De facto dhimmitude in the Forest City

UPDATE: Mark has Part 2:

When I spoke to her yesterday Da Silva never once expressed any concern whatsoever about security, even after I specifically asked if they had been threatened or were intimidated into cancelling, to which she seemed genuinely astonished by the very questions. The word ‘security’ or phrase ‘security concerns’ was never mentioned. I was led firmly to believe that the only factor involved in the cancellation was a concern about disturbing other users.

Like I said below, she’s got different versions of her side of the story. Andrew Lawton at Strictly Right has always been consistent in expressing only one version. What does that tell you?

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Just a bit more on Mark Steyn being persona non grata with London Ontario’s multicultural cheerleaders. Having lived in London for 30 years, I’m not surprised by the clucking and hand-wringing over the “security concerns” involved in hosting a conservative speaker. Yep, us knuckle-dragging “rowdy” conservative yahoos, we’re a scary bunch, aren’t we. Oh wait, the rowdy ones the LCC manager is most likely referring to are the “moderate” Muslims who like to threaten death to infidels when any filthy kaffirs dare criticize “He who must not be depicted” and his Manual of Mayhem.

Still, I think it’d be great if the LCC’s manager could get her story straight; so far I’ve heard/read about three different versions. What’s clear, contrary to Ms Da Silva’s protestations that no Muslims complained, is that the LCC employee who spoke to Andrew Lawton confirmed they’d received pressure from Islamic groups, hence they were canceling to avoid alienating Muslim clients. Were they actually pressured? Who knows… It doesn’t really matter, since they capitulated anyway.

For more on London’s “de facto dhimmitude” check out some of these links:

“Security Reasons/Concerns”–Slang For “I’m a Timorous Dhimmi”

How do you curtail the free speech of those who don’t genuflect before the great, ghastly, false god of multiculturalism? Well, first you get gelded. Then you whinge and fret about “security.” [...]

Asked if the content of Mr. Steyn’s work had anything to do with the Convention Centre’s decision, general manager replied, “No, we’re looking at the security risk.”…

No, you’re looking at the empty pouch where your stones used to be.

*Snort* — Scaramouche knows London well…

And Mark at Voice of Canada has this to add:

How can a room full of people listening to a guy making a speech be any more disturbing than, say, an Amway rally or ‘Sexapalooza – The FUN show for Adults’ which the LCC hosted in February 2009?

The National Post and The London Free Press have more — you can look them up yourselves. Kathy Shaidle had these comments:

You see, you’d never know it from all these stories, but normal, ordinary people in London are starving to hear some kind of conservative, un-p.c., pro-Western Civilization message. I’ve rarely had as much fun, and left so pumped up, as I do when I speak in that quaint little city.

Starving is the right word for it…

And lastly, check out Mark Steyn’s summation on the kerfuffle:

Pending the next move by the Islamic supremacists, we’re booked into Centennial Hall, which is a 1,400-seater. What do I have to do to fill that? Deliver an apocalyptic head-for-the-hills speech and sing “Marshmallow World” (the extended remix)? Let’s go for it! London is about equally convenient (or equally inconvenient) for Toronto, Buffalo and Detroit. So, if you’re a SteynOnline reader in Michigan or western New York, we’d love to see you. It’ll be a rollicking night, I promise. Because, to be honest, I’m a little more pumped than I was before. So, whatever happens, I’ll be there on November 1st, and neither the Islamic enforcers nor their prison wives in the City of London bureaucracy can prevent that.

Visit StrictlyRight to register.

Tagged as: belligerent Islam, capitulation, de facto dhimmitude, free speech, London Convention Centre, London Ontario, stealth jihad