University apologises for barring media from filming speech

The University of Ottawa has issued an apology after preventing the media from filming a speech made by the Chinese ambassador in Canada earlier this week. “We made the wrong decision at the last moment. We apologise to the media involved. We should have done better to protect the freedom of the press,” said Jacques Frémont, president of the university, in a statement issued on Wednesday 30 November, writes Catherine Lévesque for National Post.

The apology comes less than 48 hours after university officials told accredited media they could not film the Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, during a speech on campus in which he criticised the Liberal government’s newly released Indo-Pacific Strategy. The Canadian Press and Radio-Canada were not allowed to set up cameras, whereas a photographer from the Globe and Mail was not allowed in the room. The CTV News crew was also told their camera would not be allowed inside the building and had to stay outside.

Although the request was seemingly made by the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada, the university did not confirm this information directly. A spokesperson said in a statement that a “speaker’s unexpected refusal to allow cameras jeopardises the event”. Window blinds were also lowered by university staff in order to hide protests in support of Uyghurs taking place outside the building.
Full report on the National Post site