The BNP at the BBC: The Protestors are Just as Fascist
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:13PM 
Yesterday's debacle over the BBC's invitation to the BNP (British National Party's) Nick Griffin was highly revealing ... on the shallow nature of student and public thinking on the issue of free speech.
Here's the bottom line: While the BNP and Griffin may well be fascists, so to, in a very real sense are those who protested on the streets demanding Griffin not have the right to express his views and speak freely.
I don't like the BNP and its outright rascism and revisionist historical approach any more than the next fair-minded man (though Griffin is right when he describes Islam as a "wicked and vicious faith" - just ask millions of women suffering under its yoke). But I defend their right to speak freely - and openly show us what a revolting bunch of immoral fascists they really are. But let them swing by their own words, not by banning them or denying them the same right to free speech the protestors themselves demand.
If speech is clearly more than offensive and is geared to propagating violence or criminality, that is something else. As foul as right-thinking people might deem BNP positions,those attached to it are fully entitled to speak and be openly and strongly debated.
Quite honestly, I find the protestors an equally repugnant, un-thinking, anti-intellectual bunch of fascists. And note how many students were at the forefront of demanding the BNP be denied the basic right to free speech. As the historian AJP Taylor said: "It's a sure sign of political backwardness when any movement is led by students." It seems last night's protestors and the Taliban (another student movement) have much in common, ideologically.
Reader Comments (2)
Good to see that you are blogging again.