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Center for Inquiry: Sony setting 'regrettable precedent'

Posted at 6:33 PM, Dec 20, 2014
and last updated 2015-12-15 18:33:54-05

The Center for Inquiry, an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Amherst, has sent a letter to Sony asking for permission to air "The Interview."

Sony pulled the release of the movie after backlash from the North Korean government and a hacking incident.

The letter from the atheist organization reads in part, "We were disappointed when news broke that all of your film "The Interview" were to be canceled across the country. While we certainly understand the desire to keep movie-goers and theater employee safe, total blackout of the film is an overreaction and sends a troubling message that even mighty international corporations will sacrifice the right to free expression in order to avoid offending a small number of people."

"I think it would send a strong message to North Korea and anyone else whose interested that Americans cherish their rights to free expression and are not going to be intimidated into giving up those rights," said Ronald Lindsay, President of The Center for Inquiry.

The Center for inquiry has yet to hear back from Sony but has offered to show the movie free of charge at their Amherst location if the company agrees. Lindsay also said he has a theater in LA that could show the movie and is working on solidifying locations in the midwest.

The movie was set to hit theaters on Christmas Day.