<div dir="ltr"><h2 class="gmail-storyTitle">London risks legal firefight over hate ban, expert warns </h2>
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By <a href="http://www.lfpress.com/author/megan-stacey">Megan Stacey</a>, The London Free Press
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<time datetime="2017-09-30T00:59:26Z" title="9/29/2017, 8:59:26 PM">
Friday, September 29, 2017
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<p>London council’s push for a policy
barring hateful groups from city-owned spaces would have “no chance” of
surviving a constitutional challenge, one political expert said, and it
may also paint London into a corner when it comes to controversial
musicians.</p>
<p>Inspired by an “anti-hate” motion to denounce an anti-Islam rally
outside city hall last month, politicians asked staff to report back on a
bylaw that would prohibit organizations “whose ideologies are contrary
to the City of London” from using city-owned spaces.</p>
<p>That raises questions about city concert venues such as Centennial
Hall and Budweiser Gardens. Would the policy exclude rappers who use
offensive language? How about pop stars who push the envelope with their
lyrics?</p>
<p>And how might the bylaw reflect on London’s efforts to establish itself as a “music city” and bid for the 2019 Junos?</p>
<p>Emmett Macfarlane, a University of Waterloo professor who studies
rights, governance and public policy, said the city should tread
carefully as it crafts this policy.</p>
<p>“A lot of bands have political messaging. A lot of rock groups, rap
groups might even employ racial language,” he said. “The idea that a
bylaw could inhibit that type of political or artistic expression would
be a legitimate concern.”</p>
<p>And except in very rare cases, the city doesn’t have the right to shut down performers or protesters, Macfarlane added.</p>
<p>“Even in the case of racist, offensive speech . . . the threshold for
prohibiting that speech or for any state sanction on that speech is
actually a very high one.”</p>
<p>Clark Bryan, who runs Aeolian Hall, said freedom of expression is a tough topic to tackle when it comes to musical performers.</p>
<p>“I do think there’s a line,” he said. “As a gay man, if there’s a
religious group that thinks I should burn in hell . . . what are my
obligations to accommodate them?”</p>
<p>The Aeolian has turned away performers before, Bryan said, like
Remigio Pereira, a former member of The Tenors who changed the words to
the national anthem to include “all lives matter.”</p>
<p>Bryan argues Londoners have elected politicians to navigate some of these decisions on their behalf. “It’s messy,” he admitted.</p>
<p>Coun. Tanya Park, who suggested the amendment to council’s anti-hate stance, wasn’t available for comment on Friday.</p>
<p>But she told <em>The Free Press </em>Monday she’s still eager to see a
strong policy: “Any time we have groups that are promoting hate in the
community, I think it’s incumbent on leaders in the community to stand
up against that hate.”</p>
<p>Macfarlane argues any bylaw using language similar to the council motion wouldn’t withstand a constitutional challenge.</p>
<p>“(It) would, in my view, fall clearly offside with the Charter of Rights and freedom of expression guarantees,” he said.</p>
<p>“It’s not to say that there are no limits whatsoever that can be
placed on expression, but if you have such broad and vague and ambiguous
language, you’re going to run into serious trouble, I think.”</p>
<p>Bryan and Macfarlane both raised the issue of who would make the decisions about what’s appropriate for city spaces</p><p><br></p></div></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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