VANCOUVER—An event featuring controversial far-right speakers is now in limbo as a conflict between two UBC student groups this week continues to escalate, prompting the planned venue to pull out Wednesday morning.

The event was planned by the UBC Free Speech Club, which has gained attention since its inception in 2016 for bringing in far-right speakers. Friday’s headliners were to be Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux, who have been widely condemned as racists, fascists and white nationalists.

Both speakers told the Star they reject those labels and that they do not support harassment and violence.

A group called UBC Students Against Bigotry (UBC SAB) formed about a month and a half ago to challenge the “normalizing of hate speech” on campus. The Star spoke to one of the group’s leaders, who requested anonymity for fear of harassment.

“Inviting speakers who espouse white nationalism promotes harassment and potential violence against groups of people who are already marginalized, such as immigrants, Muslims, non-whites, women and the LGBTQ community,” they said Monday, prior to the cancellation.

Angelo Isidorou, the director of UBC’s Free Speech Club, acknowledged that both speakers have “controversial views” but said their opinions are “nowhere near” fascism or hate speech. Isidorou told the Star the event will likely be revived at a different location by Friday.

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Members of the local Greek community found themselves at the centre of the hot-tempered debate on free speech versus hate speech on Monday when the UBC SAB began to publicly pressure the event’s planned venue, the Hellenic Community Centre of Vancouver, to cancel the talk.

“We are encouraging people to reach out to (the centre) on social media, by phone and by email. We are encouraging people to express how they feel about them hosting these kinds of speakers,” the UBC SAB leader said earlier, noting that they are not endorsing any threats or harassment.

They argued the defence of freedom of expression comes with responsibilities and limits. While every Canadian has the right to express ideas, there is no obligation to provide certain ideas a platform.

The Hellenic centre originally doubled down on its choice to rent its space and said it was “flooded” with responses meant to disrupt its business, even prior to the Monday campaign.

“(The Greeks) brought democracy and the idea of being able to express your opinion to the world. Their efforts only strengthen our resolve to stand firmly for what is legally and morally correct: everyone’s right to freedom of expression,” Hellenic centre president Demetri Zambus told the Star on Monday.

The controversy moved off campus as other individuals and groups joined the debate. Zambus said opponents began showing up to Greek businesses and “shouting” almost immediately after the centre announced it would rent out its space, roughly two weeks ago.

“The attacks against our community are unwarranted, offensive and despicable,” he said.

A protest was planned for the day of the event with other left-leaning groups, such as the Vancouver chapter of the Revolutionary Student Movement, part of a Canada-wide network of anti-capitalists.

In a statement to the Star, the Hellenic centre’s board said it made the decision to cancel late Tuesday night.

“While we fully embrace freedom of speech, the safety and well-being of our members is paramount,” it read. “Specifically, threats of violence against our members ... are now deemed very credible and have escalated in the last 48 hours.”

The centre declined to comment further or detail the threats or the groups that made them.

The Vancouver Police Department is “aware” of the planned event this Friday and are preparing for it “despite talk of cancellation.” Police will have a visible presence should the event go ahead, said spokesperson Sgt. Jason Robillard in an emailed statement.

“We do have a process in place where we assess intelligence and plan for events such as this one. We deal with hundreds of rallies, public events and protests a year, where we carefully weigh the needs of our citizen’s rights for free speech with the need for public safety,” Robillard said.

The VPD would not provide further information on open cases regarding harassment, vandalism or threats of violence.

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The Free Speech Club’s Isidorou, a self-described libertarian and Greek Canadian, said he’s been personally targeted online and has faced threats of violence. He noted, however, that his concern is violence from far-left groups, not the UBC campus group.

UBC SAB members said they too have faced online harassment and threats, which they allege are coming directly from the Free Speech Club, such as a video posted to Facebook with the caption: “There will be free speech or there will be blood.”

They said Free Speech Club supporters are sending messages threatening fights, saying that their female members are ugly and that the men are “soy boy c—-s with too much estrogen.”

Isidorou maintained that his club is not officially targeting critics. If there were threats of violence, it would be illegal and he would remove that member, he said.

In fact, he said, critics are welcome to bring their opposition to the speakers at the event.

“If their views are controversial, the last thing you should do is deplatform them because they go underground,” he said. “I invite the peaceful protesters to come inside and ask a question. This isn’t an echo chamber. I want these ideas to be challenged.”

Both Southern and Molyneux, who have given speeches internationally together, confirmed they will be in Vancouver on Friday.

Southern has been criticized for anti-immigrant views and gained international attention for making a documentary on what critics called “white genocide” in South Africa.

She vehemently denied that claim in an emailed statement to the Star, noting she explicitly concludes the documentary by saying it’s not a white genocide. Southern acknowledged hateful speech exists but said an objective standard for it is difficult, as interpretations vary.

She also came under fire for participating in a seaborne mission to prevent refugees from entering Europe. She was subsequently denied entry to Britain last year for “threatening the public good” due to her comments on Islam.

Southern told the Star that she spent the last six months “on the ground with migrants and refugees” across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

“These protesters and critics finger wave from their ivory towers and comfortable Vancouver condos without even the slightest clue what the reality of migration is,” she said. “Not to mention their gross misuse of the word ‘fascist’ does a great disservice to those who have actually lived under fascist regimes.”

Meanwhile, Molyneux — a far-right icon and popular YouTube and online radio host — issued a rallying cry to his supporters online to ensure the event continues this week. He is most known for asserting the intellectual inferiority of non-whites based on genetics; critics call his views “scientific racism.”

Molyneux told the Star he is quoting well-established data. He spoke to group averages but said one cannot judge an individual by such averages as all people “deserve dignity and respect under the law.”

Molyneux said true hate can be found in the “barbaric” actions of those sending death threats, vandalizing property and intimidating people. Molyneux said he’s spoken in defiance of bomb and death threats before.

“The idea that I’m a fascist is beyond astonishing to me. I’ve robustly opposed it,” he said. “There is no conversation being had, and that’s the tragedy. We don’t progress if we bow down to fear, if we don’t speak reasoned arguments in the face of coercion.”

Correction — March 13, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Angelo Isidorou is the president of UBC’s Free Speech Club. In fact, he is the director.

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