Still no clarity on SMU response to pro-abortion hooligans
Over three weeks ago, a small group of hooligans shouted down a pro-life presentation at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax.
The university issued a statement defending its decision to cave to mob rule by requiring the speaker and those interested in hearing what he had to say to move off campus. The presentation continued at a nearby church.
Nothing further has been said since then, and the acting president of St Mary’s Students for Life says it’s time for some answers. He also says that the university’s statement included false information that needs to be corrected.
The latest issue of The Atlantic Catholic, cover dated 28 February, carries a report on this and other fallout from SMU’s capitulation to anti-free speech bullies. The publication is not available online, so I post the full text here.
‘They Were Breaking The Law’
Student calls on university to apologize for allowing protestors to end pro-life presentation
By Nicole Myshak
Even with the passage of several weeks, there is still no greater clarity as to whether or not St. Mary’s University (SMU) chaplain, Father Dan Kelly, SJ, will be facing a human rights complaint relating to his involvement in a Feb. 5 presentation on campus.
On Feb. 9 local media sources reported that a “chairwoman of the board at the women’s centre at the university” indicated that her group was “considering a human rights complaint against the university chaplain for participating in the event.”
The event, entitled “Echoes of the Holocaust: A Reflection on the Abortion Issue,” featured a presentation by Jose (Jojo) Ruba, a founding member of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.
Sponsored by the St. Mary’s Pro-life Students and Campaign Life Coalition Nova Scotia, the talk was disrupted by pro-abortion protestors who drowned out Ruba with chants and yelling. A member of this group also blocked Ruba’s visual presentation by covering the projection window in the lecture hall.
The Halifax Regional Police were present and repeatedly cautioned protestors that they were disturbing the peace. Even so, the disturbance continued until representatives of the university brought the presentation to a premature ending. Organizers then chose to resume the talk off campus at Canadian Martyrs church, which neighbours the university.
Reached by phone, Georgia Schurman, one of the co-coordinators of the St. Mary’s Women’s Centre, said she was unable to comment on the likelihood of a human rights complaint against Father Kelly. “We’re in the process of figuring out all the details of what happened behind the scenes with the university and the chaplaincy,” she says.
However, Schurman stressed the importance of her group being “well informed” before they were willing to put out their “position.”
Besides the possibility of this complaint, there has been other animated dialogue in the media and throughout cyberspace on account of what transpired at the university. Part of this controversy relates to a perceived breach of the freedom of speech.
Joseph Westin, the acting president of the St. Mary’s Students for Life, the group who co-sponsored the event, is of this opinion. He is disturbed by what happened and dissatisfied with the university’s subsequent response. “We’re not getting the answers we want from the school,” he asserts.
The second year commerce student recounts having received a number of calls from those who share this perspective, including alumni who are “cutting oft” their financial support to the university and one who is redirecting these funds to Campaign Life Coalition. “We have support,” affirms Westin.
He notes that Dr. Mark Mercer “the renowned atheist on campus,” has also voiced his support of the group’s right to have held the event. “He’s definitely pro-choice but he’s still on our side,” stresses Westin.
The 22 year old would like to see a number of things happen to rectify the situation including a “retraction of the press release” posted on the University’s website as well as “a public apology from the school.”
Westin wants this retraction because, through the Feb. 9 media release, he claims that university officials are “under their breath” giving the impression that they moved the presentation “on campus somewhere else.” That’s false, he states.
The university statement reads that, “protesters were asked to stop disrupting the event, but after more than an hour and a half, the presentation was relocated to a nearby location. … Relocating the event, though regrettable, allowed the speaker to complete his presentation.”
Westin believes it necessary to clarify what happened. “Really they stopped the presentation and we decided to leave and go to the church; if the church was not there we wouldn’t have been able to continue.”
“They made no effort to provide another building or venue for us,” he adds of the university. “They’re claiming that they moved us to another building. But they didn’t. They stopped our presentation.”
The media release concludes by saying that ‘The University is currently reviewing the matter.” In response to a phone inquiry about this release, Chuck Bridges, the Vice President of External Affairs at St. Mary’s, emphasized that “while the matter is under review” the university would have “no further comment.”
Westin is adamant that the university is “trying to save face” thereby denying that they succumbed to the pressure applied by the pro-abortion protestors.
“But they did give into the mob,” he maintains.
“They’re not dealing with it at all,” Westin continues. “They’re pretty much sweeping it under the rug. They’re trying to get rid of it.”
As a result, the pro-life student doesn’t want the matter to subside. ”I’m not forgetting what happened and I’m not letting it go,” he says. “The people who were breaking the law should have been dealt with and stopped, not us”
Accordingly, Westin would like the university to apologize for “the way they handled” the incident. He says this is fitting on account of the event being stopped and “for the behavior they let happen.”
He feels that escalation of the disruption, which prompted the arrival of the Halifax Regional Police, “shouldn’t have had to happen” as security officials ought to have stepped in prior to this.
“They should have just dealt with it right away saying, ‘you guys gotta’ go now,’” suggests Westin.
Since this didn’t happen the St. Mary’s student is disillusioned that protestors were allowed to continue their interruption of the presentation. “They were breaking the law,” insists Westin. “They were breaking campus rules and they should have been dealt with.”
Because he believes the protestors’ behaviour was unacceptable in any circumstance, whether on a university campus or within society, Westin would like an investigation into “why they weren’t dealt with.” As well he is seeking “an investigation into the Women’s Centre” which he claims was “behind the organizing of the protest.”
He’s upset that a portion of the annual student fee amounting to $1 per student — payable in the fall and the winter semester — is allocated specifically to this Centre.
A companion article in the same issue covers Mr Ruba’s presentation at St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, which was held a few days after the disruption at SMU. No problems were reported at StFX: Ruba made his planned presentation, and opposing views were aired and discussed during the subsequent question period.
StFX campus police were on hand to ensure order, and order was kept. If only the authorities at SMU had done their job as well.
[...] on the St. Mary’s shout-down. Thanks to the fine folks at AC for sharing the .pdf, and Geezer Scott Gilbreath for decoding and commenting on same. Modern Undiversities: be afraid!: “Still no clarity on [...]
I don’t think the reporter is correct that the disturbance continued once the police arrived. The videos seem to show the disruptive protesters settling down not too much after the police got there (which might have been as long as 40 minutes from the first disruption). Everything appears fine a minute after we hear an officer announce that anyone who interferes with the presentation will be removed. That’s what makes so baffling the request from SMU Security that Mr Ruba leave the room. Rumour right now, and comments from Chuck Bridges in a Chronicle Herald report seem to confirm it, is that Saint Mary’s had the talk moved in order to ensure that no disruptive protester was arrested. Very strange!
Nice follow up , Scott.
It was interesting that several University student unions across the country, who had previously failed to sanction pro-life groups, accepted them on campus shortly after the SMU incident received so much publicity. Those newly sanctioned do not include the SMU group, which was able to book their event only through the Chaplaincy office.