News
Mohammed cartoon event cancelled in UK
‘Britain is a frightened nation, and our freedom is not going away, it has gone.’
So claims Anne Marie Walters who announced today that the Mohammed cartoon exhibition that she and others had planned for September in London has been cancelled.
She wrote here:
Over the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with both Scotland Yard and counter-terror detectives. My conclusion? That the risk of running this exhibition is simply too high. When setting out to do something like this, one has to be prepared for the possibility of threats, or even violence, but it’s easy to underestimate the impact such things will have on the people around you.
There’s a very real possibility that people could be hurt or killed – before, during, and after the event. This, together with the fact that our venue had indicated it wanted to pull out citing security and insurance concerns, and given the fear that people were feeling generally, the only responsible thing to do was to pull back and try to learn some lessons.
She added:
You may think it obvious to state that Britain is frightened, but I think it is worse than most people imagine. Just the word ‘Islam’ evokes fear in the majority of the people I meet, and this is amplified upon mention of “Mohammed cartoons” … Fear is controlling our society where Islam is concerned, and it was fear that got this exhibit cancelled.
We’re no longer in a place where we risk losing our freedom; now there is a pressing need to take it back.
Walters then called for the creation of a global coalition for free speech.
It needs to have a voice at the UN (and take on the OIC), as well as the EU (also busy with hate speech and “tolerance”), and in as many countries as possible. It cannot be a talking shop put together to discuss shouting fire in a crowded theatre, but a tireless campaign to actively defend, by legislation and other means, the right of people to criticise, analyse, reject, satirise, and mock any single set of beliefs which is capable of affecting society as a whole, especially its freedoms.
We need an international campaign comprising all who seek free speech protection, particularly from Islam. It needs to work hard and fast to reverse the tide. I will contact every organisation, politician, writer, and advocate for free speech that I can find, and I hope we can take the fight for free expression on to the world stage.
The aim is a fear-free Mohammed cartoon contest. When we can have that, we will know we are winning.
Hat tip: Antony Niall
31 responses to “Mohammed cartoon event cancelled in UK”
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Briton, you have the world the Magna Carta. You took the worst that the 3rd Reich could deliver and gave it back to them. Briton, you had it in you to (for good and ill) run an empire on which the sun never set.
Briton, where is your spine in 2015?
Our spine has been destroyed by too much political correctness and an unhealthy respect for cultural relativism.
There we have it: by bombing, murder and the fake charge of islamophobia, the islamofascists have won. What an insult to our forbears who fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy.
No slander to any individual who may be unable or unwilling to risk their life over a cartoon. But upon a nation that quietly allows it – shame and opprobrium.
Not the only suspected example of censorship recently:
http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2015/08/free-speech-campaigners-demand-to-know-why-play-on-islamic-extremism-was-cancelled
[…] By Barry Duke […]
@Stephen Mynett: Absolutely. The West has gotten soft. Fearful. The left (particularly) has evolved from the challenge to government to a movement who wants government protect from all risk, all danger. And willing to hand over their freedom to the government to accomplish that.
Maybe the organizers should talk to the gun range owner from the other day. I bet he’d be willing to hold the event on his property.
One has to consider the source. Here in the U.S. the Xtians whinge endlessly about how ‘oppressed’ they are by anyone failing to obey their every whim. They are losing on many fronts.
If they used death threats and mass murder, would the pseudo-progressives line up to defend the poor widdle dears they way they do for Islam?
Hmm. Well, the Pan Arabists, ‘Palestinians,’ and Jihadis have enjoyed the support of Hitler, and Khruschev. I suppose that makes them ‘progressive’ by the standards of most American morons.
‘If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.’
‘Freedom of the intellect means the freedom to report what one has seen, heard and felt, and not to be obliged to fabricate imaginary facts and feelings.’
Orwell wrote these quotes almost 80 years ago when the world faced the prospect of being devoured by a war between competing dictatorships.
Today the world is being devoured by theocratic dictatorships with just the same instruments of ruthless bullying, intimidation, bombing and murder that these fascist dictatorships used 80 years ago.
I understand the dilemma, I really do – publish the cartoons and have corpses lying in the streets of London, or abandon the exhibition and save lives.
It is as though we now have the right to think anything we like but not the freedom to express what we think. Our thoughts have become prisoners of our minds and the prison bars are made of fear. The cancellation of this exhibition means we no longer have ‘the right to tell people what they do not want to hear’ – this liberty has gone. A society that shuts down self-
criticism is a society unable to understand itself, is a society unable to evolve intellectually or socially and our humanity will become debased.We may even lose our understanding of freedom . A sad day.
