a library, of all places

Oops, I almost forgot an important follow-up. Naomi Klein and Aaron Mate decried a Montreal library's decision to remove some photographs by Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian photojournalist who was tortured to death in Iran, after some Jewish groups complained about supposed anti-Israeli bias.

When I blogged about it here, asking for follow-up, G the LB sent me this almost immediately:
On Friday, members of the Canada Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation held a mock book-banishing ceremony in front of the Côte-St-Luc library where Kazemi's photos had been on display.

A member of the group, Lillian Robinson, used metal tongs to drop a book into a bright orange biohazard bag. It was one of several books about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that she and the Jewish Alliance borrowed from the library to make a point about freedom of expression.

"A library, of all places, is a place where all opinions, different opinions, are aired," Robinson says.

She says Zahra Kazemi's photos of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories belong in the library. She says it's absurd that a complaint about those pictures convinced borough officials to take them down.

"What are they afraid of? They're afraid of a woman who died for free expression, for freedom of the press," Robinson says.
Great stuff indeed. And for me, a little extra, as I'm always happy to see Jewish people speak up for what's right, instead of some narrowly perceived self-interest.

Comments

  1. David Cho17 June 2005 at 15:08

    It is always heartening to see people speak out in contrary to narrowly perceived self interest as you say especially when it comes to racially charged issues.

    Affirmative action is a good example. When whites and blacks (or "other disadvantaged" minorities) speak for and against affirmative action respectively, I tend to tune them out as they spew out regurgitated and tired old arguments in very preditable manners.

    "You are white/black. Of course you are against/for affirmative action," I murmur to myself while letting loose a few yawns. But when a white person (who is not a politician trying to win the minority vote) speaks in favor, or a black person against, my ears perk up. Right or wrong, I do that.

    So I will listen to Jewish people who speak against the occupation while tuning out the likes of Benjamin Netanyahu. Sadly though I have not run across any prominent Arabs who speak in favor of Israel's right to exist. They may be out there, but I just haven't seen them.

    "In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I did not speak up, because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up, because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for me... and by that time, there was no one to speak up for anyone"

    - Martin Niemoeller, Pastor, German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous17 June 2005 at 16:47

    Even though it's not strictly self-interest, I feel that way about your opposition to the Iraq war, David. Independent thinking - it's refreshing.

    L-girl

    ReplyDelete

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