Peace on Campus
This week, hypocrisy took on new levels of desperation.
While accusing the Government of Canada of silencing free speech by denying entry to Hamas and Hezbollah supporter George Galloway, and decrying censorship for the University of Ottawa's decision to take-down inflammatory anti-Israel posters, it appears that some of the very same 'progressives' are trying to silence those who believe in the importance of fostering Peace On Campus.
As many of you have no doubt noticed, the first video released by Peace On Campus was mysteriously removed by YouTube late last week, for what we now know were requests for its deletion. Those with different opinions were welcomed into our blog and were granted permission to post comments on the YouTube video itself. In fact, we went to great lengths to ensure that even the most distasteful comments were not deleted by us - so long as they were respectful - because we, unlike many others, believe in the need for informed and well-intentioned dialogue.
The goal of this video was to counter many of the negative and truly dangerous messages that have overtaken intelligent campus discourse. We wanted to show that many campuses have been hijacked by those seeking to promote one-sided rhetoric, intimidation and harassment. And, while our video did just that - with 15,000 views in just over a week and a half - the message that the deletion has conveyed is even more powerful.
We could not have staged this illustration better if we had tried.
Peace on campus is being threatened by extremists and agitators seeking to stifle speech with which they disagree. Over the past few years, university and college students have seen an increase in incidents involving anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination.
Students for Peace on Campus believes that a campus should be a place for respectful, informed and academic discourse. We are tired of the intimidation, harassment and bullying tactics employed by those who target and demonize certain members of the campus community simply because of the opinions that they hold.
Students for Peace on Campus call for all students, faculty and campus administrators to promote an atmosphere where students are safe; where dialogue is respectful and well-intentioned; where the policies of the university are respected by students and faculty and enforced by administration; and where the spirit of academia is held in the highest regard.
