A victory for free speech in Vancouver
I am delighted that the City of Vancouver has rewritten its bylaws that previously outlawed any Olympic protests within a 40-block area in downtown Vancouver. The old bylaw, which could have led to the arrest of anyone carrying or displaying an anti-Olympics sign within the so-called demonstration-free zone, was an outrageous abuse of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
This bylaw change has prompted the withdrawal of a lawsuit by Chris Shaw, a University of B.C. professor and Alissa Westergard-Thorpe, who charged that the previous bylaw violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and disregarded civil liberties. Good for them for launching the lawsuit, which was endorsed by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.