Ryerson University has cancelled a “free speech on campus” event after activists on Facebook threatened violent disruption, University of Toronto Professor Jordan Peterson says.

Peterson, whose criticism of political correctness — and especially genderless pronouns — has attracted international attention, was one of a panel of experts speaking at The Stifling of Free Speech on University Campuses.

A Facebook page, entitled “No Fascists in Our City!,” says the university is hosting a “bigoted event featuring some of the most bigoted folks around right now as panelists.

“This s--- stops now. Either you’re with us or you’re not ... We are beyond pschyed,” it says in an invitation to the like-minded to join them at the event.

Peterson suspects that Ryerson’s decision to cancel the free speech event was likely due to the Facebook message.

“It’s not pretty and it’s exactly the kind of careless dialogue that is producing, that is contributing in no small part, to this increasingly dangerous state of polarization that we seem to be confronted with,” Peterson said.

Ryerson University spokesman Michael Forbes said in a statement that a sessional instructor booked space for the event on Aug. 22.

“After a thorough security review, the university has concluded that Ryerson is not equipped to provide the necessary level of public safety for the event to go forward,” Forbes said. The statement did not specifically refer to the Facebook page.

Here’s what Peterson has to say:

•Do you have any sympathy for Ryerson’s position?

“I have some sympathy with Ryerson’s concerns even though I may not trust their motivations. But to shut it down also means there’s no opportunity for dialogue. And the fact that it was shut down also fuels the fire of the radical right who look at something like that and say, ‘It’s no bloody wonder that we’re taking the stance that we’re taking.’ And that’s not helpful ... It certainly doesn’t eliminate the underlying surreal reality of the cancellation by a university on a talk about the cancellation of talks by universities.”

•Do you think those actions are motivated more by the horrific events in Charlottesville that saw a counter-protester allegedly killed by a white supremacist?

“There’s a time and a place for everything, and I think there’s much to be said for the fact that it’s identity politics that fuelled what happened in Charlottesville but that’s not the appropriate topic for the week. The appropriate topic is how about (that) white supremacists don’t kill anyone.”

•What do you think of President Donald Trump’s much-criticized comments about Charlottesville protesters and fault?

“It’s not time for a nuanced analysis about who’s at fault for the current state of political polarization. It’s time for an unequivocal denouncement of the events in Charlottesville.”

•What do you think is the current state of free speech, especially after Charlottesville?

“I don’t think it’s exactly a setback for free speech. I wouldn’t characterize it that way ... I think what happened in Charlottesville is just another step on the road to the kind of polarization that produces conflict instead of conversation. That’s why I thought protecting free speech was so necessary to begin with because if you can’t talk to people with whom you disagree, then either you capitulate to them or you fight with them. Those are the only options.”