groundviews » Freedom of Speech, Violent Fascism, Democracy, Nick Griffin and Mahinda Rajapakse

Freedom of Speech, Violent Fascism, Democracy, Nick Griffin and Mahinda Rajapakse

October 22, 2009 at 2:44 pm · Categories: Media and Communications | by Dhammika Dharmawardhane

A milestone in British democracy and the right to freedom of speech happens on BBC’s Question Time program tonight. Nick Griffin the head of the BNP (British National Party), which allows only white members, will headline tonight. BBC defends it’s decision on responsibility of due impartiality.

The BBC trust says it is a question of editorial judgement whether it is appropriate for the BNP to appear.

As a recent Asian migrant to this country I am alarmed. Is violent fascism preached by the BNP now part of the mainstream? Like me, how will the other Asian, African, and West Indian descent citizens of the United Kingdom feel? Or the East Europeans and South Africans?

A clear increase in racial attacks is seen when the BNP speak or get elected.

Migrants contribute positively in the UK. A clear example which both has mass appeal and ease of comprehension is one fact where the current England cricket captain, their best batsmen by far, and the wicketkeeper are all of South African origin!

Or is it OK as they are all white? Then is it simply white skin versus black skin?

I believe that any publicity is publicity. The BNP already have up to one million voters in UK.

The BBC says the BNP should be treated as if it were a democratic party. But there is nothing democratic about the BNP. It is a fascist organisation dedicated to kicking every single black and Asian person out of this country.

Some people say you can debate the BNP. But Griffin himself wrote: “When the crunch comes, power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate.” Griffin isn’t interested in impressing people with his arguments – he just wants to build the BNP by using Question Time as a platform to whip up race hatred and bigotry.

Which leads me to ponder about my country of origin Sri Lanka. When people alike Nick Griffin and the BNP party have the right to freedom of speech and exist as a political party, does the west have double standards when measuring the yardsticks of democracy in the rest of the world?

We too have our differences and political parties with race or religion specific agenda’s. Of course if a media organisation in Sri Lanka attempted an exercise in ‘freedom of speech’ without government sanction the repercussions would and will be very different.

But I wonder, seriously, where can one draw the line when it comes to democracy or freedom of speech. Is there one and then who sets it?

People we elect democratically through ballot? Nick Griffin is not in power, Mahinda Rajapakse is. To act responsibly with democratic freedom for a country’s people versus winning an election, winning ballots must weigh heavily.

I hear the clarion call again. ARE YOU WITH US OR AGAINST US?

My right to freedom and democracy is threatened anywhere I live in this world. I am genuinely in fear.

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howiviewit said,

October 22, 2009 @ 3:19 pm

I don’t think anyone should attempt to draw the line when it comes to freedom of speech. Everyone must have the right to say anything and have their own views no matter how controversial they are. It is up to good governance, society and other political parties to ensure that these groups will always remain a minority and have neither a say in governance nor the capability to influence.

The rise of the BNP is predominantly due to the utter failure by both Labour and the Conservatives, pushing the white, mainly lower middle class to extremism.

All other British parties and atleast for now the majority in society denounce the BNP. Quite unlike the Sri Lankan govt who have members of the JHU in the cabinet.

PotatoFarmer said,

October 22, 2009 @ 4:52 pm

My bet is Griffin will make a complete fool of himself this evening, and the worry should be about what fraction of the population can recognize a fool when they see one.

I have a cunning plan to defeat the BNP: Couple of days ago BNP’s membership policy was found to be in conflict with the Race Relations Act. When the membership opens up, all good men and women of all colours could join the BNP, vote Griffin out as leader, and change its constitution to something liberal!!

Liberal Lanka said,

October 22, 2009 @ 9:05 pm

@Dhammika

Sadly world is not a perfect place. Best place to live is the place where you will belong to the majority. Sinhalese? Buddhist? I think the safest place to live would be Sri Lanka.

But on the issue, yes anyone should be allowed to express their views. Even Nick Griffin. This is very simple. We don’t know what is right or wrong and we are not to judge. Only time will. It is better when these people talk in main stream rather than forced to work in underground. The hypocrisy of western democracy gets exposed not when they allow Nick Griffin into main stream but when they sent him to jail for denying holocaust.

Heshan said,

October 22, 2009 @ 10:57 pm

The BNP is a fringe party. They exist but no one takes them seriously. They do not enact racist legislation like the Prevention of Terrorism Act, Standardization, Emergency Regulations, etc. There is no BNP that sits in the House of Commons.

In Sri Lanka, the orange-robed skinheads sit in the Parliament itself. If they don’t like some legislation, they will create enough hysteria so that the legislation goes down the drain, e.g. Banda-Chelvam Act.

We know who killed S.W.R.D… the mentality that killed him is stronger than ever.

Sri Lanka is a fascist state; there is no comparison to Britain. Those who hold a mentality of the likes of Nick Griffin would find a welcome home in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, they would have to struggle extremely hard to succeed in a place like Britain. Which is why they are allowed to do so in the first place.

Cheers.

