Nick Griffin – the leader of the BNP – is a tosser. Can’t stand the bloke. He’s a blatant racist and white supremecist. However …
He’s standing trial for using words likely to stir up racial hatred. The words he used were obviously intended to stir up racial hatred, that’s what he does and that’s what the BNP is about. However, there is such a thing as freedom of speech. If he holds the views he does and wants to voice those opinions to people who choose to go and listen to what he says then he should have a right to do that. What he said may have been offensive to asians and muslims and other ethnic groups but – this is an important thing to remember – they don’t have to listen to what he says!
He says that Islam is wicked. That’s his opinion, he’s entitled to it. I think some parts of Islam – stoning women to death, genital mutilation, honour killings, halal for instance – are medievil and barbaric. Should I be arrested and charged for saying this?
He said that Islam is sweeping the world and if you read the Koran you’ll see that’s what they want. This is actually a simple statement of fact – one of the obligations you have as a muslim is to convert the world to Islam. Is telling the truth a crime?
He talks about asians committing rape. They do. White people commit rape as well – he didn’t say “only asians rape women”. Again, it’s not a crime to state a fact.
He also says that some places have become a multi-racial hellhole. Quite right! There are places not far from here where it isn’t safe for a white person to go and I speak from personal experience having been escorted off a housing estate by a gang of asians for my own safety a few years ago. It shouldn’t happen and when it does you shouldn’t get into trouble for telling people about it.
Finally, he says that asians don’t mug or rape other asians and that they do it to white people instead. Not entirely accurate but broadly correct – as far as I’m aware, the majority of crimes committed by asians is against white and black people.
I’m not defending the BNP or Griffin but I do think we have to protect our right to freedom of speech. If any asians or other ethnic minorities were present at the BNP meeting in which Griffin said what he did then that’s their fault. They knew what would be said, they knew who he was and they knew what he said would offend him. They weren’t forced to listen to his speech and they shouldn’t have any right to complain about it.
Why don’t the Government just treat the BNP to a load of prominent billboards around Bolton and Oldham?
It’d be cheaper than all these trials.
On my blogg with the BBC England RSS feed on it it has :
BNP leader ‘said Islam is wicked’
A court is told BNP leader Nick Griffin described Islam as a “wicked, vicious faith” during a speech.
And right below that:
Protester ‘called for beheadings’
A man protesting against the Danish Muhammad cartoons called for the beheadings of enemies of Islam, a court hears
“I think some parts of Islam – stoning women to death, genital mutilation, honour killings, halal for instance – are medievil and barbaric. Should I be arrested and charged for saying this?”
Allow me to respond to this:
1) Stoning women to death
It is not Islamic – the Qur’an proscribes lashes for adultery/fornication and requires 4 witnesses. Pretty tough. Some cultures allow stoning. And it’s not just women, it’s men too. I think stoning to death is pretty barbaric and has no place in the 21st century, but although a feature of some Muslim countries (some – not all – so why focus on the some?) – it is not strict Qur’anic interpretation.
2) Genital mutilation
Not Islamic if you’re referring to female “circumsion”. Universally condemned by leading Muslim scholars.
3) Honour killings
Not Islamic – and these are a cultural feature, not an Islamic feature. I abhor honour killings. Whilst it’s true that many people who practice this abhorrent shit are Muslim, it is not widespread, and is certainly not Islamic.
4) Halal
If you’re referring to the killing of animals (beacuse Halal is a concept and means “permissible”…
Too long to cover here, but I have seen animals killed both ways. I know which is the better and more humane way for an animal to die. It sounds barbaric, but the evidence shows that it is not. Islam was the first religion to proscribe humane treatment towards animals.
I hate over multi-culturalism too, and have moaned about it lots in my blog, but we must keep talking and communicating. Fear is destroyed by knowledge.
Correction, Nick Griffin is a Welsh tosser.
(the BBC and Guardianistas like to refer to him as an Englishman, which he isn’t, because he’s Welsh)
Shahid covered it pretty well, but I must say you’re a fucking idiot to back Nick Griffin.
I’m not backing Nick Griffin, he’s a dick. But he has a right to criticse Islam and immigration if he wants. The trial is a joke.