I appreciate this is a form letter, but just the fact that Ezra Levant instructed his staff to ENSURE every donation/contribution has been gratefully received and acknowledged speaks volumes about this Man's good character...
Help Ezra fight The Scourge!
Before any more time passes, please allow me to tell you how grateful I am for your generous contribution to my legal defence fund, against the censorship lawsuit brought against me in Toronto.
I have conflicting feelings about asking for help, to be honest. On the one hand, I’m embarrassed that I need help. But I also know that the whole reason this lawsuit was filed against me was to grind me down, to burn up my time and money, and wear me out. I’ve already incurred tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and a week-long trial will be tens of thousands of dollars more. That’s their whole point: demoralize me, and maybe even bankrupt me, in order to shut me up.
Because this nuisance suit was filed against me before I joined the Sun, I’m not protected by the Sun’s lawyers. That’s not a coincidence.
But I also know that the outcome of this case will have ramifications far beyond my own life, and my own ability to continue to speak truth to power – whether it’s human rights commission censors, or apologists for radical Islam, as is the case here.
I think a lot of eyes will be on this trial. If I lose, it won’t just set a legal precedent, where people can be sued for vigorously criticizing radical Islam and censorship. It will pro-actively cause people to bite their tongue. It will create a chill in the national discussion, to cause people to simply stay silent to avoid the risk of litigation.
On the other hand, if I win, it won’t just be a win for me. It will be a public rebuke of censorship as a political weapon, and of abusing courts to gag one’s opponents.
So I thank you not only for helping me, but for helping the larger fight. I’m getting used to being the pointy end of the spear in these fights – I love it, actually. It’s just the financial burden that worries me. And that’s why I’m so grateful to you.
You (and other amazing supporters) are lifting that burden off my mind. So I can focus 100% on the fight. I’m grateful.
I want to leave you with one more fact that I found troubling – and encouraging.
As you know, I set up a website to talk about this lawsuit. Not about the specific legal arguments – I’m going to save that for the court, which is the appropriate place. But to talk about the larger political picture – how this affects freedom of speech, and the separation of mosque and state, for all of us.
That website, www.standwithezra.ca, has had well over a thousand unique visitors, including media learning more about the case, and ordinary Canadians (and Americans!) concerned about free speech.
But it has also come to the attention of the enemies of freedom. A few weeks ago, a group of hackers, based in Turkey, hacked the site, took down our content, and put up a Muslim crescent moon flag, and their own Turkish message of victory.
We quickly added more Internet security to the site, and kicked off the hackers (they tried again several days later, but were unsuccessful). It wasn’t violent, and we weren’t in any danger of course. It was an online jihad, nothing more. But it was a reminder that this lawsuit isn’t just about me and the plaintiff as individuals. It’s about me, as a symbol of free speech and the right to criticize radical Islam. And it’s about the plaintiff, Khurrum Awan, former youth president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, and his public statement that he intends to inflict costs on anyone who dares to offend his religion.
Islamic hackers from Turkey are against me. I’ll admit that makes me a bit worried – this case is coming to the attention of international activists who aren’t afraid to break the law.
But you’re with me. And that makes all the difference in the world.
Thanks again – and sorry for the delay in writing back. It really does make me feel great to know that you’ve got my back here.
Thanks for helping me out financially. I’ll fight like hell till we win this thing.
Your friend,
Ezra Levant
P.S. If you haven’t checked out www.standwithezra.ca, feel free to poke around. It’s a grassroots site that I find very encouraging.
P.P.S. If you know of anyone else who might like to help, too, please forward this e-mail to them, and ask them to visit www.standwithezra.ca. They can contribute online, just by clicking the PayPal button. Thanks again!
Help Ezra fight The Scourge!
Dear (Me),
Before any more time passes, please allow me to tell you how grateful I am for your generous contribution to my legal defence fund, against the censorship lawsuit brought against me in Toronto.
 |
| Ezra Levant |
I have conflicting feelings about asking for help, to be honest. On the one hand, I’m embarrassed that I need help. But I also know that the whole reason this lawsuit was filed against me was to grind me down, to burn up my time and money, and wear me out. I’ve already incurred tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and a week-long trial will be tens of thousands of dollars more. That’s their whole point: demoralize me, and maybe even bankrupt me, in order to shut me up.
Because this nuisance suit was filed against me before I joined the Sun, I’m not protected by the Sun’s lawyers. That’s not a coincidence.
But I also know that the outcome of this case will have ramifications far beyond my own life, and my own ability to continue to speak truth to power – whether it’s human rights commission censors, or apologists for radical Islam, as is the case here.
I think a lot of eyes will be on this trial. If I lose, it won’t just set a legal precedent, where people can be sued for vigorously criticizing radical Islam and censorship. It will pro-actively cause people to bite their tongue. It will create a chill in the national discussion, to cause people to simply stay silent to avoid the risk of litigation.
On the other hand, if I win, it won’t just be a win for me. It will be a public rebuke of censorship as a political weapon, and of abusing courts to gag one’s opponents.
So I thank you not only for helping me, but for helping the larger fight. I’m getting used to being the pointy end of the spear in these fights – I love it, actually. It’s just the financial burden that worries me. And that’s why I’m so grateful to you.
You (and other amazing supporters) are lifting that burden off my mind. So I can focus 100% on the fight. I’m grateful.
I want to leave you with one more fact that I found troubling – and encouraging.
As you know, I set up a website to talk about this lawsuit. Not about the specific legal arguments – I’m going to save that for the court, which is the appropriate place. But to talk about the larger political picture – how this affects freedom of speech, and the separation of mosque and state, for all of us.
That website, www.standwithezra.ca, has had well over a thousand unique visitors, including media learning more about the case, and ordinary Canadians (and Americans!) concerned about free speech.
But it has also come to the attention of the enemies of freedom. A few weeks ago, a group of hackers, based in Turkey, hacked the site, took down our content, and put up a Muslim crescent moon flag, and their own Turkish message of victory.
We quickly added more Internet security to the site, and kicked off the hackers (they tried again several days later, but were unsuccessful). It wasn’t violent, and we weren’t in any danger of course. It was an online jihad, nothing more. But it was a reminder that this lawsuit isn’t just about me and the plaintiff as individuals. It’s about me, as a symbol of free speech and the right to criticize radical Islam. And it’s about the plaintiff, Khurrum Awan, former youth president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, and his public statement that he intends to inflict costs on anyone who dares to offend his religion.
Islamic hackers from Turkey are against me. I’ll admit that makes me a bit worried – this case is coming to the attention of international activists who aren’t afraid to break the law.
But you’re with me. And that makes all the difference in the world.
Thanks again – and sorry for the delay in writing back. It really does make me feel great to know that you’ve got my back here.
Thanks for helping me out financially. I’ll fight like hell till we win this thing.
Your friend,
Ezra Levant
P.S. If you haven’t checked out www.standwithezra.ca, feel free to poke around. It’s a grassroots site that I find very encouraging.
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