Stop taking the same path to war!

 Vicious and despicable abuses of human rights are being committed. Threats were sent to Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, demanding the dismissal of UEMURA Takashi, a part-time lecturer and former Asahi Shimbun newspaper journalist. The sender threatened to bomb the school unless it dismisses him and urged Uemura’s daughter to kill herself by posting her name and photograph online. In the midst of this, a group “Makeruna Hokusei! no Kai” (Don’t Give In, Hokusei! ) was formed mainly by lawyers and scholars on Oct. 6.  On the same day, a press conference was held at the House of Councilors.  “This is a terrorism against free speech, and it is a crime. Before the war, there was a similar incident, in which Professor YANAIHARA was expelled from the university. It is paving the path to war. The freedom of speech and academic freedom will be destroyed unless we stop it here,” said YAMAGUCHI Jiro, a founding member of the group.  UTSUMI Aiko, another member called out, “Hokusei is a respectable university with its own peace declaration. Although there have been moves to support Uemura within the school, let’s support him and Hokusei from outside of the school !” (By M)
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 ここで止めよう！いつか来た道～「北星学園脅迫事件」で記者会見

札幌市にある北星学園大学に「元朝日記者・植村隆をやめさせなければ爆破する」という脅し、さらに高校生の長女の写真をネットにさらし「自殺に追いこ む」と脅迫するなど、悪質で卑劣な人権侵害行為が、いま起きている。そうした中、学者・弁護士を中心に「負けるな北星！の会」が発足し、10月6日、衆院議員会館で記者会見が開かれた。「これは言論へのテロリズムで犯 罪行為。戦前も矢内原教授が追放された事件があったが、今回の問題は戦争への道を重なるもの。ここで止めないと“表現・学問の自由”が崩壊する」（山口二郎さん・写真）。内海愛子さんは「北星学園は平和宣言をもって いるりっぱな大学。だから植村さんを守る動きがつくれているが、外からも応援しよう」と呼びかけた。（M）
動画（YouTube 4 分半）