Canadian Military Orders US Podcaster to Delete Episodes After They Aired ISIS Killing Video
An American podcaster is facing pressure from the Canadian military to delete episodes of his show for what they claim is a matter of national security.
According to The New York Post, host Shawn Ryan was sent a cease and desist letter last week after uploading two new episodes of his show, Shawn Ryan Show.
Ryan, a former Navy SEAL, was joined by Dallas Alexander, a former member of Canada’s elite Joint Task Force 2. Alexander discussed his long military career and revealed that he was on the sniper team that made the 2.2-mile record-breaking shot that killed an ISIS fighter in 2017.
A portion of the kill shot video was included on the original cut of the episode.
But on February 10th, after the two-part episode aired, Ryan was sent a cease and desist letter from the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command & the National Defence Headquarters, requesting that the episodes be removed from all platforms.
Your podcast series contained information or material that has been properly classified and protected, and which is sensitive information such that its public release is injurious to Canadian national security, national deference, and international relations.
Ryan complied, re-editing the two episodes to exclude any information that might be considered “classified.”
In the newly-edited interview, Ryan gave a disclaimer at the beginning, saying Alexander had told him that all information and materials he had planned to share on the show had been cleared by his command.
Ryan explained that he wanted to comply with the Canadian Special Operations Forces’ request because he did not want to put anyone in harm’s way. “I do not want to be on the wrong side of this if there was, in-fact, some kind of sensitive or ‘classified’ information that would jeopardize or compromise the unit or any operators currently serving,” he later wrote on Twitter.
He also added that Alexander had his own concerns that the “classified” material was not the real reason the military wanted the episode removed. During the interview, Alexander said that he left the military after refusing to comply with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate in Canada.
During that first episode, he also spoke out against the vaccine mandate, which both Alexander and Ryan said they believe is the real reason the Canadian military wanted the episodes deleted.
According to the Post, Ryan plans to re-post the episodes at a later date unless a proper evaluation of the show proves there was cause for concern over national security. His lawyers have also responded to the cease and desist letter, calling it “misplaced.”
“If they cannot produce what information needs to be redacted promptly, the episode will go live again un-edited, as I have zero legal obligation to abide by Canadian law,” Ryan posted on Twitter.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, Alexander claims no “operational security” related information was revealed during the episode.
“I also consulted with a lot of current members of the unit to get arcs and have had an amazing response from the community, saying I represented the unit well and they are proud. Many, many,” Alexander said.
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