I have never visited Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London. I first heard about it during English lessons in school while growing up in Germany. Learning at the age of about 13 of this unique and idiosyncratic institution of individual freedom, this outward sign of a truly tolerant society, added to my sense of pride in my English heritage, my mother being a daughter of the island nation. I was also intrigued; it chimed with my budding interest in politics. However, for some reason, even after moving to Britain permanently 17 years ago, I’ve never got around to actually going there and listening to some orators. I knew it was there, but I ignored it. And now it, and what it represents, are in grave danger. So what happened?
What happened had a long build-up and can be summarised thus: Self-destructive madness. In the face of mounting manifestations of internal contradictions of its multicultural outlook and philosophy, the ruling class of Europe, including Britain, is displaying growing signs of sheer lunacy and shameful abrogation of responsibility. Brexit was, if anything, a reaction of its supporters against the madness they perceived taking hold of their government and political representatives in their country and across the whole continent. Precisely because in Britain the tradition, or at least the memory, of free speech is still alive, the local branch of the ruling class could not avoid calling a referendum on EU membership forever. Hubristic and arrogant, they were sure they would win. When they lost, David Cameron, the prime minister responsible for calling the vote, resigned, remarking that at least he had managed to institutionalise same-sex marriage. But the ruling class as a whole did not resign. It has essentially remained in place.
Nothing has highlighted the continued rule by an aloof class of politicians and media grandees more clearly than the recent detention and subsequent deportation of Martin Sellner from England, and the deafening, shameful silence this was met with in most of the mainstream media. The Austrian activist of the Identitarian movement simply wanted to speak about freedom of speech – at Speakers’ Corner, on Sunday 10th March. Where Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell had spoken, where anyone can speak about anything, Sellner was denied this right – on the basis of anti-terrorism laws.
This has now backfired in a very major way. For the state, and for those who manipulated its institutions to act against Sellner. Full story...
Related posts:
What happened had a long build-up and can be summarised thus: Self-destructive madness. In the face of mounting manifestations of internal contradictions of its multicultural outlook and philosophy, the ruling class of Europe, including Britain, is displaying growing signs of sheer lunacy and shameful abrogation of responsibility. Brexit was, if anything, a reaction of its supporters against the madness they perceived taking hold of their government and political representatives in their country and across the whole continent. Precisely because in Britain the tradition, or at least the memory, of free speech is still alive, the local branch of the ruling class could not avoid calling a referendum on EU membership forever. Hubristic and arrogant, they were sure they would win. When they lost, David Cameron, the prime minister responsible for calling the vote, resigned, remarking that at least he had managed to institutionalise same-sex marriage. But the ruling class as a whole did not resign. It has essentially remained in place.
Nothing has highlighted the continued rule by an aloof class of politicians and media grandees more clearly than the recent detention and subsequent deportation of Martin Sellner from England, and the deafening, shameful silence this was met with in most of the mainstream media. The Austrian activist of the Identitarian movement simply wanted to speak about freedom of speech – at Speakers’ Corner, on Sunday 10th March. Where Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell had spoken, where anyone can speak about anything, Sellner was denied this right – on the basis of anti-terrorism laws.
This has now backfired in a very major way. For the state, and for those who manipulated its institutions to act against Sellner. Full story...
Related posts:
- USA: tear gas, guns and riot squads...
- 'Spain's freedom of speech repression is no joke'
- Malaysian cartoonist arrested for criticism of prime minister
- Free expression under worldwide assault...
- Lights going out for free press in Southeast Asia...
- Rushdie warns of new dangers to free speech in West...
- ‘Americans denied right to free speech’
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