NAS Blog

Conservative firebrand Ann Coulter was scheduled to speak at the University of Ottawa last week, having been invited by a student group at the campus. In anticipation of her speech, the University’s Vice President and Provost Francois Houle wrote her a letter warning her to use restraint, since “Canadian law puts reasonable limits on the freedom of expression,” and “promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges.”

The night of Coulter’s scheduled appearance, about 2,000 angry student protesters crowded the entrance to the venue, and the fire alarm was pulled, causing everyone to have to evacuate the building. Coulter’s speech was cancelled due to fears of the protests turning violent. Apparently the chanting students had been emboldened by Houle’s letter.

It’s ironic that, rather than the calming effect it purportedly intended, Houle’s threat opened the door to so much outrage. It prompted Ed Morrow to jeu d’esprit. And Mark Steyn has an excellent response here.