Conservative commentator Ann Coulter is touring Canada this week, making headlines all along the way. <\/p>\n
The first speech signaled what the tour was likely to generate, as reported here by the CBC:<\/a><\/p>\n On Monday night, Coulter sparked controversy when she spoke to about 800 people at the University of Western Ontario in London. She drew applause when she attacked the health-care overhaul bill U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday. Tuesday evening Coulter was to speak at the University of Ottawa, after being warned by a school official that Canada has different standards on free speech and \u201chate speech\u201d could land her in legal trouble.<\/p>\n No matter, that talk was canceled in the interest of public safety after pro- and anti-Coulter protesters stirred things up, generating reams of ink and blog posts about the state of free speech in Canada in general and at Canadian Universities in particular.<\/p>\n Ottawa Citizen Columnist Dan Gardner managed to interview Coulter earlier that day before taking in the clash of equally benighted ‘true believers’ (his term) at the student protests that night. Gardner says the anti-Coulter agitators got a key point wrong: hate speech is not defined as speech you hate. Read the whole column here.<\/a><\/p>\n National Post Full Pundit<\/span> blogger Chris Selley proclaimed<\/a> \u201cThere is nothing more important in Canada today than what Ann Coulter didn’t say in Ottawa.\u201d<\/p>\n Coulter’s next stop is the University of Calgary. Security has been beefed up with the aim of ensuring no cancellation at tonight’s event.<\/p>\n
But the regular Fox News commentator drew outrage from some, including a 17-year-old Muslim student who asked her a question about her views on Muslims.
Coulter has said all terrorists are Muslims and has suggested all Muslims be barred from airlines and use flying carpets.
When the student said she didn’t have a flying carpet, Coulter told her to “take a camel.”
In an interview on CTV News Channel Tuesday, Coulter called that remark a joke. “They wouldn’t be bringing me in here for a speech if I never told a joke, if I never used satire,” she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n