Distributing a parody newspaper may seem an unlikely crime.
But for Canadian activists fighting for balanced coverage of the Palestinian struggle in the monopolised mainstream media, it has become an all too real one.
Last year, veteran activist and retired academic Mordecai Briemberg received a writ accusing him of being part of a "conspiracy" to conceive, compose, finance, publish and distribute a pro-Palestinian parody of the Canwest-owned Vancouver Sun, infamous for its pro-Israeli bias.
In the original writ, Briemberg, a print shop and several unidentified people were to be charged with the "conspiracy".
Canwest is, through a wholly owned subsidiary, also the owner of Australia's TEN television network.
In response, the Seriously Free Speech Committee (SFSC) was set up to defend the accused. It argues that the case is a classic example of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
The publication was created by the Palestine Media Collective, which distributed 12,000 editions of the parody in Vancouver.
Briemberg told Green Left Weekly he was not associated with the parody or the group responsible for the production. This was verified by the members of the PMC in the July 17 Georgia Straight.
"They acted anonymously, out of public view. Everything I have written and broadcast on radio is public and in my own name", Briemberg said.
Briemberg explained that his only involvement was commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Israeli invasion of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"I saw a stack of the slim four-page parody left on a literature table. Scanning one, I thought to myself, 'this is something people should read', took about 40 copies, and the next morning distributed them to people in my neighbourhood catching transit to work.
"That was my sole involvement."
Briemberg has a long involvement fighting for justice in Palestine and wider issues of "empire and racism".
He was born to an idealist Zionist organiser and only as a young adult began to question the pro-Israel doctrine.
Since the 1960s, Briemberg has been fighting for justice for Palestine. His extensive involvement has included practical work in Palestine, providing medical training to help treat victims of Israeli state terror, and campaigns in Canada to stop pro-Israeli groups' attempts to censor children's literature.
In April, Briemberg was awarded the YMCA Power of Peace Award for his longstanding involvement in the fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and his support for Palestinian self-determination.
The SFSC also works to expose the effect of media consolidation. This has included holding public meetings and a rally to award Canwest with the Golden Gag award.
The SFSC's campaigning has involved a diverse range of organisations, including trade unions, teachers, librarians, civil libertarians as well as the broader alternative media and activist communities.
Despite this, the mainstream press, even those not controlled by Canwest, have been suspiciously silent on the case.
Briemberg believes the case shows the growing disillusionment with the corporate media.
"It is quite clear that Canadians in growing numbers don't buy the media-government mantra. That frightens and frustrates the proponents of the mantra, and they lash out to try and silence all independent voices providing alternative information and analysis.
"It's anti-democratic, but it's also desperate", Briemberg said.
"I think Canwest lashing out just makes more people aware of the need to have a wider variety of views presented in the public arena."
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