Metrodeco said,

October 23, 2009 @ 3:17 am

We’re just a small tea shop in Brighton but we had a very recent encounter with the BNP. Read about our experience of Nick Griffin and our take on the Question Time debate here: http://bit.ly/3CJcaQ

Des said,

October 23, 2009 @ 8:31 am

While not giving media space to minority/extreme views continues to be the modus operandi of most media, the more progressive schools of media now realize that giving media space to minority/extreme groups can actually defuse tension, not increase it.
The argument is that the exclusion of minority views and their inability to have their issues discussed builds up into violent action. Whats important is that the media raises the core issues behind minority grievances, and not just publish their rhetoric which is quite often badly expressed and ill thought out.

punitham said,

October 23, 2009 @ 8:41 am

We must have freedom of speech. People can make their choices with their votes.
In Sri Lanka we have Sixth Amendment which means you cannot speak about separation! Leave alone the Sixth Amendment.
There are a lot of restrictions on the freedom for even Sinhalese Budhists. As for the others it’s the history of the last 100+ years.

james said,

October 23, 2009 @ 11:44 am

@ Dhammika,

“My right to freedom and democracy is threatened anywhere I live in this world. I am genuinely in fear.”

If this is how you feel because a fringe element is being allowed the right to appear on national TV in Britain, imagine how the Tamils in Sri Lanka must feel when the majority government constantly makes statements that brand them as ‘terrorists’ and a threat to the country.

Most if not all of the members of the current coalition government in Sri Lanka have at some point expressed views of this nature.

Disgusted said,

October 23, 2009 @ 8:38 pm

Heshan,
Your comparison is on point.

Burning_Issue said,

October 23, 2009 @ 9:16 pm

To add to what james has said; in Sri Lanka, a Tamil can be beaten to death in broad day light, and no one will be held accountable. If one goes by the past, the Tamils have an uphill task facing not only the fascists but also the government itself that suppose to protect them in the same way a Sinhala Buddhist is protected!
Dhammika, you will never have such fears in Britain! Anyhow, thanks for raising this point!

Heshan said,

October 24, 2009 @ 7:19 am

Beat the Tamil to death, plant a grenade on him/her, and call the person an LTTE cadre. That is how the law works in SL.

punitham said,

October 24, 2009 @ 11:42 am

”My right to freedom and democracy is threatened anywhere I live in this world”.

The oppressed in this world have no voice at international platforms like the UN which turn out to be instruments for oppressors to keep on oppressing the oppressed.

RaviShankar said,

October 24, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

It is absurd to compare the BBC programme with Nick Griffin and Sri Lankan situation. Britain is a democratic country, despite some lapses it practice it to a satisfactory level. Sri Lankan situation is entirely different. In Sri Lanka, JHU, a party that is equivalent to BNP has got 8 members in the parliament and they support the government coalition. In Britain, although the BNP is a registered party, its members are not allowed to join any public services. Can you compare the two countries?

Jack Point said,

October 25, 2009 @ 12:35 am

This is an old philosophical question: the freedom to speak must be protected but how does one deal with lunatics who abuse to incite hate.

The problem is with the definition of what is acceptable and who should draw it. The problem with censorship is that it never stops; it creeps. First one thing, then another, then another. The borders narrow until only very limited views are deemed acceptable.

My view is it is better to allow the BBC to interview the BNP but ensure that opposing points of view are also aired, which the BBC does.

Paul said,

October 27, 2009 @ 11:02 pm

Racism begins with our families, parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, people we admire, respect and love.

However, as we grow and mature we come to the realization that what we were told by our family when we were children were slanted lies base on their prejudices. We realize that most people are like ourselves and not so different and want the same things, like a home, steady work, a Medicare plan and schools for our children (if you travel you will see this). We realize that most people are of good hearts and goodwill.

This reminds me of a parable from the good book where a Levite and Priest come upon a man who fell among thieves and they both individually passed by and didn’t stop to help him.

Finally a man of another race came by, he got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy and got down with the injured man, administered first aid, and helped the man in need.

Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the “I” into the “thou,” and to be concerned about his fellow man.

You see, the Levite and the Priest were afraid, they asked themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?”

But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

That’s the question before us. The question is not, “If I stop to help our fellow man (immigrant) in need, what will happen to me?” The question is, “If I do not stop to help our fellow man, what will happen to him or her?” That’s the question.

This current climate of blaming others for our woes is not new. We have had this before and we have conquered it.

Remember “Evil flourishes when good men (and women) do nothing”. Raise your voices with those of us who believe we are equal and we can win this battle again.

Nigel Nugawela said,

October 28, 2009 @ 2:56 pm

Nick Griffin earlier on this year attempted, rather unsuccessfully, to defend the BNP’s policy on race. Please view the link below;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8011878.stm

Mango said,

October 28, 2009 @ 10:39 pm

Just to put ‘Burning Point’s’ points into perspective. If you’re so unfortunate as to spend time in Police custody in the UK (you know the place? The heavenly land of freedom, law and from where so many people emerge to lecture Sri Lanka), things aren’t much better than in Sri Lanka.

24 people died in UK police custody in 2008. At least 102 black and ethnic minority people have died in police custody in the past 16 years. So the answer in the UK is this. If you’re black or asian, you’ve got more to fear from the Police than the BNP!

http://tinyurl.com/9ttpnt

In other words, in the UK, a black or asian person can be beaten to death in a police cell and no-one will be held to account. And this in a country currently at peace rather than one that had survived a 30 year war. Let’s see how the UK deals with an LTTE-type insurgency.

As for the rhetorical point “does the west have double standards when measuring the yardsticks of democracy in the rest of the world?”, the answer unequivocally has to be Yes. Just compare the West’s indulgence of Georgia invading S. Ossetia and the West’s reaction to SL crushing the LTTE. The West has no equal when it comes to hypocritical moral posturing over democracy, human rights or any of the usual stick with which they beat uppity ex-colonies. I’m not even going to mention certain large Middle-East countries, who’ve had to endure the West’s ‘civilizing’ missions.

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