UAF raises petition against the BBC.

[anotheoldgit]

Was the BBC right to allow Tommy Robinson of the 'English Defence League' (EDL) on Newsnight?

Apparently on the 'Unite Against Fascism' (UAF) web site, they are raising a petition.

The petition says:

/// We the undersigned are deeply concerned with the way Jeremy Paxman interviewed Tommy Robinson of the English Defence League (EDL) on Newsnight, 25th July 2011. We are deeply worried that a fascist such as Robinson can appear on a flagship programme in the first place.///

/// The interview was meant to challenge Robinson on the EDL’s links with the Norwegian right wing terrorist Anders Breivik. Instead Jeremy Paxman allowed Robinson to go unchallenged when he spoke of the EDL being nonviolent, even though Robinson was convicted that very day for football hooliganism. The EDL have attacked mosques, beaten up Asians and tried to assault trade unionists at a Peterborough TUC/UAF anti-EDL rally.///

/// Paxman even agreed with Robinson about the fear of Islam, responding with “noone denies there’s a lot of anxiety…tremendous anxiety”.///

/// The BBC’s ethos is one of entertaining, educating and informing. Paxman failed on all of these. Robinson was allowed to rant about Islam and stir up Islamophobia. We expect interviewers to probe and uncover the truth behind the likes of Tommy Robinson’s rhetoric. Jeremy Paxman failed to address substantive issues concerning the Edl’s ugly reality, in so doing he failed the viewing public.///

/// The BBC is a broadcaster which is funded by people from all of Britain’s diverse cultures, faiths and ethnic backgrounds. As such we don’t feel it is appropriate for the BBC to give a platform to fascists like the EDL as it allows them to perpetuate their biogtry and lies.///

/// We therefore demand that the BBC looks into this matter and responds to our concerns. ///

On Saturday 3rd September 2011 the UAF, backed by national unions are organising a demonstration to celebrate diversity and oppose the racist English Defence League in Tower Hamlets.

It seems that it is perfectly correct for this demonstration to take place, but it is wrong for the EDL to voice theirs and other's concerns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RdJ4dpRQeE

[anotheoldgit]

/// 12-month community order, with 80 hours’ unpaid work, and has been fined £450. ///

For assaulting a Police officer? I think he got off lightly.

I think the UAF would have been wiser not to have published this report on their web page, it only goes to show them in their true light.

[zita-green]

Safiya
It is known as pressing someone's button, sometimes called 'dog whistle, where someone makes a comment or asks a question, in order to elicit a certain response. In this case, to bring out the fear/prejudice/justified concerns of people who believe themselves to be marginalised.
There is a long and ignoble history to this.

[Safiya]

yeah true zita...... mass flipping hysteria it seems to me or paranoia

[anotheoldgit]

What I cant get my head round is the fact that most groups who have a particular grievance and take to the streets in protest all look like a football mob with their angry expressions, so why are the EDL considered any different?

There may be a group of people along with their boards of protest demonstrating against the closure of their local school, library or whatever.

There may be an angry mob protesting against a group of gypsies that have set up home on green belt land, or hordes of students violently protesting against increased uni fees.

All these are quite acceptable it seems, and neither one of them are classed as fascists, right wingers, or any other aggressive label one cares to attach to them,why is this?

On a late night radio phone-in, the presenter openly admitted that the 'Right' are classed as the bad guys and the 'Left' are the good guys.

Joseph Stalin a god guy, ummn makes one think doesn't it?

[exdc]

AOG, the uaf petition is only up to 440 so far and unlikely to get any significant numbers etc. Hopefully these street thugs will disbanded in the near future.

[ichkeria]

I am not sure about that as I did not see it - however I felt uncomfortable about the Times interview this week with Paul Ray - a sometime EDL member - granted a 2-page inside spread as if he were some sort of political maverick. In reality he is a religious (funda)mentalist of the Christian variety whose extremist ideas were not challenged at all. The EDL is plainly a neo-nazi organisation who promote religious intolerance.

[whiskeryron]

Isn't it strange that we are now getting all of this talked about now & people feeling let down by the authorities who appear to be ''doing nothing about it''. We didn't have any of this years ago when everyone got on with their lives,so what in truth has gone wrong? There is obviously something that is not right about living in today's Britain.For goodness sake let's have it all out in the open.
Ron.

[anotheoldgit]

I totally agree Ron, but as you can see persons are not allowed to protest.

That is persons who belong to the Right, it seems.

Or is it only certain groups that are allowed to take to the streets to protest?

It is no point writing to one's MP as the Ed suggested, because it is only just recently that they announced that it is not racist to discuss immigration.

So I do not think the time is right for them to get their teeth into the Islamic problem.

Maybe in another 20 years time, when it starts to affect them personally.

Open discussion would sort all the problems out, regardless of who it might offend.

[whiskeryron]

In 20yrs time it could be too late

[Ankou]

"If society is so unsure of itself that they cannot tolerate those that have unusual views then we are indeed doomed."

i like that r1, might even use it sometime.

i will of course include you in my citation.

[exdc]

A week later and only 509 people have signed the petition.

I wonder whether its a case of the UAF thugs losing more and more support or whether people just disagree with the nature of the petition.