The Effort to Censor If Americans Knew

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” says event

organizer John McGillion, of Hunting Ridge

Road. “It is my right as a citizen of

Greenwich to hold an event at the library.

Allowing people to censor a program is

outrageous and illegal. The whole point of

a library is to promote open exchange of ideas.”

Dear friends,

We thought you would want to know about

the latest distressing effort to censor

discussion on Israel-Palestine.

A small group of people have pressured the

Greenwich Library (CT) to cancel two

upcoming talks on “Israel-Palestine:

Beyond the Headlines,” by Alison

Weir. These had been scheduled since

January and have been advertised in

local newspapers.

We are challenging this highly inappropriate

and probably illegal decision. In addition,

apparently a number of people have begun

to phone the library asking that they allow

the events to go forward as scheduled.

Below is a press release

with additional information.

For more information:

If Americans Knew – 202.631.4060

Greenwich Library – 203.622.7900

To see the ad:

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

download/GreenwichAd.pdf

GROUP CHALLENGES GREENWICH

LIBRARY CENSORSHIP

CONTACT: 202.631.4060

A group of local citizens is challenging

the decision by some officials at the

Greenwich Library to cancel two

upcoming talks that had been in

the works since January.

The presentations are entitled

“Israel-Palestine: Beyond the Headlines,”

and were to be given by Alison Weir, a

media critic and former journalist who

has traveled throughout the West Bank

and Gaza. Weir is executive director of

If Americans Knew, a nonprofit organization

that specializes in media analysis.

According to library officials, after an

advertisement announcing the talks

ran in local papers, the library received

some phone calls and emails from

people complaining. The library director,

assistant director, and president of

the board of trustees then decided to

cancel it, determining that it would

violate “public sensitivities.”

Officials refuse to say how many people

contacted them, stating only

“some were old friends.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” says event

organizer John McGillion, of Hunting Ridge

Road. “It is my right as a citizen of

Greenwich to hold an event at the library.

Allowing people to censor a program is

outrageous and illegal. The whole point of

a library is to promote open exchange of ideas.”

McGillion states that “Ms. Weir has

spoken all over the country – at Harvard

Law School, the Fletcher School of Law and

Diplomacy, Stanford, Vassar, you name it.

She’s given two briefings on Capitol Hill and

spoken to various think tanks and international

conferences. We’re lucky to have her.”

McGillion considers the decision “unethical,

hasty and illogical.” He says, “First of all,

censoring a program violates their own

professional ethics. The American Library

Association Bill of Rights is absolutely

clear on this. It says: ‘Libraries which

make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms

available to the public they serve should

make such facilities available on an equitable

basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations

of individuals or groups requesting their use.’

“Furthermore, even if it were permissible to

screen out certain content, which it’s not,

how in the world did library officials think they

had any idea what the ‘public sensitivities’ of

Greenwich citizens are? Think about it logically:

99 percent of the people are probably happy

or neutral that the program is going to take

place. Only the one percent who oppose it

would bother to pick up the phone.”

As word has gotten out about the cancellation,

the library has begun receiving numerous calls in

favor of the talk being held as scheduled.

McGillion says that since the decision to

cancel was made quickly, without consulting

library trustees or the public, he considers it

“temporary.”

“As far as I’m concerned,” he says, “the program

will go on. We will be at the library Thursday and

Saturday and Ms Weir will give the talk she was

invited to Greenwich to give. Then the people of

Fairfield County can evaluate the information for

themselves, without a small number of partisans

denying them this opportunity.”

ADVERTISEMENT TEXT:

"Ms. Weir presents a powerful, well documented

view of the Middle East today. She is intelligent,

careful, and critical. American policy makers

would benefit greatly from hearing her first-hand

observations and attempting to answer the

questions she poses. This is an intellectual,

thought-provoking, and worthwhile presentation."

- Thomas Campbell,

Former US Senator (R-CA), Dean of

Haas School of Business,

University of California