancellation. “They claim we’re the intolerant ones, yet they’re the ones who refuse to allow a Conservative speaker to come to campus. That is the definition of intolerance.”
U of O political science student Faris Lehn, 23, said he doesn’t support Coulter’s message, but had hoped for a debate.
“It’s too bad she didn’t get to speak because I think she would have made herself look more ridiculous than anyone here could have made her look,” Lehn said.
“The problem with Ann Coulter . . . is that the arguments that she uses don’t necessarily promote good debate, they promote this,” he said, glancing at the chanting crowd.
Ottawa Citizen

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Here's a good "eyewitness" account, from www.am1150.ca:

Ann Coulter shut down. My view from outside of Marion Hall.
Tue, 2010-03-23 21:19.

Brian Lilley

I knew I was getting close to the hall for the Ann Coulter speech when I heard the chants of "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Hate speech has got to go." That chant, along with a lack of general hygiene became popular on campuses back in the 1960s and both have remained.

A group of rowdy students were right by the stairs that led to the entrance of the hall, one held a sign that said, "THIS IS A SAFE SPACE." How ironic that sign appears knowing now that the speech was cancelled due to threats of violence and concerns over safety. Protestors were determined to shut this speech down and they did, through songs, cheers, pulling fire alarms and through threats of violence.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When I arrived I was surprised to see such a long line-up, the doors were supposed to open at 7 and it was almost 7:30 when I arrived. Organizers had said no backpacks or laptop bags but I was hoping my press pass and my recording gear would be allowed in. I never got to test their security; before I, and hundreds of others, could get into the hall it was shut down. On the advice of Ottawa Police, the speech Ms. Coulter was supposed to start giving at roughly 7:45 was shut down at 8:45.

One of the loudest protestors outside was Sameena Topan, the young woman holding the "safe place" sign. Sameena told me she brought that sign because, "This is a space for all students from all backgrounds to come and feel welcome." Sameena went on to say that no student should feel threatened or marginalized. Asked if she had protested, complained or tried to shut down Israeli Apartheid week, Sameena first seemed shocked at the question, then answered no.

Not everyone who in the line was there to protest, most had actually come to see Coulter and among those were those who liked her, those who disliked her and those who were curious. Adam was curious, a University of Ottawa student who came with his entire political science class to hear what the agent provocateur had to say and then pass judgement.

A bit further down the line I met Tom who was there to see Coulter, describing himself not as a fan of her work but as a free speech advocate. "Let me hear anything and I'll decide what side of the argument I want to choose," said Tom. A man a few years out of school, Tom described university campuses as places for free speech and the free exchange of ideas. I asked him if that was a quaint idea of a bygone era given the views upfront, "No, we gotta hold onto our free speech. We're one of the few countries that have free speech."

Of course, free speech did not carry the night at Marion Hall at the U of O.

As usual there were also thugs in the group, one young man must have felt particularly tough surrounded by his friends with placards and bullhorns, he started to pick on an old man. The man, who must have 50 or more years older than the student, gave as good as he got and eventually one of the thugs friends told him that picking on people over 70 was not a wise idea.

While the students of U of O were successful in shutting down someone they considered guilty of hate speech, one of their professors was busy telling the Ottawa Citizen that Coulter does not come close. Errol Mendes, a professor of constitutional and international law, says Canada's criminal code sanctions against hate speech are designed to stop the sort of thing that led to the Rwandan genocide. "To me, that's the sort of speech that Canada is rightfully trying to prevent happening over here," Mendes told the Citizen. "Much as I detest everything (Coulter) says and stands for, she's not that close to the type of speech that then leads to the dangers to society as a whole."

But to the students, Coulter threatened their "safe space" so they ensured that the campus of one of Canada's older universities was not a safe space for her. Shame. Shame on them, shame on the university for letting things get so out of control.

For more coverage from journalists that made it into the hall check out my press gallery colleagues, Steven Chase from The Globe and Mail and Deborah Gyapong from The Catholic Register.

For more coverage from journalists that made it into the hall check out my press gallery colleagues, Steven Chase from The Globe and Mail and Deborah Gyapong from The Catholic Register.
This is a good "first hand" report, too -- from deborahgyapong.blogspot.com:

Anti-free speech students shut down Ann Coulter lecture
UPDATE: Get Brian Lilley's take here.
Blazing CatFur has a round up.
And can you believe this is also on Drudge?

