Controversial 'Tyranny of Minorities' talk postponed

Wednesday 14 October 2020

A Guernsey Chamber of Commerce event has been postponed, after public complaints were made about the suggested topic.

Jon Moulton had been booked to give a talk on ‘The Tyranny of Minorities,’ and the ‘risks and outcomes around minority views hijacking topical debates and initiatives'.

But the event came under fire on social media after its announcement.

“Every time I look at this I think: Ah but surely the point, the big reveal, will be that Minorities don’t actually tryannise anyone and it’s just a “shock” tactic in the blurb” wrote Deputy Rhian Tooley. “And then I think, but… but, why don’t they say that then?”

The Chamber have since removed the event from their site, and confirmed to the Express that the talk has been postponed – the lunch event will still take place, but with a different speaker and topic. The Chamber declined to comment on why they made the decision. They did say in response to social media comments that the event was not about local minority groups, but about French Aristocrat Alexis 'de Tocqueville and democracy'.

Pictured: The description for the now-postponed lunch event with Jon Moulton.

Outgoing Deputy Emilie McSwiggan raised concerns about the tone the event intended to strike – in a tweet, she said her worry was about “their decision that they’d like this speaker, on this subject, to feature in their event targeting new Deputies. It speaks volumes about Chamber’s values & priorities.”

Camille Brouard, meanwhile, criticised the event as being "tone deaf", especially at a time when minorities in Guernsey are "fighting for their rights". 

Mr Moulton has previously spoken out about efforts to create anti-discrimination legislation from a business perspective. Last year, he said the proposed definition of ‘disability’ was too far-reaching and could conceivably include a ‘lack of talent.’

GALLERY: Some of the public response to the event.