BPC Bulletin: B'nai Brith Canada Urges Cancellation of a Public Talk at the Toronto Reference Library
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
The Toronto Reference Library has scheduled a public discussion titled “I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It” on December 5, 2023. The discussion will focus on the freedom of unpopular academic authors to express their ideas.
Controversial authors Norman Finkelstein, the author of The Holocaust Industry, and Christian Parenti, an investigative journalist and professor of economics at the City University of New York, will talk about the backlashes against their work. Find more details here: https://events.tplcs.ca/2448.
B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish organization, wants the library to cancel the event because of Finkelstein’s scheduled appearance. They object to his views about the Holocaust and his “radical anti-Israel” views. See the press here: https://www.bnaibrith.ca/amid-unprecedented-surge-in-antisemitism-toronto-public-library-welcomes-radical-anti-israel-author-for-appearance/
Thanks go to Eric Mills who forwarded the press release.
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.
