On February 23 The Writers' Guild of Alberta planned to mark Freedom To Read Week with a public forum in Calgary on censorship and book banning. A rental agreement was signed and a deposit paid to Legion Hall 264.
A week before the event, the Legion cancelled the booking. It said:
"aspects of the event conflict with Legion policy, which requires alignment with current government regulations and guidelines"
The Legion did not specify the guidelines it wished to align itself with, but the organizers assume they were referring to the Alberta government's controversial school library book restrictions, which educators, writers, and defenders of freedom of thought and speech have been criticizing for years.
Edmonton writer Anne Bailey is President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. “This shocking decision from the Legion reinforces just how important it is to celebrate Freedom to Read Week and to hold events such as ours,” Bailey notes. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental democratic right and the purpose of events like these is to remind all of us to be vigilant and to stand up against censorship whenever it happens.”
Sounds right to me. How's your freedom feel this week? And what does Legion 264 think its founders were fighting for?
