Butcher and Behead / BNP - 1 comment

Via Laban (also this), this photo of an apparently peaceful protest from Muslims in London features some decidedly iffy slogans if viewed at full size (click to enlarge):



"Butcher Those Who Insult Islam"
"Behead Those Who Mock Islam"

Which is hardly the right spirit, is it? In fact there are plenty more threatening ones out there.

These statements don't seem to be aimed at "the institution, not the member", they are intended to threaten - and to limit the freedom of speech and action - of ordinary, free-thinking people.

This is important, because failing to utterly condemn these sentiments, and failing to commit the Left to the campaign for freedom of speech - and against religiously/racially-motivated abuse and all threats of violence - seems to me to guarantee the future success of organisations like the BNP, who exploit double-standards, and whose raison d'être is to pick at society like vultures, feeding off anger and frustration to fuel the racist campaign of their grassroots.

By the way, I haven't commented directly on the BNP acquittal. Both Griffin and Collett express repugnant views, many of which can only be attributed to a pitiful education, psychological problems I'm not competent to diagnose, and many years immersed among political views that make the Daily Express look thoughtful and considered. All the same, I can't see any great advantage to their being in prison - 3 minutes questioning of Collett on primetime TV ought to be enough to put a few BNP councillors on the dole. We need to concern ourselves with those people who are susceptible to these views, rather than 'purifying' ourselves, or wasting time on the tiny hardcore of tiny [heh] fascists, as well as ensuring that toleration of religious extremism doesn't allow the BNP to portray themselves as the voice of secular, non-PC Britain [choke!].

Finally, Newsnight go to hell!!! Now that is going too far...