Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the First Lady of the United States of
America, gave a ringing endorsement of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,
and freedom to organize and to debate openly when she spoke to delegates
of the International Women's Conference in Beijing, China.
This endorsement has particular meaning for Germans and German descendents
world-wide and particularly in Canada where freedom of speech has been
severely curtailed at the behest of special interest groups with an interest
in suppressing debate on Holocaust matters.
During a speech at the International Women's Conference in Beijing, Mrs.
Clinton said, as quoted in the International Edition of the New Yoirk Times,
September 6, 1995:
Freedom means the right of people to assemble, organize and debate openly . . . It means respecting the views of those who may disagree with the views of their governments. It means not taking citizens away from their loved ones and jailing them, mistreating them, or denying them their freedom or dignity because of peaceful expression of their ideas and opinions."
Members of the German and German descendent community in Canada wish
to go on record saying that they hope that Prime Minister Chretien of Canada
is listening so he may learn the basic lesson of democracy - that true
freedom means freedom to differ with the official view of things, including
the official and "sanctioned" view on historical matters such
as the Holocaust.