London Indymedia

Only official dissent allowed - this is a democracy!

neil | 11.02.2006 11:57 | Analysis | Repression | Social Struggles | London

Protests against the publication of so-called blasphemous cartoons will take place in London today. For some the issue is about responsibility and for others it is about free speech....

After demonstration last week outside parliament when some people attracted the attention of the worlds media due to their threatening placards, Ken Livingston is keen to ensure that todays march goes off without incident.

The London Mayor warned that a 'subversive element' might try to take part in the rally. "There is, as we have known for years, a small number of people who have one foot in a football club and the other in the BNP."

"These people are known by the police and they will make sure that any attempt to disrupt this demonstration will be dealt with."

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: "Our overall aim will be to work in partnership with the event stewards to ensure that the event is safe for those attending.

Okay, fair enough. Makes sense to try to keep the BNP away from the march. However, according to reports in the mainstream, all banners will be checked and only official ones will be allowed.

Now what the hell does that mean? You can't hold a placard that doesn't carry the logo of one the organising groups? What happened to free speech?

neil

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Ken is the Gustapo of London!!!!!!!!!!!

11.02.2006 15:36

Fuck you Ken for making our lives hell in London!
Fuck you Ken for sucking up to Islamic extremists and homophobic cunts!
Fuck you Ken for taxing us bleed dry!
Fuck you Ken for silencing disent!
Fuck you Ken for being anti semitic!
Lastly Fuck you Ken cause you are the Gustapo of London!

Grim Reaper


THIS is what happened to free speech

11.02.2006 18:47

Sorry, Neil, but as I say over and over and over, LEARN A LITTLE HISTORY!

A muslim protest that is magically extremist one weekend (with ALL the so-called extremist placards written in the same hand, held by the same knot of distinctive people who are VERY different from the rest of the crowd, and posed nicely for press photos), and magically over passive and ineffective the next.

Now could this be how Hitler ensured the jews came across in 1930's Nazi Germany? Could just be!

Michael Moore once said (and yeah, I know all the appropriate complaints that can be levelled at this self-promoting windbag) the if he had control of the Palestinian cause, he could deliver victory in no time whatsoever. What he meant, of course, is that the massive amount of images and facts on the Palestinian side, if presented with a modern Western style PR approach, would flatten the dishonest lies peddled by the PR operations on behalf of Israel. Of course, he was right.

When you enemy has a good cause, and all the facts lie with them, you move heaven and Earth to ensure that they NEVER make a good case for themselves. The recent history, with Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Iraq, is morally 100% on the muslim side, and 100% against Blair. To paint the muslims as the BAD GUYS in the light of the facts would seem extraordinary, but Hitler did it with respect to the nazis vs jews during the build up to world war.

In this situation, you win by getting the other side to apparently actively lose. Of course, the other side doesn't actually willingly cut its own throat. No, that must be arranged by the power of the state.

Livingstone, Benn, Galloway. They are all on the same team, and work towards the same goal. The press is fixed to ensure that only corrupt muslims in Blair's pocket are put forward as 'moderate' muslim leaders. The security services 'run' so-called muslim extremist groupings, to ensure that rent-an-extremist operations can be trivially arranged. Attempts to expose the people of Britain (and especially the muslims) to the truth about Blair's operations in Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Iraq, are described by the police and Mass Media as 'terrorist propaganda'.

There is nothing new in what Blair and his people are doing in the run up to war with Iran, and World War 3. The methods are as ancient as mankind itself. The difference is in the toys that will be used this time. WW1 was mechanised. WW2 was aerial, and allowed cities to be completely destroyed at will, for perhaps the first time since the Mongol invasions. WW3 will be nuclear and biological, with weapon systems often travelling through space. The US has stated that its goal is to be able to point to any place on the globe, and destroy it within hours. To know our enemy requires nothing more than to listen to what they happily proclaim. It was thus with Hitler, Stalin and Mao. It is certainly the case the Blair, and his proxy forces in the US.

twilight


Who's the bad guys?

11.02.2006 20:20

Tweelight, you said:

"To paint the muslims as the BAD GUYS in the light of the facts would seem extraordinary..."

To me, any twat who advocates the death of innocents in the name of 'religion' is a bad guy.

I'm glad that today passed peacefully..... the silent majotrity making a small dint.