This is what we’ve got to “look forward to” if that fuck Jeremy Corbyn and the scum and morons around him gets anywhere near power.
I think the event should go ahead sometime in the near future – it just needs co-ordination with the counter-terror unit… and the police firearms unit to send any islamist attackers to their 72 virgins.
We can not surrender to this religious thuggery.
I can understand why Anne Marie has done this, but unfortunately it does mean the bastards have won.
In Northern Ireland, Pastor James McConnell is bearing the consequences of this same fear from the UK courts. When he stood up and accurately described islam as a religion spawned in hell, the cowardly, (or is that corrupt) prosecution service of that province employed the services of an IS sympathizer to bear witness against him in a Belfast court for “hate speech”. I wonder how many islamists work for that prosecution service?
Lawyer’s Secular Society also become casualties – another scalp in the islamics belt on the road to totalitarianism ; https://lawyerssecularsociety.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/charlie-klendjian-leaves-the-lss-over-security-fears/
@asquith : This is what we’ve got to “look forward to” if that fuck Jeremy Corbyn and the scum and morons around him gets anywhere near power.
Does Corbyn have a time machine, and has used it in Terminator style, to change the past and so influence our future/present ??
If only it was as simple as choosing the right government, or party, or favourite colour, or burning some scapegoats.
Wrong 1859! They are NOT saving lives! Because by giving into their BS demands it now enables them to make more demands then more until something breaks and MORE lives are lost. You must ridicule and laugh and blaspheme these types to show them they are not to be feared then PUNISH the crap out any who use violence!!
Absolutely disgraceful that the government doesn’t do everything within its power to protect freedom of speech in this country. I completely agree with all those here who condemn the global threat of islamic intimidation – we are on a steep and very slippery slope at the end of which there will be a state that is governed not by the law of the land, but by fear of repercussions at the hands of those whose religious sensibilities supersede all else.
Off Topic:
According to a CNN International report that aired today: “A thousand refugees are entering Greece every day”. The is the gateway to the EU countries. I’m sure many are just anti Assad refugies, But how many are ISIS fighters who also have to escape the Assad regime.
From another report that aired about a week ago, people are trying to walk through the channel tunnel to get to Britain. So this is only going to get worse–by sheer numbers. Yet the west doesn’t want to intervene in Syria, to stop the basic problem either.
I have to agree with Jay, the future look bleak.
I see a couple of paths that might lead us out of this mess.
First, focus on satire that targets Islamic exremists instead of broadly insulting all Muslims. This can encourage rank-and-file Muslims to distance themselves from the worst excesses of their culture. By analogy, I think we get more people to leave the Catholic church by criticizing pedophile priests than by trashing Jesus or the Virgin Mary (fun though that may be).
Second, we can befriend as many Muslims as possible and provide them with a support network outside of their religion. In friendship we can provide a stark contrast between their reality and whatever prejudices they’re being taught. Again, I’ve had a lot more luck getting people to rethink their religous beliefs if they’re friends of mine than if they’re complete strangers.
We atheists are uniquely qualified to engage in this effort: we’re fun, we can think for ourselves and we’re (mostly) pretty smart. Maybe my suggestions aren’t the best, but hell, we need to start someplace…!
@John the Drunkard; “Hmm. Well, the Pan Arabists, ‘Palestinians,’ and Jihadis have enjoyed the support of Hitler, and Khruschev. I suppose that makes them ‘progressive’ by the standards of most American morons.” What? The support of Hitler and Khruschev? We’re you really drunk when you made these comments, because they don’t make sense? And what would that support , if it were even plausible have to do with being progressive?
Fortunately, for us in America attacks on Islam are rarely discouraged, it’s the christians who enjoy protected status. I’m sure Anne Marie would have no problem finding a site and having her event here. Unfortunately, some American’s have a problem telling radical islamists from those who pose no imminent danger or threat (I’m not going to get into the whole ‘if you are one and don’t condemn’ argument) or even people who are not muslims at all. In my own town an elderly gentlemen was out walking, wearing a turban and was shot dead, apparently for being a Muslim, but he was actually a Sikh.
Freedom of speech and freedom from religious intimidation from all religions should be a priority for all governments.
Obviously, Islam is the religion that poses the greatest threat to freedom for all people on the planet, but given that 23%(7 billion) of the world, 4-5%(2-3 million) of the UK and 1-2 %(3-7 million) of America are Muslim killing them or expelling them from your particular country is not really a viable solution. All the more reason why governments need to have strong laws and vigorous enforcement of them to protect our freedoms and counter all religious influence, especially radical Islam.
BTW, has anybody else noticed the irony contained in the photo at the top of this article?
