I am an avid campaigner for No Platform for racists and fascists on university campuses. Extremist and violent politics have no place in an environment where students live and work. Student unions have no obligation to provide a platform for a party to attend an event which may create a risk to the wellbeing of their students. I believe that it takes a particularly intelligent and well-seasoned public speaker to adequately, confidently and calmly discredit the BNP, and in a student debate, this is not a guarantee. Many of the most articulate student politicians I know would most likely fall to pieces when confronted with the kind of intimidation BNP politicians might bring when challeneged in a less confident manner.
Having said that, from the offset I have disagreed with fellow anti-fascist campaigners in their endeavour to prevent BNP leader Nick Griffin from appearing on Question Time. Nick Griffin on Question Time was one of the most damaging blows to his party and reputation that anyone could have dealt. This was not a programme legitimising his party, affirming his views or giving him a platform to incite racial hatred, this was an opportunity to rip his policies, his racist ideology and his fragile ego to shreds.
Griffin was ill-prepared for the direct challenges he would receive. As the show progressed, Griffin appeared visibly shaken, unable to defend direct quotes, in many instances claiming he had been misquoted.
When confronted with quotes from video footage of Griffin addressing American white nationalists (including former KKK leader David Duke) stating "every last one of them must go"(you can find the footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04QolIvfQEw ), which was subsequently impossible to deny, his justifications were so painful, they didn't verge on the ridiculous, they put on the clown wig and nose and ran starkers into the night. He basically argued that he was trying to appear to be extreme in order to befriend the extremists and ultimately win them round to a less extreme way of thinking. This bizarre and somewhat comic reasoning could be detected as a big stinking lie by even the most ignorant of people.
I agree that the whole show was a mass attack on Griffin but so what? The BBC has a duty to broadcast objective and democratic political programming and the majority of true, proud, Brits are thrilled to be living in a multi-cultural, pluralistic democracy in which equal rights are respected. All that this show did was showcase the typical public reaction to Griffin. It couldn't have been fairer.
The media reaction was furious. Even those who didn't watch the programme, even the lowest common denominator, somebody who is frustrated, and not so bright and might be duped by the BNP had the tabloids glaring "BNP=BAD". Those who might have been duped before certainly won't be now.
This has even caused massive divisions within the party, with the membership thoroughly pissed off that their leader wasn't quite racist enough.
So there we have it ladies and gentlemen, an early Christmas present for the BNP? I think Santa just dropped a big fat lump of coal in Griffin's stocking, if not something far less pleasant, and I wish I was a fly on the wall to see the clean up job. I have a feeling it won't be an easy one, and perhaps, hopefully, it will leave a permanent stain on the moderate reputation the BNP have tried to build.
Watch Question Time for a limited time here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nft24/Question_Time_22_10_2009/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
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.
Post a Comment