University of British Columbia Response on Censorship
In another article we reported allegations by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform that they were effectively censored by the University of British Columbia.
We asked UBC for their position on this subject. For the sake of fairness, below we give the entire text of our enquiry followed by the entire text of their response.
Our enquiry
I understand that an organization calling itself the "Genocide Awareness Project" requested permission to put up an anti-abortion display on your
campus, and was told that they would have to pay tens of thousands of
dollars for security and could only put the display in a location where
people would have to go out of their way to see it, and that they saw this
as an abridgement of their rights to free speech.
Thus, I wonder: Has the event taken place? If so, did the organization pay
the security costs, and locate where the university specified?
What is your position on this episode? From browsing your website I see that
there are other demonstrations and such on campus. Are all required to pay
similar sums for security? If not, what is the university policy on
reimbursement for security costs? Similarly, are other events required to be
conducted in out-of-the-way locations? What is the university policy on this?
Finally, an article in the Ubyssey [a campus newspaper] quotes someone from your RCMP detachment saying that they were "ready to investigate" any complaints against the organization and were investigating whether hate crime laws could be applied to its literature. Is it routine for groups wanting to come to campus to be investigated in this way before they are permitted to come? If not, what
prompted such scrutiny in this case?
UBC's reply
My apologies for not replying to you earlier. In short, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, organizers of GAP, chose not to come to UBC in September under the requirements that had been set out by the university. We set out these requirements based on our concern for security, concerns which GAP organizers had brought to our attention regarding violence at American universities where the display had been erected. Our independent inquiries confirmed that such violence had taken place, and we received information on campus that some people were planning some counter-activities that may have resulted in violence here. Thus, we asked the organizers to cover the additional security costs that were to be incurred and to provide a damage deposit. Due to the size of the display, and these security concerns, we told the organizers we would allow use of McInnes Field, which is a central area, bounded by the Student Union Building, Student Recreation Centre, Aquatic Centre, and War Memorial Gymnasium. It is
by no means "out of the way." We in no way attempted to deny entry or alter in any way the content of the display. We felt the requirements that we specified would satisfy the objective of ensuring free speech and provide the necessary safe environment in which the debate could take place. On a personal note, I think the university would have been remiss, and severely criticized, if it had not taken seriously concerns about potential violence.
--Paula Martin
Director of UBC Public Affairs
Observations
Unfortunately, as you can see, UBC chose not to respond to the key questions.
They did say that the McInnes Field location is not, in fact, "out of the way". (If so, if this location was just as good as the location originally requested, this leaves the question of why CBR objected to it.) But the university did not say whether other groups planning demonstrations are required to pay similar security costs, or are subjected to similar investigations.
They did explain that they had information that "some people were planning some counter-activities that may have resulted in violence here". But they didn't explain why they then insisted that the pro-lifers pay the security costs, rather than the people who were planning the "counter-activities that may have resulted in violence".
Posted 4 Sep 2000.
Copyright 1999 by Jay Johansen
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