An unruly, chanting mob of anti-free speech demonstrators gleefully celebrated their success at forcing the cancellation of Ann Coulter's speaking engagement at the University of Ottawa.

I arrived a little after 7 p.m. and the paved area in front of the Marion building was packed with people trying to get into the hall. Then I heard the fire alarm had been pulled and they were trying to clear the building. Some folks came out, a number who had already paid the $10 for non-students and who had been waiting in the auditorium. The people tried to get back in and for about 45 minutes we were crushed like sardines in the vestibule, uncertain what was going to happen next. The doors to the auditorium were locked.
Finally the Ottawa Police came and cleared people out, except for us journalists and a group of student demonstrators who were gleefully chanting and celebrating. When I got outside one of my blog readers came up to me and told me he had been inside the hall before 7 p.m. He said a group of people rushed the hall, jostling the three people who were at a table checking student ids and those who had registered. The table got pushed aside.
When the volunteers said they needed order and for people to come to the table, some of the rowdies folded the table up and threw it aside. Then the volunteers decided it was too dangerous for them and they shut the doors to the auditorium.

There was lots of media--TV, radio, print, French and English so this black eye on the University of Ottawa's reputation is going to be all over the mainstream media. I see it is already all over the blogosphere.

I would guess though that at least two thirds of the crowd wanted to hear Ann speak. Though I heard some say they disagreed with her, they still wanted to hear her. One student was furious that the demonstrators were shutting this down.

One gal was waving one of Ann Coulter's books around asking whether they should burn it. "Let's debate this," she says.

Luckily I didn't see any book burning. These students think they are keeping the University of Ottawa a "safe" place. Safe for them to never hear any opinion that might upset them or challenge them.
What a sad, sad day for Canada and for Ottawa. I am ashamed of the University of Ottawa. What a rinky-dink excuse for university.
What a disgrace for the Oblate founders, whose mission was to truly educate people.

UPDATE: Get Brian Lilley's take here.
Blazing CatFur has a round up.
MORE excellent reporting here, from blazingcatfur.blogspot.com:

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
University of Ottawa Disgraces Itself in Eyes of the World - Ann Coulter Cancelled by Vandals
Ottawa Sun - Security concerns cancel Ann Coulter's University of Ottawa talk - vandalism by our coddled barbarians

What a disgrace to Canada but what can you expect from a University that promotes Israeli Apartheid Week.
...
The U of Ottawa was all free-speechy when this hypocrite spoke at Whack-A-Jew-Week
...
Brian Lilley: "One of the loudest protestors outside was Sameena Topan, the young woman holding the “safe place” sign. Sameena told me she brought that sign because, “This is a space for all students from all backgrounds to come and feel welcome.” Sameena went on to say that no student should feel threatened or marginalized. Asked if she had protested, complained or tried to shut down Israeli Apartheid week, Sameena first seemed shocked at the question, then answered no"
...
Our media at "work": "After the event was cancelled by the police, Coulter says she went to her hotel room to relax and had a surreal moment. “I was watching the local news, which was all hockey and Ann Coulter, and some nut came on claiming that he was the organizer behind my speech. [murmurs in background] OK, his name is Craig Chandler. I sent an e-mail to my bodyguard saying Craig Chandler is disinvited from the event in Calgary. He’s on TV claiming to be the organizer and denouncing me!”
...

Ann Coulter Q&A from UWO on video
...

If you liked living in Germany in the 1930's...
...

Ezra Levant to represent Coulter before CHRC in Hate Crime case against "The Black Houle of Ottawa?"
...

Photo's and reports of a timid Police response
...

Ann Coulter Cancelled by University of Ottawa! ...Americans May Be A Protected Minority In Canada, But Who's Going To Protect The Majority?
...

"anti-racist" creeps rushed door threw table volunteers had to flee".

Funny how it's always the "anti-racists" who are the Nazis, odd they never turned up to protest the University of Ottawa's Whack-A-Jew-Week festivities.

Oh my what a nice keffiyeh!

Coulter on Coren thanks to Mississauga Matt who has more.

Part 1
EXCELLENT INTERVIEW with Ann
...
Event organizers to sue University of Ottawa - ...rumoured the people who organized Israeli Apartheid Week are the Nazi vandals

Follow events on Twitter

Posted by Blazing Cat Fur at 8:34 PM

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.