Category Archives: UK

Bailed terrorist suspect says he may return to Algeria

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A terrorist suspect living under restrictive bail conditions requiring him to stay at home for 22 hours every day has signalled that he – and five others – are considering returning to Algeria. The 39-year-old man, who is known simply as “A”, has accused the British government of subjecting him to mental torture and said that he has opened negotiations with the Algerian embassy to arrange his voluntary return.

“I don’t want to live like this. I’m useless to my kids, to society and to my community. I can’t work, I can’t even do the shopping for my wife,” he told the Press Association. “If I’m not going to have my freedom in this country then I have to go back. A human being can’t take all this. Even if there is a risk, I have to take that risk. Here we are not tortured physically but mentally we are tortured. I am the cause of suffering for my children.”

Guardian, 20 March 2006

Tatchell loses Muslim speaker, Maryam Namazie steps in as replacement

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Advance publicity for the annual Peter Tatchell Human Rights Fund fundraiser, which was held last night, made much of the fact that Sheikh Dr Muhammad Yusuf, Chair of the Council of University Imams, was billed as one of the speakers.

However, Sheikh Yusuf withdrew from the engagement, apparently because of pressure from “senior Muslim figures”. Presumably they made clear to Sheikh Yusuf that Tatchell would use his presence at the event to give credibility to Outrage’s anti-Muslim campaigns.

And how did Tatchell spin the news? In characteristically Islamophobic fashion. It was reported under the headline “Liberal Muslim theologian pulls out of Tatchell lecture after threats: Lecture cancelled after fears for Sheikh’s safety”!

Happily, Maryam Namazie of the Worker Communist Party of Iran stepped in to replace Sheikh Yusuf. Yes, that’s the same Maryam Namazie who described the Islamic headscarf as “comparable to the Star of David pinned on Jews by the Nazis to segregate, control, repress and to commit genocide”. Much more in keeping with the spirit of the event, I’d have thought.

Tatchell shares platform with speaker who defends right to incite homophobic hatred

Posted on by Bob Pitt

As we have already noted, among the people Peter Tatchell will be sharing a platform with at next Saturday’s “March for Free Expression” is Sean Gabb of the Libertarian Alliance. In August 2004 Gabb issued a press release on behalf of the Alliance defending the right to free speech of one Ake Green, an evangelical Christian in Sweden who had been convicted under that country’s anti-hatred legislation after describing homosexuality as “abnormal, a horrible cancerous tumour in the body of society”.

Gabb’s press release stated: “The Libertarian Alliance believes in the right to freedom of speech. This includes, though is not limited to, the right to say anything about public policy or alleged matters of fact. If someone wants to say that homosexuals are the spawn of Satan, or that black people are morally or genetically inferior to whites, or that the holocaust did not happen (but should have), or that the Prophet Mohammed was a demon-possessed, epileptic paedophile, that is his right. If he causes offence, hard luck on those offended. They have no right to legal protection against such views.”

Libertarian Alliance press release, 9 August 2004

The far right, racists and the ‘March for Free Expression’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Over at the “March for Free Expression” website they’ve taken issue with this post on Islamophobia Watch, where we referred to the support given to their demonstration by the “Civil Liberty” campaign, which is a far-right front headed by a BNP organiser.

March for Free Expression blog, 17 March 2006

In fact, contrary to the assertion by “Voltaire”, our point was not that the MFE supports the far right, but rather that the far right supports the MFE.

And while we’re on the subject of the far right, one of the organisations listed as a supporter of the “March for Free Expression”, and who have a platform speaker at Saturday’s protest, is the “Libertarian Alliance”. This is an organisation that welcomed the acquittal of BNP führer Nick Griffin and his fascist sidekick at Leeds Crown Court and expressed concern that the acquittal was only “partial” (because the CPS intends to have the case re-tried).

Sean Gabb, director of the Libertarian Alliance, who will be speaking at Saturday’s rally, commented: “Doubtless, there are people who take offence at the expression of certain views on race and immigration. But free speech that does not include the right to give offence is not free speech. It is the political equivalent of decaffeinated coffee. If people are upset by what they read or hear, let them ignore it or argue against it. There is no place in these debates for the Thought Police.”

Libertarian Alliance press release, 3 February 2006

As can be seen, the Libertarian Alliance stands for the repeal of all legislation against racial hatred and discrimination, and proposes that “the Commission for Racial Equality and all similar organisations should be abolished, and their records burned”.

We also note that “various branches of UKIP” are listed among the sponsors of the MFE. UKIP’s manifesto declares that Britain is “bursting at the seams” due to an influx of foreigners, and one of its leaders, Nigel Farage, is reported to have stated: “We will never win the nigger vote. The nig-nogs will never vote for us.” See What Next? No.29.

Still, not to worry, we have Nick Cohen’s assurance that the protest will be “filled with democratic leftists, Liberal Democrats, secularists and Iranian and Saudi Arabian dissidents”.

