Re: Libraries won't stand up for First Amendment

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

On 2025-01-01 4:58 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Two suburban public libraries where I live discriminated against showing
the movie Israelism.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2024/12/30/northbrook-highland-park-public-library-first-amendment-aclu-hecklers-veto

Its producers were two Jews whose views about Israel had changed, from
support to pro Palestinian. Mostly it's bren shown on college campuses
since it premiered in February 2023 (months before the October 7 2023
attack by Hamas) but it's now been distributed digitally by a Palestinian
company owned by the sister of fashion models Bella and Gigi Hadid,
becoming available to rent from various platforms since the end of
June 2024.

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-805145

The movie was supposed to be shown in one library in September 2024 but
cancelled because the library had demanded a $3,000 fee for security and
insurance. The library had received phone calls and email messages
demanding that the showing be cancelle.

And it was.

They then tried to show the movie at the other library which copied the
first library's demamds for security and insurance fees.

Both libraries heard from ACLU of Illinois pointing out the
unconstitutionality of charging fees based on the controversial nature
of political speech.

It sucks for the library because they'd have to eat the security and
insurance costs.

I've seen off-duty village police officers provide security for other
events at the library, like the local member of Congress's town hall
meeting as town halls have been disrupted elsewhere.

The library has a diversity equity an dinclusion statement about all
being welcome painted on a prominent wall near one of the entrances, but
it seems they don't mean it.

Just to be clear, mime: Just because I had no interest in seeing the
movie myself doesn't mean others shouldn't be allowed to see it.

I'm kinda surprised your local libraries discriminated against showing
this film. The content seems to be decidedly anti-Israel and is
presumably anti-Semitic as well, which would seem to guarantee a warm
reception from the woke left especially the college crowd. I strongly
suspect my hometown's local library would eagerly show it to parade
their woke credentials. (They seem inordinately proud of putting tampons
in all the washrooms, presenting drag queen story hours, etc.)

Are the two libraries you cited in Jewish areas? Have pro-Israel groups
been committing violence at showings of this film?

One anti-Netanyahu pro Palestinian Jewish organization sponsored the
movie. Another pro-Israel anti-Hamas organization organized the pressure
campaign on the first library leading to cancelling the showing.