County Fair: First Amendment Victorious

By FCW Editorial
Freedom of speech won out last week after the Greenwich Library canceled, and then let proceed, a presentation on (what else) the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Alison Weir, founder of the Portland, Oregon?based group If Americans Knew, was invited by Greenwich's John McGillian to speak in a library conference room. According to www.ifamericansknew.org, the group's "objective is to provide information that is to a large degree missing from American press coverage of this critical region." (Its general thrust is critical of American complicity in the conflict.) Weir's presentation, scheduled for Feb. 14 and 16, was about her experiences in the region and what she calls the "true" history of the conflict. But on Feb. 9 McGillian called Weir to say that the presentation was a no-go. After the organization placed promotional ads in area newspapers, residents contacted the library and demanded that it be canceled. "John said he received a call from Mary Cuff [acting public information officer with the library] and she conveyed the message to him that they were canceling the event," Weir said. "This is very distressing," she told the Weekly before the event was re-instated. "You don't expect the library to break the law."

Cuff said the library board canceled the event was due to "several calls or emails about the program," claiming it was "too controversial."

Of course, the decision to let Weir speak only helped her cause. She was scheduled to speak in a small conference room, but after the ordeal grabbed the attention of a few national media outlets, it was moved to the 368-seat auditorium. Shine that light!




http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=5989