It looks like Exeter University Debating Society is again providing a platform for the British National Party. The anti-fascist Monitoring Group Rural Racism Project received an email from Daryl Scatcherd, the Debating Society's president, inviting it to provide a speaker to oppose the motion, "This house believes the BNP should have the right to express their views on university campuses".
The debate is to take place on the evening of Friday 2 November. The Monitoring Group believes that BNP speakers, perhaps even Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, have been invited to take part. Exeter University Debating Society has a long history of trying to provide a platform for the BNP, although most events have been called off at the last minute in the face of massive protests.
Scatcherd's letter says: "It will fundamentally be a debate on the issue of Freedom of Speech and we were hoping you could debate the reasons why people like the BNP should not be given the same rights as others when it comes to university education." It is easy to see which side he is on, and he must be pretty stupid to think that anti-fascists will debate the issue with the BNP.
The BNP has been active distributing its local Grassroots newsletter in Torquay and Exeter over the past two weeks.
The Monitoring Group asks people to email Daryl Scatcherd at dps203@exeter.ac.uk to demand clarification on whether the BNP has been invited to take part in the debate and who the speakers will be.
If you receive a reply, please pass it on to Searchlight (editors@searchlightmagazine.com) and the Monitoring Group (jmckenzie@monitoring-group.co.uk), so that we can coordinate action.
Stop the BNP
October 29, 2007
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15 comments:
Surely, the best way to stop the BNP is to defeat its arguments, not to ban it or howl it down.
Free speech applies equally to those we abhor as well as to those we agree with.......
No. Their arguments are defeated by not engaging with them at all.
Freedom of speech should not be afforded to anyone who would use it to persecute others, or even deny others those same rights.
No platform.
but if you engage them, put forward your best argument & enough people still want to support them so that they get into power at whatever level, that's democracy regardless of what they believe in.
Democracy must never be afforded to people who abuse it.
How many elections did Hitler call after he came to power?
Keep up the "No Platform" policy you mugs. It plays right into our hands and shows the public what a bunch of crooked twats you lot are lol.
When will you morons learn.
Ever heard the expression "curiosity killed the cat"? Humans by their very nature are curious, the more you ignore us the more curious people become.
Thanks my bearded, druggie, hippie friends - keep up the no platform policy - it has helped us grow no end lol.
Mugs!
no platform is the only one amognst you with a brain. Thank God you won't listen to him / her.
LOL. Am I using reverse psychology? Oooh, now you're really confused - heavy mannn!
PMSL.
"No Platform" has done more than kill the cat.
To be honest, 49 councillors puts you somewhere between the Monster Raving Loony Party and the Greens.
Vigilance is also the key.
'Freedom of speech should not be afforded to anyone who would use it to persecute others, or even deny others those same rights.'
Hear, hear.
I'm sick and tired of Lee Barnes trolling this blog.
I am a student at Exeter and will be campaigning against the BNP this Friday.
I appreciate that the BNP provide a valid case study for the argument proposed, but that does not mean that they need to be in attendance. I can’t imagine a radical Islamic cleric who preaches terrorism, a member of the IRA or a neo Nazi being invited to this debate simply on the grounds of free speech and democracy, so why should the BNP just because they masquerade as a serious political party?
A) the guild claims that bnp members will not be present
B)whether they are or not, the guy running the debating soc is a dodgy fascist and this picture doesnt help:
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/191/48/223301882/n223301882_1802703_1350.jpg
the whole thing is fake btw, no bnp people have been invited and none will turn up(except those who may already be part of exeter uni)
UAF need to chill out. Firstly the BNP are not debating. The BNP are idiots, if they did debate this would be shown to be the case. Why don't we put a little faith in uni students who are meant to be the intellectual elite to make up their own minds. Not allowing them to debate merely plays into their own hands.
The BNP have NOT been invited. The debating society have, in previous years, attempted to get Nick Griffin in to speak but (a) the BNP is not allowed a platform on any NUS campuses ( - hence the debate tomorrow) and (b) we couldn't afford the security.
All we are debating is whether freedom of speech should be extended to the BNP or not. It's not really that controversial and we've been very surprised at the amount of outrage that's been generated.
The BNP have never been invited!
Instead of protesting, you should come to the debate and vote against the motion! Have your say! Thats what I will be doing!
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