One banner reads ‘Prophet Muhammad was a man of peace’, while the other reads ‘We will stand for our values with our blood and body!’.
Idiots.
The danger to the individual is very real … I draw a cartoon .. I get hacked to death. This is how the powers of islamodomination have decided to enforce their will upon the world. Threaten everyone with extreme violence at the hands of thugs. Also infiltrate and then dominate by force of numbers by outbreeding the indigenous population. So this is easy. Even more easy when the indigenous sponsor the infiltrator with state handouts. Make no mistake about this but there are parts of many European cities that are ready to invade and overwhelm … The festering pustules of islam are now ready to infect the body of Europe making it weak and rendering it into the failed state that islam intends to enforce. And invading reinforcements are pouring onto our beaches under the guise of persecuted refugees. The hour is late … and bloody civil war is now necessary to erase the evil of islam from the face of the earth.
Just because muslims are numerous, it does’nt mean we can not or should not take them on – remember, the Nazis were voted in by a large percentage of German people, it did not make them morally right, nor did it make them indestructable when faced with brave allied soldiers fighting for freedom and democracy.
ps – the classic “Hijacked” by the atheist Martin Willett ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3aadfdLSKM
PS – time for the excellent Martin Willett, the atheist commentator, and his “Hijacked ” ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3aadfdLSKM
@Dot: I agree that Islam is a great threat to civilized society. I can’t figure out how a “civil war” applies here or comparisons to Nazi’s (apples and oranges).
@Great Satan: So I listened to “Hijacked”. Somewhat stirring with his Star War-esque voicing, but then right when I think he’s going to state what to do about the Islamic problem he says let’s roll. That’s it? What are we rolling, the derelict down the street? A joint? The internet seems to be filled with lots of worry and warning about the threat, but very few suggestions about what to do about it that are actually possible to do. I don’t need more motivation to hate Islam. I need viable ways to fight it.
@Laura Roberts: Thank You! Some actual suggestions that are realistic!
I think education, especially in the sciences is a viable foil, too. The more educated someone is the less likely they are to be god deluded.
@Rob Andrews: The west intervened in Iraq and Afghanistan and the results have been pretty disastrous. In fact, it was partly because of the west’s action in Iraq and support of the divisive government in Baghdad that led to the war in Syria (Simplification: Sunni’s are embracing ISIS because of their mistreatment by Shiite rulers). In Syria their are more than 2 sides fighting, but they are all Muslims, so who’s side would the west be on? If not for all the innocent civilians I would be inclined to nuke Syria and turn it into even more of a desert wasteland than it already is.
@Cali Ron mr trump says we can get ride of 12 million people so 7 million looks possible. stupid business man.
We white folks in TEXAS have assimilated Hispanics and they have assimilated us. We love and need them here. I hate religion with all its dirt and lies but I must learn to live with them. this is America’s greatness to humanity” my stupidity right or wrong and your stupidity right or wrong, we both must defend.” so if a muslimist will not defend this old atheist then we have ventured into- one of us must perish. Brits and EU folks good luck with the unassimilated.
Cali Ron – I think the “lets’ roll” phrase was a reference to the last words of the passengers of the hijacked flight United 93 before they attempted to wrest back control of the plane from the muslim hijackers.
Viable ways to fight islam ? $6million question ! – it is also a fight against our quisling governments and lying media, we have to keep getting the information out there.. but then what… most UK citizens according to polls regard islam itself as a problem, and yet the governments of both right and left just ride roughshod over we the people’s wishes… in the end, something must break.
As Dennis and Great Satan are saying Islam itself is the problem. The basic ideology is not compatible with modern secular democracy. The only hope is that through education as Laura Robert says.
But will that happen in time before the west becomes top heavy with young radicals.
“A man goes into a library and asks for a book on suicide. The librarian recommends the Qu’ran” Atheist Empire
Wanting to make discrimination against women illegal is a call for equality and justice, by our standards.
The Left want to make it illegal to criticize Islam, the logic being that Muslims can treat women as second class citizens because it is part of their culture.
I notice that politicians on the left still talk about integration, but can it be called integration if a large minority is allowed to retain its own culture, customs and laws?
Is it that the definition of an integrated immigrant is only that he has become eligible for free housing and welfare benefits? I thought that it was adopting, respecting and contributing to the culture of your host nation.
It seems to me that everyone can say whatever they want, except right-wing whites. As we all know, right-wing white people are all racists and as such do not deserve to have an opinion.
It’s a clear fact that you have “religious & political” extremist people in almost every religion. That doesn’t give anyone the right to force their beliefs on other people as is happening more and more around the world.
STOP DOING THAT.