Anjem Choudary and Wootton Bassett

I have been watching with a keen eye the developing story of Islam4UK and the attempt to plan a march through Wootton Bassett.

This may shock a few of you!!!!!

The Longrider has a great post on the subject.

Others have been discussing the plans for Andrem Choudary and his band of militant Islamists to march through Wootton Bassett. There has, as expected, been a range of opinion about how to deal with this eventuality. Indeed, on the BBC news, I watched as local politicians talked openly about banning it. The prime mentalist even got in on the act.

‘The Prime Minister’s view would be obviously that anything that is considered to be offensive to, or of concern to, families of troops wounded or killed in Afghanistan would be completely inappropriate.’

So, welcome to Britain, the land of free speech. Free speech means allowing speech that you find offensive – and, let me restate it for those who are a little slow on the uptake; there is no right not to be offended. I also wish I had a pound for every time some fuckwit used the term “inappropriate”. This is modern code for “needs to be banned”.

Sure, I share NickM’s opinion of the nauseating Choudary, a man who wants to exercise his freedom of speech but would, given the opportunity, deny it to the rest of us.

I think I tried to be polite but only managed to use the word “cunt”. I may have prefaced that with the word “utter”.

However, vile, obnoxious cunt though he is, Andrem Choudary must be allowed to voice his opinions. Out in the open, we can see him for the vile, obnoxious cunt that he is – sunshine being the best bleach. Let the world see and revile his views, let him remind us what waits for those who would find themselves living in his desired Caliphate. And, let us remind ourselves that freedom of speech means just that – freedom to speak openly, no matter how vile those opinions, no matter how upsetting, offensive or “inappropriate”.

Here, I am in absolute accord with Obnoxio:

It’s very fucking easy to defend free speech when it’s in line with your own thinking, but it takes a set to defend it when people are saying things you don’t like.

So, those libertarians who claim to value freedom of speech, but would deny it to Andrem Choudary, take note. Freedom of speech means freedom of speech for everyone, whether it is Islamofascists or Nick Griffin, no matter what iniquitous dogma they spout. If Andrem Choudary’s free speech is stifled today because he is an extremist, yours and mine will be stifled tomorrow, because we, too, are extremists in the view of the centre-left mainstream social democrats.

Of course, there is the question of how to deal with it. The best, most effective way would be to completely ignore it, for the media to fail to turn up and cover it, for the streets to be empty and the shops closed and shuttered, to deny Choudary his audience and the oxygen of publicity – for it is publicity that he seeks. Unfortunately, that ain’t gonna happen. The media cannot resist the opportunity to report, so Choudary will get his fifteen minutes no matter what – indeed, he is already basking in notoriety.

Given the dignity with which the people of Wootton Bassett have shown during the return of the fallen, perhaps a similar dignified response should be shown to Choudary. Line the streets and as the marchers approach, silently turn their backs on them. Show Choudary and his little band of nutjobs some healthy disrespect. It’s nothing more than they deserve, after all. And that’s the rub, we can use our freedom of speech to express disapproval, to remind Choudary that we will not submit to Islam, that we are better than he is.

The high moral ground is there for us to seize. Will we? Or, as is more likely, will we squander it?

I am scared though. Scared the far right will seize this for a fight. The BNP, EDL SDL or someother group of mindless morons will then get headlines for all the wrong reasons and Choudary will be vindicated in his world.

I do not want the march banned because Choudary is a Muslin. By holdng it in Wootton Bassett he has clearly showed is true colours. He is though spoiling for a fight. He is looking for it.