There are rewards for speaking out against the tyranny of Stephen Harper

Franke James

True-Life Story about Government Censorship and Dirty Oil wins Gold

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2014 -– New York, NY, United States
Banned on the Hill: A True Story about Dirty Oil and Government Censorship is the winner of a 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award.
Franke James’ true-life story of fighting back against the heavy-handed censorship of the Canadian Government was awarded the Gold Medal in the Canada-East Best Regional Non-Fiction category at the IPPY Awards Ceremony in New York City on May 28, 2014.

Author and Artist Franke James commented, “This Gold IPPY Award for Banned on the Hill is a sweet victory for me, for democracy, and for environmental voices everywhere. And it’s a blow against those high up in the Canadian government who are trying to silence and suppress environmental voices. It’s proof that censorship does not work — especially if you can wield a paint brush and leverage social media to gain supporters from around the world.

“I want to give a huge shout out to all the Indiegogo and Loudsauce supporters who joined my activist campaign and helped put my ‘banned art’ up on the streets of Ottawa (twice!), Halifax, Calgary and even Washington, DC! Together we are making a difference. We are shining a bright light on the censorship tactics of Orwellian Ottawa.”

http://www.frankejames.com/banned-on-the-hill-wins-gold/

Blacklisting Backgrounder

James’ 20-city European art show was cancelled as a direct result of behind-the-scenes government interference by high-level bureaucrats, including the Deputy Director of Climate Change, Jeremy Wallace, a Canadian Ambassador, Scott Heatherington, and a Senior Trade Commissioner in Berlin, Thomas Marr. According to the internal government documents, James was censored because her art was “advocating a message that was contrary to the government’s policies on climate change.”
The artist has vigorously and creatively fought back against the government’s interference and censorship calling it an infringement on her right to free expression. James used freedom of information laws to obtain 2,172 internal government documents concerning herself. In Banned on the Hill, the chapter, “Games Bureaucats Play” gives practical tips and insights for activists interested in applying for access to information.”