An ad campaign that discourages oil imports from Saudi Arabia because of its poor human rights record has drawn the ire of that country.
“We caught this foreign dictatorship trying to undermine freedom of the press here in Canada and trying to export its own contempt for democracy, its own contempt for freedom of the press here in Canada,” said Alykhan Velshi, founder of the group Ethicaloil.org.
His organization ran a tough-talking ad campaign on Oprah Winfrey Network Canada in August that has a woman announcer denounce Saudi oil imports: “We bankrolled a state that doesn't allow women to drive, doesn't allow them to leave their homes or work without their male guardian's permission and a state where a woman's testimony only accounts for half of a man's.
“Why are we paying their bills and funding their oppression?” the announcer then asks.
Velshi says the Television Bureau of Canada’s advertising review and clearance service has informed him that it has received a cease and desist letter from lawyers for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia demanding approval for ethicaloil.org’s ad be withdrawn.
Velshi says the lawyers have refused to disclose the letter to him or to list Riyadh’s concerns.
“So all we all we know is Saudi Arabia has hired a law firm to try to censor what can appear on our television screens and that’s an outrage,” said Velshi.
He wants Foreign Minister John Baird and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade investigate the matter.
“I’ll also be challenging the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Canada to a debate, preferably moderated by a woman, to drive home the point that his government and his regime have contempt for women, have contempt for freedom of speech, and that we won’t tolerate them trying to export their thuggish values into Canada,” added Velshi.
The Saudi embassy was not available to comment.
The ethical oil ad campaign will start running on Sun News Network on Monday.
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