The City of Burlington, Vermont should be a city that tolerates all views and opinions on the Middle East and U.S. policy in the Middle East. The dozens of letters you (Burlington Telecom) have received in an attempt to force you to stop carrying Al-Jazeera English is against the basic principle of free speech. This is a calculated attempt to politically censor dissenting views from the Middle East that are all too often excluded from the main stream media. This anti-Arab and Islamophobic drive to force you to discontinue Al-Jazeera English is at odds with Burlingtons long history of defending and celebrating diversity. Al-Jazeera English keeps Vermonters informed and aware of U.S. foreign policy and politics in the Middle East, providing a valuable service to the state. Vermonters need more access to a variety of information, opinions and views, not less! We will not let anti-Arab, Islamophobic and divisive elements limit our access to news and differing views.

This attack on Al-Jazeera is an attack on free speech!

We the undersigned urge Burlington Telecom to keep Al-Jazeera English as part of its programming.