Copies of a book promoting white nationalist ideology have been placed in community-run library boxes in neighbourhoods in parts of Ottawa, prompting a police investigation.

Christine Young found several copies earlier this month when she decided to check out a few little free libraries near her home in Barrhaven.

Young, a federal government consultant, never expected to repeatedly come across the same book — one that denounces immigration, multiculturalism, advocates for a white ethnostate in which racialized communities would be classified as second class citizens.

  • Arkouda
    13·
    24 hours ago

    We have anti hate speech laws.

    The idea of free speech is great, but there are limits. You can’t threaten someone under free speech. You can’t extort them. You can’t spread libel. And you can’t spread hate content that promotes harming people based on their immutable characteristics (race, ethnicity, sexual identity, etc.).

    From the article:

    “While the book does not contain “a call for outright violence” or “a call for extermination of communities,” Perry said it aims to frame far-right talking points in a more persuasive way than some of the “shock troops” of the movement.”

    The problem is the book doesn’t seem to violate the law. I would love to verify if it actually does or doesn’t, but unfortunately the title and author are being censored and I only have this piece of the article to go on.

    I’m all for topics being openly discussed, even if I don’t like them. I’m all for criticizing the government, and nobody should fear reprisal in doing so.

    Then you shouldn’t agree with a person calling the Cops for leaving a book in a little library that you do not agree with. I don’t agree with any form of ethnic nationalism either, but forcing those movements further underground obviously doesn’t work and calling the Cops for distributing a book that doesn’t break a Law is insane.

    You cannot refute their points if you don’t know what points they have made and it is important to refute those points to stop recruitment efforts. Calling the Cops for a book is literally the best recruitment campaign they could ask for because it supports the victim rhetoric they need desperately to remain “true” in order to succeed.

    But hate speech has essentially no merit to society.

    Agreed. Which is why hate speech needs to be openly debated, in all of its forms, constantly to make sure everyone stays on the same page and doesn’t fall for the trap again regardless of how uncomfortable the conversation is or how repetitive it feels. People cannot learn if they aren’t taught.