From here:
The Canadian Government, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party, is actively working to shut down my solo European art exhibition, which is set to tour 20 cities in Europe. The government’s interference includes phoning the corporate sponsor, and persuading them to cancel their $75,000 sponsorship.
Canadian officials have also bullied the NGO, Nektarina Non Profit, and warned them repeatedly to cancel the exhibition because they are opposed to “Franke James.” They are doing everything in their power to make sure my show is killed. An employee with Amnesty International in Croatia reacted to the news by saying, “This is a sad day for Canadian democracy.”
A long time before he became the PM with 39% of the votes cast in the last federal election, SHithead aka Stevie Spiteful said to Susan Crean, the co-author of 'Two Nations' with Quebec activist/sociologist Marcel Rioux: "You should not have been allowed to write that book."
5 comments:
Yet, there are folks who still scoff when we call him a dictator.
Harper himself waxed eloquent on the dictator-like powers of the Canadian Prime Minister when the Liberals were in power. Of course, once he gained power himself, it was full speed ahead on the autocrat train.
When the Prime Minister, half of Parliament (plus Senators), and the majority of the media are perfectly happy to have Canada be turned into a U.S. client state, the Canadian system doesn't really have any checks on power left.
So, by her testimony and references, a National government interfered with the corporate decision of a private company on how to spend its money. And this interference took the form of 'it's a nice business you've got here, shame if anything happened to its future contracts'. And the National Government is Canada's.
And the interference affected another Nation State's efforts at raising environmental awareness and agency in its own youth population. And that Nation State is Croatia.
Croatia, whose people know all about the consequences of governmental powers dictating what is permissible as public speech. And what happens to dissenters to government policies.
The irony is so thick it could be taxed as air pollution.
Given the Edwardian Garden whimsy cartoon style of Ms F's work, I'm seeing yet another example of extremely polite dissent being subject to sub-rosa punishment.
I expect there will be voices raised that political dissenters should not expect Conadiaservativen (what? They're the same aren't they? Harper said so) monies or positive publicity, and that if something is so important it should speak for itself on its own dime.
Does that extend to a Government's clout extorting private business to not give monies to an exhibition on foreign soil? Does that extend to a Government that accepted commercial sponsorship for a governmental conference retreat on home soil?
If an exhibition can be interfered with because of the inclusion of one exhibitor labeled a State Undesirable, if private business can be extorted to not aid that exhibitor, even indirectly, how far is it to where Monsieur Letat Cestmoi actively interferes with communication access and employment of subjective Undesirables on home soil?
Other than Abousfian Abdelrazik. Or Alex Hundert. Or any of a number of dismissed public servants. The reach is going further, the tactics more bullying and the targets smaller. It bodes well for blogland.
I have no idea how good or what her art is about, but if Harper is doing this to her, then she is one of my new favourite artist!
Personally I blame Harper for this,... ya and this time it really is his fault,... what a huge male member.
Harper has really shown his face here. This interference reminds of Generalisimo Fransisco Franco. Well done you autocratic fascist.
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