I should stress before I write that I am NOT a member of the BNP or in any way share their evil beliefs.
As a Unison activist I have leaflet dropped and worked on stalls handing leaflets at election time as the BNP has gone very close in the local elections in Southend (thankfully never won a seat yet).
Funny isn’t it one sentence into this blog and I am quick and eager to establish that I am not a Nazi or this blog may not be read or I may get a brick through my living room window.
Yet I write as I feel a bit uncomfortable after Saturdays anti BNP march.
I am proud of our democracy we live in, our freedom of speech without getting a truncheon across the head or being thrown into a jail as a political prisoner.
Freedom of speech and BELIEF is a very important value and also I acknowledge the right to protest.
Yet are we in danger of turning into a society that says you can have your freedom of speech or belief ...............as long as I agree with it.
See on Saturday the BNP were having a party meeting, this was a meeting of like minded people meeting, ok the political beliefs they shared where not my cup of tea, but did they not have a right to meet and share their own views within a safe environment?
Is this not what us people in a minority group have done over the years to escape persecution whether we are Gay, Trans or of a different creed?
Yet a mob marched on them, and even threatened them, is this not a danger of turning yourself into what you most hate or dislike?
Would a visitor from another planet for the day been unsure of who was who on Saturday as words of BNP scum was shouted and yes there were children of BNP members at that meeting there.
When do we get a right to call people scum?
Did not Ghandi preach peaceful protesting and non violence?
IIs this how we deal with things now, get into a mob and lynch people who dare disagree with us.
Also the police over the years have been a safe haven for me, whether when I was attacked by a group of chavs (in my Goth days) or even in my Pre full transition days.
So Saturday as part of their JOB they had to marshal the protest as they do ANY, it is their JOB.
But they were referred to as THUGS, once again a flipping disgrace.
Yet when we have anti western Muslims shouting support of the 9/11 bombings I don’t see them marched on!
In life we will never always agree with people, this country will always flirt with fascism, (remember the pre war Mosley days?) and we should beware the shadow of fascism, but also beware we do not know the difference between our enemy and what we stand for.
An angry mob never put across a positive message or image.
As I say before anyone critises me for this post (there be one person who won’t read my introduction) I am not a fascist, I am a peaceful person who believes we can’t protest in a non violent way and also not act like a member of a sheep heard.
6 comments:
Ghandi said:
First they ignore you,
Then they laugh at you,
Then they fight you,
Then you win.
We seem to have given the BNP a free ride from stage 1 to stage 3.
The national front had a tactic called something like red mist to engineer a confrontation which creates publicity/ propaganda for them. It looks like their successor organisations are using the same ploys. Your views are quite similar to Searchlight's tactics (who have been around a long time) rather than the more militant groups.
Lucytolliday
I dont understand your message, I googled SEARCHLIGHT and hope you are not comparing me to person who supports the BNP or national front? if so then my post was not fully read where I state that I am not a facist and we are beginning to live in a society where we cant challange anything!
Searchlight is a long running anti-facist magazine, I was not comparing you to a supporter and did read your post where you explicitly stated that.
I deeply apologise for any offence if I was less than clear or created a misunderstanding.
:)
its ok hun, my fault in how I had read your reply.
Not sleeping does that!
Here we have those who disagree with policies comparing themselves to Holocaust survivors and those they disagree with to Nazis; they are disrupting meetings because they don't care for the message; it has turned out some are being paid and transported by those who have interests in maintaining the status quo.
Your points are wonderfully drawn!
alan
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