Critics of recent speeches fight forum with forum.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

Critics are fighting a series of public forums they view as anti-Semitic by exercising their own freedom of speech - in the form of a paid newspaper ad and one or more public talks.

The Anti-Hate Task Force, a coalition of religious, social justice and government leaders, is seeking to counter a series of talks sponsored by the Pacifica Forum, a local discussion group founded by nonagenarian Orval Etter.

The forum in recent months has featured multiple talks on "Russia and Zionism" by Valdas Anelauskas, a native of Lithuania who describes himself as a "white separatist and racialist." In an October lecture that he dedicated to a Holocaust denier, Anelauskas asserted that Jews were largely responsible for the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

Task force members say they have raised more than $1,300 and collected more than 500 signatures for an ad they intend to place in The Register-Guard on Monday. The ad's signers say they "consider Pacifica Forum's concerted focus on demonizing Jews dangerous to our community" and believe "that when any one minority is targeted, we are all vulnerable."

The group also is working to bring one or more nationally recognized speakers on anti-Semitism to Eugene, perhaps in February, said task force member Michael Williams, who provided a copy of the ad text.

The task force, an offshoot of the Community Alliance of Lane County, is not interested in shutting down the Pacifica Forum, Williams said.

"This has never been about freedom of speech - it's about what kind of speech we want to encourage," he said. "That's what's being asked - that people turn their back on this kind of discussion and not support it."

Etter, a longtime Eugene pacifist, university professor and music patron, said the Pacifica Forum's critics are doing the logical thing in scheduling speakers of their own. He said the forum might look to do some counterprogramming itself with "anti-Zionist" speakers.

Etter said he considers Anelauskas' talks a test of Eugene's commitment to freedom of speech. "The community passed the test," Etter said in a published essay. "No one tried to shut him down."

The Pacifica Forum lectures are held on the University of Oregon campus. Etter likened Anelauskas' talks to the controversial talk delivered by Communist Party head Gus Hall at the UO in 1963. While the two differ greatly in scale, both represent an "unfettered opportunity to deliver a message (that's) not politically correct in much of the community," Etter said.

Etter said he doesn't know if Anelauskas will be invited to present future lectures. He said he needs more time to assess the negative reaction to Anelauskas' earlier talks - not from task force critics but from other Pacifica members.

Anelauskas said he has additional lectures to share if the forum decides to invite him. He said he is preparing to write a book about Zionism and Russia based on his lectures and research.

Anelauskas said he supports the task force bringing outside speakers to discuss anti-Semitism, and would like to participate. But he said he is less enthusiastic about the idea of a paid ad critiquing the forum.

"It's Christmas time so they could donate that money (for an ad) to some poor kids," he said. "This just shows how self-centered they are. They ask for donations for this kind of stupid thing."