Self-censorship won't help Ukraine
And bowing to the mob, even a mob you agree with, sets a bad precedent.
Since late 2021, I have repeatedly warned about Russia’s impending plan to invade Ukraine; expressed my outrage at the invasion; welcomes Ukrainian refugees to Canada and donated money to help displaced Ukrainians here and at home; supported a harsh and comprehensive sanctions regime against Russia; supported the exclusion of Russian national teams from international sporting competitions; endorsed the provision of lethal military aid to Ukraine; called for Ukraine to be admitted to NATO and the European Union; called out Western pro-Putin apologists on the far right and far left; drawn attention to Russian domestic and international propaganda efforts; applauded Vladmir Putin’s indictment by the International Criminal Court; and demanded Russia’s complete withdrawal from every square centimeter of Ukrainian territory including Crimea and that reparations be paid to Ukraine for the unspeakable horrors inflicted upon the country and its people.
I have also pushed back against the constant condemnation and goalpost-shifting directed at Russians who have bravely condemned the war, and drawn the line at a global “boycott” of all things Russian, which according to some particularly overheated #NAFO Twitter users effectively makes me Glenn Greenwald.
The latest example: following a review-bombing blitz on Goodreads and a backlash on social media, the Eat, Pray, Love woman has “voluntarily” withdrawn an upcoming novel set in Siberia from publication, in the same way that one “voluntarily” donates lunch money to the guy hanging you by your ankles over a toilet in the school washroom.
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