"... The Harper government sent a diplomatic note to Iran Wednesday, as Heritage Minister James Moore lashed out at Tehran for its part in a campaign that cancelled the screening of a movie critical of the Iranian regime at Library and Archives Canada.
On Wednesday morning, the Minister instructed Library and Archives Canada to show Iranium, a documentary critiquing Iran’s nuclear program, after it cowed to numerous threats of protest and an official request from the Iranian embassy in Canada to not present the film Tuesday night, as scheduled.
In its diplomatic note to Tehran, the government said Canada is a free country and that freedom of expression is a core value that won’t be compromised.
“This movie will be shown, the agreement will be kept and this movie Iranium will be shown at Library and Archives Canada. We will not be moving it to a different facility, we’re not bending to any pressure,” said Mr. Moore on the CBC’s Power and Politics.
“People need to be kept safe, but we don’t back down to people who try to censor people by threats of violence.”
Mr. Moore also called on Canadian authorities to investigate threats made against the Library. He said the potential need for an increased security presence “will be taken into account” when the screening is rescheduled in February.
In a statement to the media, the Library said it had no choice but to close the Wellington Street building around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“The decision to reschedule will allow [the Library] to take the necessary security measures for the upcoming viewing over the next few weeks,” the statement read.
Fred Litwin, president of the Free Thinking Film Society, said he was relieved to hear the Library will play host.
“Still, the bigger question to me is what really happened this week? What were those threats, what was said?”
The cancelling indeed prompted a sharp and bold rebuke from Canada's Heritage Minister, James Moore. Check out this video:
The reaction was swift and, actually, not entirely expected. From a country like Canada, where it was possible to stage high profile kangaroo trials against Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant - a dhimmi attitude would not have surprised me in the least. Perhaps Moore's reaction is one more indication that people have it had islamic blackmailing. From there to having it had with islam tout court is another matter, but one can always hope.
Be that as it may...
... how long is the West going to pander yet to Iran? For those who are short of memory, read this telling 2008 article by Debbie Schlussel. The hostagetaking in Tehran in 79, the Beirut embassy and Marine Barracks bombing in 83, the Buenos Aires bombings in 92 and on and on and on, over the truckloads of IED materials shipped into Iraq after 2003 to Afghanistan....
... it's always Iran, Iran, Iran.
In 1885, then Governor General of the Sudan Major General Charles Gordon Brown, died a hero's death defending Khartoum against the hordes of Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad. His body was decapitated and the head desecrated. Then, as now, the West was far too slow to realize the intrinsically evil character of an islamic uprising. Still, thirteen years later, at the Battle of Omdurman, the Mahdist Army was all but wiped out by a much smaller British force equipped with Maxim machineguns and artillery. After the battle, Kitchener ordered the remains of Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad (he had actually died but a few months after Gordon) exhumed, burned and its ashes dispersed. Yes, Kitchener knew how to deal with islamic terrorism.
Not so a good century later. 31 years after the beginning of Khomeiny's Revolution, and after countless often very blooded provocations, Iran continues to up the ante... to the point where they think they can dictate what can and cannot be shown to the Canadian public.
We need a new Kitchener. But where is he?
MFBB.
No comments:
Post a Comment