Ann Coulter is filing a Human Rights Commission complaint for hate crime towards her - a conservative, although she refines it by saying a Christian conservative woman. It is both funny and serious at the same time. I'm not sure she really means it, and if she's just saying it for effect. Her argument is that the letter the University of Ottawa's provost sent her was a "hate crime" towards her, and that it could also incite further hatred by others towards her. Coulter is always provocative, and I don't fully understand her accusation of "hate crime." I think it was more a case of discrimination, against the group that she has described: Christians and conservatives (females not necessarily so).
The University of Ottawa's provost sent a letter to Coulter. Here is the pertinent excerpt:
You will realize that Canadian law puts reasonable limits on the freedom of expression. For example, promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges. Outside of the criminal realm, Canadian defamation laws also limit freedom of expression and may differ somewhat from those to which you are accustomed. I therefore ask you, while you are a guest on our campus, to weigh your words with respect and civility in mind.Most pundits, bloggers and non-liberal writers have said that this was a veiled threat warning Coulter that if her speech is unacceptable according to the requests of the letter, she could face repercussions.
In any case, her speech at the University of Ottawa was canceled due to an unruly crowd which caused the organizers of her lecture tour to fear for her safety.
Despite her canceled lecture in Ottawa, Calgary welcomed her with open arms. There's never a dull moment with Coulter, and her humor and drama was a good way to expose the hypocrisy of Canadian bureaucrats.
Her energetic, funny and informative interview with Michael Coren, where she holds nothing back (including her jokes about Canada), is here. She even manages to subdue him, and that is quite a feat.
