Canada's new spy chief accused journalists and human rights advocates on Thursday of often glorifying terror suspects as "quasi folk heroes" and downplaying the risks posed to society by terrorism.
Richard Fadden, making his first speech as head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said Canada had a "serious blind spot" when it came to battling terrorism.
"Many of our opinion leaders have come to see the fight against terrorism not as defending democracy and our values, but as attacking them," he told a meeting of security experts.
A "loose partnership of single-issues NGOs, advocacy journalists and lawyers" had to a certain extent succeeded "in forging a positive public image for anyone accused of terrorist links or charges", he added. |