Khurrum Awan on the stand

Khurrum Awan is on the stand right now. As Andrew Coyne pointed out, that was the subject of objection on the part of Maclean's lawyers. According to B.C. jurisprudence, an Ontario resident, who is in Ontario when he is "offended" by something, has no standing in the B.C.'s Human Rights Tribunal.

The tribunal panellists -- surprise! -- overruled that objection, and agreed to let Awan testify.

So far, that testimony has been -- well, exactly what you'd expect from a junior grievance-monger in training. He's just been reading through Steyn's excerpt, and disagreeing with it. It's even weaker than his appearance on TVO; a stream of illogical connections; tangents; paranoia; and plain old whining.

In other words, it is the meat of Faisal's argument. This isn't a legal case. This is a political case. Maclean's and Steyn have committed political offences. And thus they must pay a political price.

But all of this makes me ask -- as I have asked others here this morning -- where is the complainant himself? Where is Mohammed Elmasry?

As he has done so far, he has been in hiding, letting his second-rate spin doctors carry the PR bag for him. I can understand that -- it's a little tough to hold yourself out as someone whose tender human rights sensibilities have been offended, when you're on record cheering for terrorist attacks on Jews. Thus Awan and the other sock puppets.

I understand that as a PR strategy. But Elmasry and Joseph have made history here today: they've invented the legal sock-puppet; they've managed to twist the rubber arm of the Tribunal to allow Awan to testify, essentially on Elmasry's behalf.

Elmasry, of course, isn't a British Columbian, either, and thus lacks any standing in law. But at least he is the nominal complainant. Awan doesn't even have that fig leaf -- he's nothing but a PR front.

If the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal will allow Awan to "testify" against Maclean's, why not just allow some talented PR flack from Edelman or some other firm to do the same? Why not hire a professional actor -- someone with a better grasp of English, a better grasp of logic, a better grasp of the law -- to take the stand?

It's a counterfeit court. And Awan is a counterfeit complainant. Now he's a counterfeit witness, too.