A billboard in New York City that showed a picture of a black girl with the message, "The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb," has been taken down. The organization responsible for the billboard, which is run by an African American, sought to draw attention during Black History Month to the genocidal impact abortion. What happened in New York City was an exercise in urban fascism: calls for censoring the free speech of a private company were issued by agents of the state (e.g., New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio called for the billboard to be removed); waiters and waitresses who work in a restaurant in the building where the billboard was posted were harassed; and concerns that violence might ensue—as admitted by an official for the ad company—forced the decision to take down the billboard.
Just a few months ago, the Catholic League protested a vile video that was part of an art exhibition at the Smithsonian that showed large ants running all over Jesus on the Cross. Because the Smithsonian receives 70 percent of its funding from the public, and Christians comprise 80 percent of the population, we asked Congress to reconsider the propriety of underwriting this institution. We never called for censoring the video, we never sponsored harassment of Smithsonian employees (there was none anyway), and we never threatened violence. Yet we were the subject of endless condemnation by the liberal-left.
Now, when real calls for censorship take place, along with real acts of harassment, and real concerns over violence, no one is castigated by our critics. I think we know who the real fascists are.
