From the middle of October have Joshua French toured with the lecture “Sentenced to death”. According to the website to foredragsbyrået Athenas, lecture Frenchs “personal story about the background of the imprisonment and dødsstraffene in Congo, and eight years in the hope of a diplomatic solution.”
Upset
In the evening keeps the French lecture at Kulturhuset Ælvespeilet in the history of the championship, but now have the Red Skien and Porsgrunn looked tired, and chose to hold a demonstration outside the building on Monday evening.
Divulged new details about the Congo case
– It is a protest against Ælvespeilet and that they rent out premises to a fremmedkriger. We ask really Ælvespeilet about to cancel the entire show as they’ve done it in Narvik, ” says Ragnar Steinstad in the Red Skien to the Newspaper.
Steinstad tells you that they are upset that the new year can give a soapbox to a man who has been a mercenary in the Congo.
After the speech that nobel peace prize winner Dennis Mukwede held, where he told about the grotesque horrors and abuse women in particular experience during the war in the Congo, everyone should know what a fremmedkriger is.
Almost sold out
Dagbladet reporter on-site talking with he who is responsible for the event in the new year. He was witness to the demonstration on Monday evening.
– There were 18-20 people who showed up at the demonstration, and it went quiet for themselves, ” says Rune Evensen, to Dagbladet.
ALMOST sold OUT: Rune Evensen is arrangementansvarlig at Ælvespeilet and says to Dagbladet that the lecture to the French were almost sold out. Photo: Christian Roth Christensen / Dagbladet Show more
He says that they neither feared nor expected disturbance.
– It is freedom of speech from both Joshua French, and the protesters. So it’s okay.
the Lecture to the French, which was almost sold out, despite the lesson not cancelled on Monday evening.
– Anyone can book themselves into
deputy mayor Janicke Andreassen (Ap) says to the newspaper the Beacon, which discussed the matter first, that it is Ælvespeilets management who must decide.
– Ælvespeilet is an institution where all the booking themselves into.
She says, however, that she had responded about a nynazistisk group had booked in, but says that the French are not judged in Norway, at the same time she admits that it is a “murky argument.”
BUILDING: in Front of the culture house in Porsgrunn met 18-20 people up on Monday evening to demonstrate against that they let the French keep the lecture its there. Photo: Christian Roth Christensen / Dagbladet Show more Cancelled lecture
This is not the first time the lecture to French attract attention. At Narvik, it was cancelled after the lecture, according to the newspaper the Forward, created a storm in social media.
We see that there are aspects of this reservation that is problematic, also in the light of the recently discontinued the nobel peace prize. Our intention was never to make Joshua French of a hero, but to hear his version of a much discussed and controversial case, wrote Vinterfestuka in a statement in December.
After that the writer Arne-Wilhelm Theodorsen wrote a letters to the editor in which he urged the Kulturhuset in Tromsø to follow Narvik, created the lecture also debate there. The management of Tromsø decided, however, not to cancel the lecture.
SV, Miljøpartiet and the Left endorses
Responsible for the demonstration in the evening, Steinstad, emphasizes the opposite Dagbladet that, however, there are so many that have the ability to set up in front of the culture house in Porsgrunn on Monday. Seven people pressed to the Facebook event, but it turned out that several however met up.
Nevertheless, Steinstad proud that what initially was his feature article in the local newspaper TAKE who has now made that both SV, Miljøpartiet and the Left endorses the demonstration.
– Pleased me in years
the Newspaper was in October of the lecture to the French in Nøtterøy kulturhus, where among other things, he talked about spionasjeanklager and the death of friend and colleague Tjostolv Moland.
I have been looking forward to this for years, my right to tell my story on its own terms without photography and direct question and confrontation, said the French at the time.
Joshua French to a total of keep the 34 lectures, and tour, which started in October, lasts until 6. march.
What really happened in the jungle 5. may 2009?
