Posted on 01/18/2011 7:00:58 PM PST by nuconvert
OTTAWA - Iran has something to say about free speech in Canada.
The country's embassy in Ottawa tried to censor a documentary on its totalitarian regime that was set to be screened at Canada's national library Tuesday night.
Library and Archives Canada tried to cancel the screening after the embassy complained about the event being put on by the Free Thinking Film Society, which paid to rent a theatre in the building.
The movie will go ahead after Heritage Minister James Moore intervened, a spokesman for Moore confirmed.
Fred Litwin, who runs the society, says the library called Monday -- just a day before the event -- to cancel the screening. He got in touch with Canadian Heritage and soon got a call back from Moore's chief of staff. By 6:30 p.m., about four and a half hours after the cancellation, the library called to say the event was back on.
"It's frightening to think that the Iranian embassy could complain and a film could be cancelled in the capital of Canada," Litwin said.
"They obviously thought they could push around some people and they were right."
Litwin describes the film as an attack on Iran's policies, including "their quest for nuclear weapons and ... their funding of Hezbollah and Hamas and some of the terror-related things that emanate from the Iranian government."
The society's website describes the movie, Iranium, as a film that "will chronicle the regime's use of terror proxies abroad to inflict deadly messages on their self-described enemies."
Litwin says he offered to screen it for the library before Tuesday night so they could see it wasn't incendiary.
Jean-Luc Benoit, Moore's spokesman, says the Iranian embassy isn't allowed to dictate what films are shown in Canadian institutions.
"We got in touch with Library and Archives and reminded them that this movie and the subject that it addresses is actually consistent with the government's policy toward Iran's human rights and their nuclear programs, so we asked them to reconsider and they did," he said.
Library and Archives Canada is an arms-length organization. Benoit couldn't say whether there would be a policy implemented to handle future complaints.
*UPDATE *
A suspicious package and a rash of phone calls threatening protests shut down the planned screening of an anti-Iran documentary at Library and Archives Canada Tuesday night.
Iran’s embassy in Ottawa had tried to censor the film, Iranium, by complaining to the national library, which cancelled it until Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore stepped in.
But after library officials fielded calls they say threatened protests, they reversed course again and re-cancelled the event just hours before it was due to start.
They called in police and shut down the building after somebody hand-delivered suspicious letters, forcing out researchers working in the archives.
By 6 p.m., three police cars and two fire trucks sat in front of the closed building. There were no protesters outside the building and just a handful of staff inside.
About 90 minutes later., police had investigated and were satisfied the letters weren't dangerous.
The Free Thinking Film Society had paid to rent a theatre in the library to screen the movie. Their spokesman called it chilling.
“It’s like the Iranians have set something in motion and they’re able to shut down a film in the capital of Canada,” said Fred Litwin.
“They obviously thought they could push around some people and they were right.”
Litwin describes the film as an attack on Iran's policies, including “their quest for nuclear weapons and ... their funding of Hezbollah and Hamas and some of the terror-related things that emanate from the Iranian government.”
A spokeswoman for the Iranian embassy, who refused to give her name, said in an email that the embassy complained to Moore and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.
Moore's spokesman said the film is consistent with the government's position on human rights and Iran's nuclear program. Moore took to Twitter to protest the shutdown, saying the Iranian embassy isn't allowed to dictate what films are shown in Canadian institutions.
“I'm disappointed that the Archives chose not to show the film (Tuesday) due to threats of violence,” Moore said.
Canada Ping.
Thanks for the ping, Army Air Corps.
THe library was afraid that the Iranians would bomb or kill them, not an illogical thought given Iran’s role in murders and bombings worldwide.
Glad that the govt stepped in and kept the showing of the documentary on.
Just shows you have deep into the western hemisphere Iranian influence thru terrorism has gotten into the public psyche.
HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH!
HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH!
HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH! HATE SPEECH!
“Glad that the govt stepped in and kept the showing of the documentary on.”
Actually, the update says it was cancelled.
According to a friend of a friend who was planning on going, the police said they couldn’t guarantee safety, so it was cancelled.
Fuzzy muzzy had much hair...
Fuzzy muzzy likes to scare...
Worth remembering when our liberals are comparing American manliness to the rest of the sissified West currently protected under the aegis of our strength.
I'm thinking specifically of open homosexuality in the military and women in combat.
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