The crowd at the University of Calgary erupted in applause when Ann Coulter said she’d like to make Calgary and, everything west of it, the United States’ 51 state, reports The Canadian Press.
It seems Ottawa didn’t make the cut.
“We wanted to test Canada’s tolerance for differing viewpoints, and I have to say, unfortunately, Ottawa failed where London and, it seems, Calgary did not,” said Mary Lou Ambrogio, a head organizer for Coulter’s Canada tour.
The right-wing American pundit gave a 30-minute talk to a crowd of more than 900 at the U of C March 25, two days after her University of Ottawa appearance was cancelled on recommendation by Ottawa police.
Coulter announced to the Calgary crowd that she plans on filing a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission over the whole debacle, including U of O’s provost’s controversial letter warning her about the differences between hate speech law in Canada and the United States.
This too was met with applause, reports The Canadian Press.
According to Ambrogio, organizers made a last-minute venue change in Calgary to double amount of sitting space the day before the event to accommodate a sudden burst in interest. Still, Ambrogio said there were 500 more prospective attendees that had to be turned away.
Before the Calgary speech, Ambrogio told the Charlatan organizers didn’t expect protests to cause any security concerns this time around, but noted that organizers would remain cautious.
Before the event James Stevenson, senior communications manager for U of C, told the Charlatan the Calgary campus’ response to the event was “all over the map.”
“There is widespread feeling about this on both sides of the coin,” he said.
In response to Coulter’s planned visit, U of C’s Muslim Students’ Association issued a press release, saying it does “not consider Ann Coulter to be someone who speaks on an intellectual level that warrants consideration.” However, the association said it would not organize a protest.
But other groups did.
A few dozen protesters were present, holding signs, banging doors and heckling spectators, writes The Canadian Press, but nothing compared to the hundreds of protesters at the U of O.
One sign, held by a young child, said “I don’t have a camel or a flying carpet, can you lend me your broomstick?” referring to a remark Coulter made at the University of Western Ontario March 22, saying all Muslims should make use of flying carpets or camels for international travel, rather than planes.
“The whole point is that you open your mind to a differing viewpoint. That’s what we want to do,” Ambrogio said.
Admission to Coulter’s speech about political correctness, media bias and freedom of speech was $10 and free for any student with a valid student ID.