The day we stop listening to the religious extremists and start listening (and talking) to each other the better

Bob


Thats right

12.02.2006 00:53

Isolating people is the answer. It wont make them hate even more, nor will it contribute to extremist actions. The truth is extremists become extremists because they have been isolated. Ever since sept 11th 2001 non whites have had to endure a 500% increase in random searches by police, countless hate mail and provocation outside mosques and other non christian religious temples, and abuse by people. This is what causes extremism, the uneducated west who follow the media and their prime minister blindly and unite against the common enemy (the religious fanatic)Personaly i dont find too much wrong with the cartoon published coz i think all religions kill. Then again i can see why muslims would. In a time where they are more isolated than ever from the world,and misconceptions against them are at peak levels, some1 decides it would be funny to portray their god as a murderer therefore claiming that anyone who follows this god is a murderer. Why havent the Danes drawn a sketch of Jesus with a machine gun pumping lead into Iraqis? Afterall bush and blair were praying in church during the war. With bishop's blessings. And are responsible for endless more deaths than muslims are. In fact the name of Christ has been used in endless wars to justify the murder of people. Yet in todays west it always seems to be the muslims who are at fault.

Sum Up
Double standards definately by the Danish cartoon artist
Western Society doesnt treat muslims in the same way as it does whites (look at belmarsh prisons, who the anti terror laws affect, shooting of de menenzez who was darker than your avg Brit, anti war vigils for the 100 dead British when hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died coz of Britain and pals over the past 15 years Abu Hamza in jail, Nick Griffin walks etc)
Of course Muslims will see this as another act of agression towards them. Do u blame them. If we dont stop the inequalities we have allowed to be created, then we will never be able to stop the suspicion (with good reason) that the Muslims have against us.

...


Nutters

12.02.2006 17:21

"Ken is the Gustapo of London!!!!!!!!!!!"

Well, thanks for that. The editor of the Evening Standard, I presume?

Someone ought to tell you that using more than three exclamation marks at once is a sure sign of madness. With the amount you're using I bet you eat your own poo.

Saneman


Saneman why don't you suck Ken Livingstone Cock?!

14.02.2006 14:23

At least the Evening Standard has the guts to confront him dickhead! Go suck Ken's dick you cunt!

Grim Reaper


A round of applause please! (On two counts).

14.02.2006 16:26

Ok, first, Grim, take a valium or something, you seriously need to calm down.

Second, wow! Everyone I think we all need to applaud Twilight for pulling that one off without laughing him/herself to death!
'light, you managed to equate ANYONE who speaks out against fundamentalist Islam with Hitler and his anti-semitic campaigns, whilst being one of the most anti-semitic posters ive ever seen.

Now, dont get me wrong, Irael's imperialist, expansionist desires are not only deplorable, but are also unrepresentative of many (but by no means all) of their own citizens (and yes, that includes jews you fool, not just the Arab population).

But also, this is a gross over-reaction to these cartoons. I wont go into it all, it's been posted several times before, but a few points:
- They're reprints from a few years ago (or so I've heard, I'll admit I'm not 100% sure).
-The most controversial pictures wern't actually published, and its these which are focused on when extremists are trying to get support and start making a huge fuss.

And here's the thing, it's repression of free speech, never forget that.
We all deplore the 'Americanisation' of world culture, you can't turn a corner without seeing a McDonald's or some other symbol of US culture. AND THEY'RE PROUD OF THIS.
Now think about it, in trying to prevent us criticising their religion, fundamentalists, of all faiths, are trying to make us conform to their idea of heresy and blasphemy and force us to be dominated by their idea of culture - we may accept Muslim culture, but if we dont wish to live our lives by it, then they cant make us, just as we cant make them live with an over-arching Christian culture.

Many Muslims, Jews and Christians are prepared to have proper conversations about the validity and morality of their faiths, those that are able to work themselves into a fury over an un-funny cartoon are not, and seem rather childish to me (afterall, 'The Book of David', an innofensive sounding American sitcom, was canned because Christian's objected to it portraying Jesus, if that isnt a bit childish, i dont know what is).



That said, the censoring of banners at marches - making sure only "official" slogans are displayed - is the sure sign of an autocracy tightening its grip once more.

The Last Bondsman
mail e-mail: invitro_666@hotmail.com


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