Academic Freedom Does Not Include Holocaust Denial

B'nai Brith Canada is urging the University of Lethbridge in Alberta to investigate one of its professors over suggestions that he has promoted Holocaust denial and other antisemitic conspiracy theories. Anthony Hall, who teaches Globalization Studies, promotes the canard that Israel, rather than al-Qaeda, was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, suggesting that the operation was the basis "for a 100 year war on Muslims for Israel." He is also a staunch advocate of launching an "open debate on the Holocaust" alongside Holocaust deniers such as Monika Schaefer (whom he publicly recommended to be the next leader of the Green Party of Canada).

In late August, B'nai Brith drew attention to an image threatening to "Kill all Jews now" that had been shared to Hall's Facebook wall. In response, Hall penned a lengthy article where he suggests that B'nai Brith planted the image in order to frame him as part of a dramatic conspiracy involving both Facebook and Calgary police and to "justify appeals for money" from prospective donors. He also accuses B'nai Brith of abusing "Jewish victimhood" and of "wreaking havoc" on civil academic discourse on campus. A university professor for more than 25 years, Hall uses his credentials to establish the legitimacy of the theories he espouses. However, as an educator, he has a responsibility to uphold the principle of "academic freedom," which is ironically the very principle he claims to protect by promoting an alternative interpretation to what transpired during the Holocaust. B'nai Brith continues to demand that the University of Lethbridge investigate, to guarantee that students are not subjected to Hall's anti-Zionist itinerary, but the institution has chosen to stand by its professor, also citing a commitment to "academic freedom." According to a 2011 statement from Universities Canada, however, academic freedom "includes the right to freely communicate knowledge and the results of research and scholarship." Does the University of Lethbridge feel that Holocaust denial, accusations of world Zionist conspiracy plots and antisemitism are the legitimate "results of research and scholarship?"

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Hall's personal antisemitism cannot be separated from his academic career. Students have accused him of promoting conspiracy theories and false-flag accusations in his classroom, and several have spoken out against him for promoting his "sensationalized" and "biased" views and for abusing "the stage he receives as a teacher." One student summed it up quite eloquently: "Anyone who doesn't believe in the 9/11 conspiracy should not take his class." In 1990, Canada's Supreme Court affirmed in R v Keegstra that antisemitic conspiracy theories have no place in an institution of higher learning. Canadians have a right to know who is shaping the minds of the next generation in an academic setting, and the University of Lethbridge has a moral and professional obligation to investigate Hall to ensure that he's only advancing views that correlate with historical fact. If you agree that the University of Lethbridge should investigate Hall's conduct, please sign our petition. For more information on Anthony Hall, see Canary Mission's expose here. For more information contact: Marty York, Chief Media Officer marty.york@bnaibrith.ca Tevy Pilc, Staff Writer/Researcher tpilc@bnaibrith.ca