Letters: November 22, 2001

PG 13?

I was extremely disturbed by the letter written by Bernard Boulad last week ["But it's art!"], in which he complained about the Mirror's Nov. 8 cover. If Boulad believes that an "innocent kid" will be thrust into the complex world of adult fantasy just by looking at the cover of the Mirror then I think he is a very repressed individual. Most kids have seen more perverse things at school or on TV than that photo of partial nudity.

If you're so worried that a kid might see some flesh then maybe you shouldn't leave your house. God! What if they see a picture of a stripper on Ste-Catherine or a woman breast-feeding an infant? Maybe some parents should spend less time sheltering their kids from sex and nudity and more time teaching kids to be nicer individuals.

--Kris Steeves

Hate crime and punishment

Regarding the article "Judging Hate" [Nov. 15], we at ARA Montreal must inform you that our opinion of the Christian Thomas murder trial was not expressed in the article due to miscommunication. We apologize for the confusion.

The SPCUM and specifically their anti-gang squad have extensive knowledge of these neo-Nazi gangs' activities. Yet, at the time of the arrests, they chose to officially deny "that any of the suspects have any link whatsoever to individuals belonging to hate groups." We found out that the suspects did (and still do), and that the police were lying. We sent out a press release to all of Montreal's media. No mainstream media that interviewed us published anything. Police officials refused to comment on our allegations. The prosecution claimed that after reviewing the case the police had prepared, they had no reason to believe that there was any neo-Nazi gang link.

During the trial, the prosecution used the testimonies of a dozen neo-Nazis, also present when the murder occurred, to convict Sacha Montreuil. At this same trial, not only did the three accused admit their association with neo-Nazis, but also one of them, Adam Guerbuez, admitted being a three-year Heritage Front member. Even though our allegations were initially denied by local authorities and are now proven to be founded, the media still hasn't published the truth. The SPCUM, to this day, still do not admit their flagrant lack of transparency. We feel that the police and media have betrayed the public.

--Kenneth Case, ARA Montreal

Artspeak

This is in regards to Amy Barrat's damning review of the Centaur's production of Art ["Everyone's a critic," Nov. 8]. Art is essentially three people talking about one thing for two hours. So if the acting is bad, nothing can save the play. As for Barrat's comment about the validity of the discussion of "what is art" raised by the play--it's perhaps a fruitless discussion, but not invalid. Art occupies a position of perceived cultural and intellectual superiority. There are still people, who, when confronted by a vast plane of solid colour with an astronomical price tag, don't buy the justification that curators feed them. Often scholars and critics don't buy these explanations either. This isn't merely a case of people "getting over" the shocks of a certain movement. When in a museum, one expects to indulge in the holiness of an art object. If the object isn't quite as holy as you were expecting, then there is the serious sense that someone is making fun of you. The fact remains that these kinds of discussions are necessary, if only to question the values and taste of those who attempt to dictate culture for us. Centaur's Art might have been a mess, but the questions the script raises about the holiness and unapproachability of art are still worth asking.

--Sholem Krishtalka

Not the Al Qaeda

I am a member of Jamiat Hizbullah Mujahiddin. Your representative Mr. Ken Hechtman got an interview with one of us ["Jihad's umbrella," Nov. 15], and we were sorry to see a mistake. We don't have any links with Al Qaeda. We are preachers only and Jihad against those people who disturb the world peace and others. We are not Dravidians, we are purely Muslim, we have our own details from where our forefathers came. I hope you will change the above in your magazine.

--Member of Jamiat Hizbullah Mujahiddin

Correction

The title of DJ Short Cut's CD is Pete La Coche, and it is distributed by Musicor. The Mirror regrets the error.

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