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I have been asked by Faux Cu to publish the following post from Not A Sheep's blog.
Mocking the Leader
My recent pieces about the open mocking of Gordon Brown in the main stream media (MSM) as well the right of centre blogosphere came to my mind as I read this piece from The Telegraph about "Ahmadinejad mocked at World Cup qualifier ahead of election". One passage really caught my eye
Maya Anne Evans was arrested for simply standing by the Cenotaph and reciting a list of names. She was prosecuted under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. On 7 December 2005, Maya Evans, a vegan chef aged 25, was convicted of breaching the new Serious Organised Crime and Police Act by reading aloud at the Cenotaph the names of 97 British soldiers killed in Iraq. So serious was her crime that it required 14 policemen in two vans to arrest her. She was fined and given a criminal record for the rest of her life.
Also in 2005, John Catt was wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Bush Blair Sharon to be tried for war crimes torture human rights abuse" and, lower down, "the leaders of rogue states". The stop-and-search form filled out by the police officer stated, under grounds for intervention, "carrying plackard and T-shirt with anti-Blair info". The purpose of the stop and search was stated as "terrorism". So now we know. For the Sussex police, at any rate, an anti-Blair slogan is a ground for suspecting terrorism.
Then there was Walter Wofgang who attended the 2005 Labour Party conference as a visitor and sat at the back of the hall in the part of the hall reserved for visitors. During a speech by the then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, in response to Jack Straw's statement that "We are in Iraq for one reason only: to help the elected Iraqi government build a secure, democratic and stable nation", Wolfgang shouted "Nonsense!". Some witnesses claimed he then may have added "That's a lie and you know it!" and/or "Pack of lies!". In full view of the television cameras Walter Wofgang was picked up and forcibly removed from the hall and had his security pass confiscated. Erith and Thamesmead Constituency Labour Party chairman Steve Forrest, who was sitting nearby, was also removed (more forcibly) for voicing his objections to Wolfgang's treatment. When Wolfgang attempted to re-enter the conference later the same day, his pass showed that he had been removed previously, and he was briefly held by police under section 44 of the Terrorism Act.
The United Kingdom used to be described as a beacon of free speech; I fear that beacon was dimmed by Tony Blair and that it burns no brighter under Gordon "no referendum, no election" Brown.
For an interesting article about the legal ramifications of the Walter Wofgang case, do take a read of Marcel Berlins' Guardian article from 2005. Please note that the references to masturbating judges relate to the USA and France and not to the UK's judiciary.
"once on the terraces, the supporters quickly showed their respective political colours again. "Bye bye Ahmadinejad," cheered the Mousavi supporters. "He hasn't had a shower for two weeks," they added, a cruel reference to the Iranian leader's alleged personal hygeine problems."It struck me that we may have less freedom of expression in the UK than people enjoy in Iran. These were thousands of people opening chanting an insult to their President with no repercussions. In the UK people have been made to cover up "Bollocks to Blair" T-shirts.
Maya Anne Evans was arrested for simply standing by the Cenotaph and reciting a list of names. She was prosecuted under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. On 7 December 2005, Maya Evans, a vegan chef aged 25, was convicted of breaching the new Serious Organised Crime and Police Act by reading aloud at the Cenotaph the names of 97 British soldiers killed in Iraq. So serious was her crime that it required 14 policemen in two vans to arrest her. She was fined and given a criminal record for the rest of her life.
Also in 2005, John Catt was wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Bush Blair Sharon to be tried for war crimes torture human rights abuse" and, lower down, "the leaders of rogue states". The stop-and-search form filled out by the police officer stated, under grounds for intervention, "carrying plackard and T-shirt with anti-Blair info". The purpose of the stop and search was stated as "terrorism". So now we know. For the Sussex police, at any rate, an anti-Blair slogan is a ground for suspecting terrorism.
Then there was Walter Wofgang who attended the 2005 Labour Party conference as a visitor and sat at the back of the hall in the part of the hall reserved for visitors. During a speech by the then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, in response to Jack Straw's statement that "We are in Iraq for one reason only: to help the elected Iraqi government build a secure, democratic and stable nation", Wolfgang shouted "Nonsense!". Some witnesses claimed he then may have added "That's a lie and you know it!" and/or "Pack of lies!". In full view of the television cameras Walter Wofgang was picked up and forcibly removed from the hall and had his security pass confiscated. Erith and Thamesmead Constituency Labour Party chairman Steve Forrest, who was sitting nearby, was also removed (more forcibly) for voicing his objections to Wolfgang's treatment. When Wolfgang attempted to re-enter the conference later the same day, his pass showed that he had been removed previously, and he was briefly held by police under section 44 of the Terrorism Act.
The United Kingdom used to be described as a beacon of free speech; I fear that beacon was dimmed by Tony Blair and that it burns no brighter under Gordon "no referendum, no election" Brown.
For an interesting article about the legal ramifications of the Walter Wofgang case, do take a read of Marcel Berlins' Guardian article from 2005. Please note that the references to masturbating judges relate to the USA and France and not to the UK's judiciary.
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6 comments:
Says a great deal, as does OH this morning. So, so scary but perhaps this is what a lazy, supine, cowed by debt, people want?
After all turnout for the elections last week was woeful.
I think we have just taken freedom of speech for granted for too long. Complacency has allowed the incidents described in the article to happen.
You're right OR, even if it was "only" a European election, the British people have given the impression of not really caring much by sitting on their lazy backsides instead of making what, for most, as a relatively short trip to the polling station. What kind of message does that send?
I noted, by comparison, the crowded scenes in the polling stations in Iran and reflected that when I am voting it's usually just me and the staff.
But I see from this morning's news that they have something in common with us there. The results are mystifying. So much of a move towards reform, and the old hardliner still gets in.....
I wonder if they have postal votes in Iran.
Official Disappearing Redactive Ink with post poll manual adjustment?
Oh shit, Gordon will pirate that one!
Thanks for your posts and I'm sure Faux Cu will thank you too.
I heard about the ink business last night Billy and thought the same. What do these 'independent scrutineers' actually do? It defeats me.
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Naw, but they do have persuasive whips, tris.
Same as they do in Westmidden.
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The whip business out to be stopped Wisnaeme. It interferes with freedom of speech and thought.
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