Nick Cohen supports anti-Muslim demo

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nick Cohen (surprise, surprise) throws his weight behind the “March for Free Expression”:

“Next Saturday at 2pm in Trafalgar Square, there will be a rally for freedom of expression. I think it’s fair to say that previous generations would be astonished that their descendants would have to take to the streets to demand such a basic right, but after the death threats against cartoonists, it seems we do. Fortunately, the British National Party is nowhere to be seen and the rally will be filled with democratic leftists, Liberal Democrats, secularists and Iranian and Saudi Arabian dissidents.

“With the white far right out of the picture, the brown far right has barged in and Islamic fundamentalists are proposing to hold demonstrations against free speech away from central London. So, if you want to protest on Saturday, you have a choice: for free speech or against? Come on, it’s not that hard a choice. All will be welcome in Trafalgar Square. Dress? Danish.”

Observer, 19 March 2006

Well, we’ll see how it turns out. I would expect the “Free Expression” event to attract a full complement of right-wingers and racists. But then, as we’ve pointed out before, it’s not that easy to distinguish them from “democratic leftists” of Cohen’s ilk.

As for the “brown far right”, this refers to the Muslim Action Committee, an umbrella organisation that includes Q News among its affiliates. You begin to wonder whether Cohen has finally lost his marbles.

‘Alliance with bigots won’t halt fascists’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Another anti-Muslim diatribe from Peter Tatchell, who resurrects his campaign to get the MCB banned from February’s Unite Against Fascism conference. A phrase involving the words “dog” and “own vomit” immediately springs to mind. For coverage of this issue on our site, see here, here, here, here and here.

While the uncritical support given to Tatchell by Tribune may serve the personal political agenda of the magazine’s deputy editor, it is extremely damaging to the Labour Party’s relations with Muslim communities, which are already under severe strain following the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps readers of our site might like to point this out (in appropriately restrained language) to Tribune‘s editor, Chris McLaughlin?

Alliance with bigots won’t halt fascists 

By Peter Tatchell

Tribune, 17 March 2006

Human rights campaigners claiming victory after Sir lqbal Sacranie failed to speak, as advertised, at the recent trade union-sponsored Unite Against Fascism (UAF) conference in London. His no-show followed widespread protests against his participation. Sacranie has condemned gay people as immoral, harmful and diseased.

Supported by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, plus five trade unions and the South East Region of the TUC, the UAF conference theme was “Stop the BNP”. Why did UAF invite a speaker whose views on homosexuality echo the bigotry of the far Right?

Continue reading →

Fascists support ‘March for Free Expression’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islam is a blastThe “March for Free Expression” (which, as we have already noted, is essentially a march for the right to incite hatred against Muslims) is due to go ahead in Trafalgar Square on 25 March. Its website today features an attack on the Muslim Action Committee, a broad-based body involving Muslim organisations from Q News to Hizb ut-Tahrir which organised a mass protest over the Danish cartoons in London on 18 February.

The “March for Free Expression” organisers take particular exception to an Islamic Human Rights Commission press release which quotes Faiz Siddiqi of MAC condemning the “Free Expression” protest as “a provocation to 1.6 billion Muslims”. Faiz Siddiqi goes on to state that “The continued irresponsible actions of the BNP in distributing leaflets with the cartoons on across the country are also provoking anger throughout the Muslim community.”

The MFE statement complains: “We think the inclusion of a reference to the BNP in this press release is an attempt to associate this campaign with that political party which, as anyone who has looked at this site will know, is deeply dishonest.”

Oh yeah? Well how about this press release from the so-called “Civil Liberty” campaign, a fascist front organisation headed by the BNP’s North East organiser Kevin Scott? It states: “Civil Liberty are to attend the Support Free Speech Demo and rally in Trafalgar Square between 2:00pm and 4:00pm on Saturday March 25th 2006…. We ask all supporters to attend the rally.”

Backing from the extreme right is hardly accidental. One of the posters available for promoting the “March for Free Expression” is a version of the Danish flag, described as the “Heart for Freedom“, which plainly solidarises with the decision of Jyllands-Posten to publish racist anti-Muslim caricatures. And the MFE site advertises T-shirts carrying slogans such as “Get your fatwa out of my face. Support Denmark. Support free speech”, “Up yours, ‘religion of peace’!” and “Islam is a blast”.

The claim by the organisers that “This will be a march in favour of free expression, not a march against Muslims” can, I think, be treated with the derision it deserves.

Fascists launch election leaflet

Posted on by Bob Pitt

BNP council electionsThe British National Party have launched their leaflet for the May council elections. It reads:

“Terrorist atrocities in London, militant marches on our streets and ‘preachers’ calling for the deaths of normal British people simply because they don’t follow Islam. This is not some nightmare vision – but the reality of Islamic extremism in Britain today, yet our government do nothing but pander to these people.

“The BNP say enough is enough! We are the only people speaking out against the dangers of the Islamification of Britain. If you want to make Blair and Co hear you [sic] voice, vote BNP, and use this election as a referendum on Islam.”

BNP news article, 14 March 2006