A significant victory for pluralism and freedom of expression was won on Sunday, February 25, 2001, when participants in the International Working Group on Value Theory (IWGVT) miniconference declined to consider Gerald A. Levy's demand that it "denounce Andrew Kliman." In a surprise announcement made only moments before, Levy withdrew his call that Kliman be denounced. In an e-mail message posted to the OPE-L discussion list two days earlier, Levy had called on the miniconference participants to denounce Kliman. The alleged motivation behind this demand was an alleged threat that was allegedly made as an attempt to silence Levy's criticisms of Kliman's "perspectives on political economy." After the meeting, however, Kliman commented that Levy's demands were part of an "ongoing campaign of personal vilification, undertaken in order to discredit the IWGVT's struggle for pluralism in value theory," especially the right of Marx's value theory to contend as an alternative to the theories of other Marxists. "But Levy's far from alone in plying these ad hominem attacks," Kliman said, declining to comment further. Levy's e-mail message also contained a demand seemingly intended to create dissension within the IWGVT. It called on Alan Freeman, one co-organizer of the IWGVT, to denounce the alleged threat made by Kliman, the other co-organizer of the IWGVT. Interestingly, it was Kliman himself who transmitted Levy's demands to the IWGVT miniconference, which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in New York City. Kliman read out portions of Levy's e-mail message and placed the matter on the agenda for the body to consider. He then announced that he would recuse himself from any decision. At that point, Freeman, who was chairing the session, invited Levy to express himself. Levy repeated his allegations and asked for an apology. Then came the surprise announcement in which Levy withdrew his demand that the miniconference denounce Kliman, saying that he would not insist on it. Freeman asked whether the body wished to consider the matter further. No one spoke up, and the meeting continued with other business. In addition to Levy, the owner of the OPE-L list, and Freeman and Kliman, other members of the list who attended the meeting included Duncan Foley, David Laibman, Ted McGlone, and Julian Wells.
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