Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the The Electronic Intifada - electronicintifada.net- reads from his recent book, "The Struggle for Justice in Palestine" at the Evanston Public Library (EPL). The author/reading, jointly sponsored by a local peace group had been cancelled just days prior to its scheduled date, when the library director, Karen Danzig Lyons, decided that the program should not proceed without the "balance' of a pro-Israel speaker at the event. An announcement by the author - http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/evanston-public-library-bans-my-book-talk-palestine - and organizing by the local peace and activist community in protest resulted in a fire-storm of criticism that took on national dimensions. The Director reversed her decision to cancel and the event went ahead as planed to a capacity audience.
Abunimah's opening comments refer to the controversy and the announced intention of the Evanston Public Library to go forward with additional adult programing that would provide an opportunity for library patrons to hear someone speaking about Palestine and resistance to the occupation from a Palestinian perspective.
Evanston Public Library Neighbors for Peace, Evanston