ezra levant before kangaroo court

Human rights commissions are quasi-judicial government bodies that have taken it upon themselves to regulate Canadian freedom of speech and religion in ever more intrusive ways. Yesterday Ezra Levant appeared before such a commission in Calgary, Alberta. This was because of a complaint by an imam for Levant's decision to publish the Danish cartoons in the now-defunct-in-print Western Standard.

Before the interrogation began, he delivered an opening statement which lays bare many of the problems with these kangaroo courts and illustrates why every Canadian should be concerned. He may be bloody, but he is not bowed:

"When the Western Standard magazine printed the Danish cartoons of Mohammed two years ago, I was the publisher. It was the proudest moment of my public life. I would do it again today. In fact, I did do it again today. Though the Western Standard, sadly, no longer publishes a print edition, I posted the cartoons this morning on my website, ezralevant.com.

I am here at this government interrogation under protest. It is my position that the government has no legal or moral authority to interrogate me or anyone else for publishing these words and pictures. That is a violation of my ancient and inalienable freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and in this case, religious freedom and the separation of mosque and state.

It is especially perverted that a bureaucracy calling itself the Alberta human rights commission would be the government agency violating my human rights. So I will now call those bureaucrats “the commission” or “the hrc”, since to call the commission a “human rights commission” is to destroy the meaning of those words..."

Read his complete statement here.

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