Islamic group plans Wootton march

[GlasgowGuy]

[sarcasm]
Well... In a town full of soldiers, I wouldn't fancy doing that... Imagine if some of them decided to take a walk into town and forgot to hand in their weapons...
[/sarcasm]

Seriously though, it's a bit offensive to do it in a town that typically hosts marches from our troops, and I doubt that it will go down well in an area full of families with connections to the forces. Possibly a bit insensitive, and I can't see it turning out well to support them.

[Saracen]

So long as it's a peaceful, lawful protest I fail to see why you're gobsmacked. Sure, you might find their views distasteful, but it's part of living in a society that supports free speech.....

Bear in mind, there are no absolute rights to free speech, pretty much not in any country in Earth and certainly not in the UK. There are limits, and if you go beyond them, you risk civil lawsuits or, in some cases, arrest and prosecution.

And, of course, such groups that seek to use free speech to further their own ends would be the first to object if, for instance, a magazine published cartoons they thought were offensive, or if an author wrote a book they considered to be blasphemous.

I wouldn't say their march ought to be banned simply because it might upset some people, any more than authors or cartoonists ought to be threatened with murder, but if the sole purpose of the protest is to inflame and cause trouble (and it may well be that it is) then existing laws that provide some of the limits we all face on our free speech ought to be applied.

However obnoxious I find their views, I support their right to express them provided they do so within the law. If we ban their march simply because we don't like their message, then :-

- first of all. we damage the very thing (freedom) we say we stand for, because is amounts to "freedom provided you agree with us"

- second, we hand them ammunition by doing so, and

- third, if we support thought police censoring their freedom to express their views, next week it'll be anti-war protests, or climate change protests being "suppressed" because someone doesn't like their views.




Let their march go ahead. Let them have their say. And then, if we don't like the message, ignore it and show them up for the handful of extremist nutjobs they are. Far better than than taking the bait and banning the march, which in reality is probably what they'd love.

Apart from anything else, last time this bunch put on one of these protests they got, what, a couple of dozen people show up? Out of, oh, 1.5 million Muslims in the country. What more clearly demonstrates that they are a lunatic fringe and not speaking for the vast majority of British Muslims than the publicise how little support this loud but tiny bunch of fruitcakes actually have?

Police it and keep order, by all means, but don't ban it. If you do, you give them the oxygen of publicity they seek, and they don;t even have to go stand in the cold to get it. They'll have achieved their aim simply by saying their going to have a march and watching the ensuing public indignation and furore, without showing up how little support they really have by actually putting one on. Don't get annoyed by them. Instead, have a quiet snigger, and perhaps a sigh of sympathy for these sad types. Patronising indulgence wouldn't help them in the slightest, but indignation and anger fuels their pathetic sense of self-importance. So don't ban them, instead, pat them on the head and tell them they can have their little march if they wish ... just make sure they do play nice and if they don't and break the law, arrest them. Otherwise, let them have their little march. Are we really not big enough and adult enough to the able to cope with their publicity seeking antics?

[TheAnimus]

If it weren't for their desire to be spokesmen for extremist groups I would have to say they should march.

In wars its all to easy to forget the cost to others, and remember that whilst our death toll is in a couple of hundred, theirs is thousands times higher and we should be unifromly morning the loss of innocent lives, and respectful to those we have to murder as they are in our way.

[malfunction]

I can't see it going ahead to be honest - surely it would fall under inciting hatred and the police would block it?

You mean how when a group protested at a repatriation march and they were protected by said police?

(quoting myself so it's easier to read in the next page of the thread)

A march implies a much bigger protest though which in my mind is much more likely to cause a reaction. That said I'm pretty much in line with what Saracen has said in that the freedom to hold legal protests is something I think is important and that - like the aforementioned Nick Griffin - I'd prefer them to make a tit out of themselves. Interesting to see that the media don't give a lot of attention to muslims that are opposed to such groups and actions. I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of muslims in the UK are in agreement but I don't see anyone standing up and saying "we're not like that - these people are nutters"... I guess they shouldn't feel the need to but all the same it would be nice to see it. I've seen the odd commentary but I'm talking about group level stuff here - though I suppose the media doesn't really do that for other faiths either - the best we see is "church leaders voiced opposition" or something like that.