Friday, January 12, 2007

Unite Against Thought Crime

"However, Weyman Bennett, of Unite Against Fascism, said: “There should be no difference between a private racist opinion and a public racist opinion.”"


This is possibly the most disgustingly illiberal statement I have ever heard from someone supposedly within the political mainstream.

It is a direct assault on freedom of thought. The idea that private opinions are in any way equivalent to public incitement to racial hatred is a manifesto for witch hunts. This is a non-political figure who never openly stated her beliefs but could be hounded out of her job for being making the wrong political choice in private. To make people's private thoughts and beliefs, no matter how idiotic, a subject for public censure is the final death of meaningful freedom.

This Unite Against Fascism (UAF) position is also rampantly counter productive. It achieves the remarkable in making members of the BNP liberal martyrs, gives their claims to fighting an establishment conspiracy credibility and upsets broad swathes of the public. It looks almost certain to me that UAF is contributing to the rise of the BNP.

Any mainstream bodies affiliated to UAF who believe they are helping to maintain liberal democracy should sever any ties they have to the organisation.

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