Two major demonstrations were held in Leeds this weekend.
The first was set up by a fairly new group, the English Defence League, which claims to be protecting the country from Islamification and defending our culture.
The second was a counter-protest by Unite Against Fascism, a group which has come to more prominence in recent months as certain far right groups have made some political gains.
The two were being kept separate by police, who prevented them from marching as planned and instead allowed them to congregate in one area of the city centre each. It meant most shoppers could get on with their day without much disruption, unless you count watching several helicopters hovering overhead.
While UAF was kept to the art gallery area, the EDL was corralled around City Square, right outside the train station. Anyone wishing to catch a train was almost inevitably drawn into the edge of the crowd, while surrounding shops and businesses were forced to close their doors for at least part of the afternoon.
Plush Magazine comments that this is the "ugly face" of English pride, and I couldn't agree more. The EDL was primarily made up of white, young-to-middle-aged, shaven-headed men in varying degrees of intoxication. There was nothing to be proud of in their behaviour on Saturday afternoon - picking fights with bystanders, screaming abuse at anyone who dared to disagree with them and surging through police lines in an attempt to cause further disruption.
The protest has, of course, been allowed in the name of free speech. It is everyone's democratic right to stand up for what they believe in. But there must be a line drawn somewhere.
Saturday's protests required officers from nine police forces to be brought in to Leeds city centre. It is expected to have cost more than the September protest in Manchester, which itself ran up a bill of £800,000. Local businesses - even the ones which were not forced to close - will have lost money as a result of the protest, which acted as a fantastic deterrent to anyone thinking of venturing towards the City square area.
We should, of course, protect the rights of everyone to express their views - but surely only when they do so in a reasonable fashion. Why should ordinary members of the public be subjected to abuse, have their day disrupted, perhaps even fear for their own safety - and then have to foot the bill at the end of it?
Leeds is a multi-cultural, modern and exciting place. That is the kind of Englishness I choose to defend - not the rights of thugs to contaminate our city.
Showing posts with label extremist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extremist. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
As the dust begins to settle...
A few days after what was probably the most controversial Question Time ever, the dust is very slowly beginning to settle.
In some ways, the programme itself was only a small element of the whole fiasco. The surrounding storm was by far more interesting to observe for those who were able to keep some sense of perspective on things.
An appearance on a key political programme on a publicly funded national television station by the leader of a party with extreme views is always going to lead to clashes. There are those who believe such views should not be given such a prominent platform, and I can quite understand why they think that. Among them is Nelson, founder of one of my favourite websites, Speak You're Branes, who blogged on the topic in very strong terms.
Others, like James Dray, said as long as questions were pressed upon him, Grick Niffin would be unable to maintain his attempt at respectability.
On balance, I probably sided with the latter view over the former. As much as I loathe what the party stands for, I couldn't help but feel attempts to smother its pubicity machine would only attract more supporters under the guise of campaigning for free speech.
In the event, Question Time was much as could have been expected. The audience was largely against Niffin and the panelists were also keen to challenge some of his more abhorrent views. David Dimbleby, to his credit, also pressed Niffin for specifics rather than allowing him to get away with vague generalisations about his previous holocaust denial and views on homosexuality.
Naturally, the party has now cried foul and protested their leader had been targeted and bullied. Poor Niffin. Not because he was picked on, but because he was naive enough to think he would get anything less than a severe grilling on such a high-profile edition of the programme. He was clearly not up to the task.
Logged into Twitter as the scene unfolded, I was reassured by the reaction of the vast majority of users. Later, and in the days since, message boards would suggest the balance has seriously shifted. There are hundreds of people claiming that, although they would never have voted PNB before, the targeting of Niffin and the rest of the panel getting off so lightly has changed their minds. Their whole family has been converted.
It makes for depressing reading, if it is taken seriously. Which is exactly why it should not be. Party members have swamped message boards and comment sites making the programme seem far more of a success for them than it ever would be, even if Niffin had expressed himself clearly, fairly and rationally. It is all part of the game-playing and underhand tactics of the party's members. They target any site which mentions the party or leader's name (hence the subtle code I've employed) and simply don't let up.
With one of the party's two MEPs representing Yorkshire, Leeds residents must feel some concern about the attitudes of their neighbours to issues including homosexuality, race, religion and more. The huge number of pro-PNB messages must make members of the mulitcultural communities in Leeds despair. But I have a way to cheer them up: make regular visits to Speak You're Branes and remind yourself that not everyone thinks that way - just the ones who feel the need to flood the internet with their disgusting views.
In some ways, the programme itself was only a small element of the whole fiasco. The surrounding storm was by far more interesting to observe for those who were able to keep some sense of perspective on things.
An appearance on a key political programme on a publicly funded national television station by the leader of a party with extreme views is always going to lead to clashes. There are those who believe such views should not be given such a prominent platform, and I can quite understand why they think that. Among them is Nelson, founder of one of my favourite websites, Speak You're Branes, who blogged on the topic in very strong terms.
Others, like James Dray, said as long as questions were pressed upon him, Grick Niffin would be unable to maintain his attempt at respectability.
On balance, I probably sided with the latter view over the former. As much as I loathe what the party stands for, I couldn't help but feel attempts to smother its pubicity machine would only attract more supporters under the guise of campaigning for free speech.
In the event, Question Time was much as could have been expected. The audience was largely against Niffin and the panelists were also keen to challenge some of his more abhorrent views. David Dimbleby, to his credit, also pressed Niffin for specifics rather than allowing him to get away with vague generalisations about his previous holocaust denial and views on homosexuality.
Naturally, the party has now cried foul and protested their leader had been targeted and bullied. Poor Niffin. Not because he was picked on, but because he was naive enough to think he would get anything less than a severe grilling on such a high-profile edition of the programme. He was clearly not up to the task.
Logged into Twitter as the scene unfolded, I was reassured by the reaction of the vast majority of users. Later, and in the days since, message boards would suggest the balance has seriously shifted. There are hundreds of people claiming that, although they would never have voted PNB before, the targeting of Niffin and the rest of the panel getting off so lightly has changed their minds. Their whole family has been converted.
It makes for depressing reading, if it is taken seriously. Which is exactly why it should not be. Party members have swamped message boards and comment sites making the programme seem far more of a success for them than it ever would be, even if Niffin had expressed himself clearly, fairly and rationally. It is all part of the game-playing and underhand tactics of the party's members. They target any site which mentions the party or leader's name (hence the subtle code I've employed) and simply don't let up.
With one of the party's two MEPs representing Yorkshire, Leeds residents must feel some concern about the attitudes of their neighbours to issues including homosexuality, race, religion and more. The huge number of pro-PNB messages must make members of the mulitcultural communities in Leeds despair. But I have a way to cheer them up: make regular visits to Speak You're Branes and remind yourself that not everyone thinks that way - just the ones who feel the need to flood the internet with their disgusting views.
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