Councillors were led to believe that, to prove their political correctness, they had to side with the ARA “youth” combatting the Nazis. To achieve this, the staff backers of the grant had to vilify the opposition. Instead of answering the concerns about ARA’s violent record, the CEO of Metro Robert A. Richards circulated a memo which stated:
- “Some Councillors have been receiving phonecalls, e-mail and other communications from members of the public concerning funding to Anti-Racist Action. … Please note that some of the individuals have questionable backgrounds. … Paul Fromm — long time neo-Nazi organizer — founded the Canadian Association for Free Expression, Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform, Edmund Burke Society and now defunct Western Guard. All these are white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations.”
You can imagine the humiliation and disgust I felt to see myself so lied about and vilified. C-FAR and CAFE are not neo-Nazi or white supremacist organizations. CAFE takes no stand at all on immigration. The Edmund Burke Society was strictly anti-communist. I neither founded nor ever was a member of the Western Guard. Unfortunately, this pattern of shameless character assassination is being used all across the country — see the Free Speech Monitors for June, July/August, and September — to cancel meetings and to attempt to shut down Internet service to populists. Truth means nothing to the enemies of freedom, some of whom, like David “bare bum” Lethbridge won’t even debate war heros and patriots like Doug Collins.
We’re in a sleazy war where lies, character assassination and vicious labelling are the weapons used by the hard ideologues and opponents of freedom to try to drive us from the public stage. In my case, the Richards’ memo essentially said: Ignore this man and his evidence; he’s a neo-Nazi. Our legal advisors said: You have to fight these smears. Not to confront these people is to encourage them to continue to lie about you, to blacken your reputation and to destroy any effectiveness you might have as a lobbyist. That’s why I now must ask for your help.
On August 16, my lawyer filed a $700,000 lawsuit for libel against Robert A. Richards and Metro Council. Legal action is neither cheap nor easy. I didn’t undertake it lightly or frivolously. This action could well cost $50,000. I will not belabour the issue, but I — through CAFE — need your serious help and I need it within the next few weeks. I know, as always, I can count on you to be generous in the battle for freedom. If enough of the enemies of freedom and the smear artists have to pay for their misdeeds in court, all who believe in free discussion will benefit.
Recent Activities of the Canadian Association for Free Expression
Finally, I want to let you know some of the other things we’ve been doing in the past few months:
- I appeared on 1040 Radio in Vancouver, August 25 for a full hour attacking grant grabber CAERS;
- CAFE lobbied immigration Minister Robillard to permit Minister Farrakhan to come to Toronto to speak;
- I appeared on the Michael Coren open-line show in Toronto during the ARA grant debate.
- CAFE gave interviews to Alberta Report and the Edmonton Journal (September 25, 1996) opposing Lethbridge and the cancellation of the Third Option Committee conference.
- I appeared for an hour on the Leslie Primeau show on CHED in Edmonton and QR77 in Calgary, September 26 on the conference cancellation issue. Calls ran 7 to 4 in favour of freedom.
Please use the enclosed coupon to send your support to the Metro Lawsuit and for the ongoing work and meetings of the Association’s.
Yours for freedom, Paul Fromm
p.s. All donors will receive an audiotape of a talk I gave, September 15, 1996 in Toronto, on the government funding of CAERS, ARA and other grant-chasing enemies of free thought. Alternatively, you can choose to receive a thick Enemies of Freedom Information Kit, and, as always, my sincere and humble thanks.