What could be more absurd than exercising your right to free speech to stop other people from speaking freely ?

But that’s exactly the tactic being followed by the few loud protesters who are dogging the steps of the Quebec commission on reasonable accommodation.

The "roadshow hearings" of the Bouchard-Taylor commission, as it is known, have now arrived in Montreal. Mysteriously denouncing the commission as "racist," the troublemakers, a group swollen to about 30 on Tuesday, capered and shouted outside the hall, tried to bull their way into the hearing room and otherwise tried to disrupt proceedings. Police arrested three.

All sorts of viewpoints are being expressed in briefs and oral submissions to the commission. For better or worse, this issue has gripped the attention of all Quebecers.

And that’s precisely why the hearings are essential, and just the opposite of "racist." The protesters seem to think that public concern about religious and cultural accommodation is somehow shameful and must be stifled. This is a wrong-headed notion.

Some opinions expressed in front of the commission have been tinged with racism, but the great majority have not. Considering how the issues have been whipped up by certain media, it’s hardly surprising that fair-minded people have genuine questions about accommodation.

But most such questions, we think, are rooted in ignorance or misunderstanding, not in racism. The commission’s work and report should help dispel that ignorance.

Trying to stifle public expression of concern is a guaranteed recipe for virulent whispering campaigns, rumours and demagoguery, which could lead to real trouble. These protesters are just dead wrong.

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