Yes, that was the right-wing spin last week: Loony liberals had formed an “ugly mob” outside the hall where Ann Coulter was scheduled to speak at the University of Ottawa and that police, fearing for Coulter's safety, called off the event.

“The police and the security have advised that it would be physically dangerous for Ann Coulter to proceed with this event and for others to come in,” was the official line from Coulter's camp when they pulled the plug on her speech. And of course, U.S. right-wing bloggers went even further, claiming violent “leftists,” armed with “rocks and sticks” had shut down free speech.

It certainly made for a compelling story. And for conservatives last week trying to push back against the tide of right-wing violence that erupted in the wake of the health care vote, the Coulter incident made for a convenient diversion. (i.e. Libs are violent, too!!)

But just so everyone is aware of the facts and before the misinformation becomes cemented, the Ottawa police are on the record saying they did not suggest canceling because of an unruly mob was threatening violence. The police simply thought the event should have been held in a bigger venue in order to accommodate the large crowed trying to attend. And it was Coulter's bodyguard who decided to cancel the event, not the university and not the police.

From the Vancouver Sun:

Ottawa police spokesperson Alain Boucher said the police did not shut down the event, but said a different venue was needed to hold the crowd of around 1,500 people.

“We strongly suggested that this venue was not large enough to accommodate all the people that had attended,” he said. “We had safety concerns with the sheer number of people that were there...with different views on issues.”

As I noted in my column this week;

Fact: Coulter and her promoters canceled the show on their own. There were no imminent signs of mob violence or threats of personal harm, just good old-fashioned, raucous, campus-style debate. But faced with a boisterous crowd, Coulter took her marbles and went home, while her conservative allies concocted tales of looming left-wing violence and feasted on the publicity.