Goldstein’s voice should have been heard

Leah Goldstein is one of the world’s most accomplished ultradistance bicycle racers, a Canadian women who reached that status after recovering from a crippling cycling accident.

She is also a motivational speaker, a Jew, and in the 1990s was a member of the Israeli army and police force.

No single one of those biographical notations defines her. A group of pro-Palestinian advocates sees the situation differently. They successfully campaigned to have Goldstein dropped as the keynote speaker at an International Women’s Day event in Peterborough.

To them, Goldstein is defined by her connection with the Israeli military 30 years ago. It makes her a representative of what the protesters see as an oppressor state, and therefore unfit to appear on a public speaking platform — whatever message she might deliver.

That is simply wrong. And organizers of the Inspire Women’s Day Project made an unfortunate choice when they agreed to find another speaker for their event.

It is hard to be too critical of Inspire’s decision, given the pressures they were under.

Sticking with Goldstein would have drawn a public protest campaign in advance of the event and some form of demonstration when Goldstein appeared.

An organization that promotes the strength and resilience of women and non-binary individuals might be expected to stand up for free speech, but in doing so could appear to be taking a public stand on the war in Gaza.

Instead, organizers chose what they saw as a conciliatory backdown, described in their statement to one media outlet as “recognition of the current situation and sensitivity of the conflict in the Middle East.”

Unfortunate, but a decision many groups would have made. Which is the problem. The unnamed people who pressured to have Goldstein dropped are one example of a broadening, successful movement that has been labelled “cancel culture.”

Don’t agree with what someone is going to say? Stop them from being able to say it.

Those who objected to Goldstein have the right to do so, of course. Free speech applies to everyone.

But by demanding she be gagged, they go too far.

Goldstein was not going to speak about Palestine or Israel or the conflict in Gaza. She became a blacklist target only because, three decades ago, she was a very small part of the Israeli Defence Forces.

A Canadian whose family moved to Israel when she was young, Goldstein did mandatory service in the army, as required for all men and women. She stayed for nine years, and has said she was the first woman to train commandos.

In 2021, she became the first women to win the open solo title of a coast-to-coast bike race across the U.S., finishing in just over 13 days.

Her cycling record qualifies her as an inspirational speaker for women. Her military past has no bearing.

Goldstein’s military career came under three Israeli prime ministers: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rabin signed a historic peace treaty with Jordan, and he and Peres shared a Nobel Peace Prize for their work on the Oslo Accord. Both supported an end to the West Bank settlements and a two-state agreement with Palestine.

Had Rabin not been assassinated, Goldstein’s army duty might have involved carrying out those policies.

Netanyahu in the 1990s was the same as he is today, a hawk who faced corruption charges.

So, was she part of an oppressor state or a would-be peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict?

Different sides will see different answers. Neither should lead to her, or anyone, being denied the ability to speak in public.