Hundreds of protesters are expected to gather at Oxford University after students yesterday voted to allow BNP leader Nick Griffin to speak at their union. Controversial historian David Irving, who was jailed for Holocaust denial, has also been invited to the free speech event tomorrow.Their presence on the list of speakers had already prompted a series of high-profile withdrawals from the platform, including Defence Secretary Des Browne.
Despite opposition, the Oxford Union Debating Society members voted by a margin of two-to-one to extend an invite to Griffin. Martin McCluskey, president of the Oxford Student Union, said it was "disgraceful" the pair were being given the same platform as past speakers who included Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama.
Anti-fascist leaders, who were organising a demonstration at tomorrow's event, have claimed that some union members were excluded from the vote. Sabby Dhalu, secretary of campaign group Unite Against Fascism, said: "If the event goes ahead as it stands, it does not even have the appearance of a 'debate'. Oxford Union will have to hold itself responsible for any subsequent repercussions on the threats to the safety of students if it proceeds with this decision."
Lee Jasper, secretary of the National Assembly Against Racism, added: "Oxford Union is jeopardising the safety of the students by continuing with this event. It is not too late to rescind these invites. Oxford Union gathers growing condemnation with every moment it continues being complicit with facilitating a meeting promoting fascism and Holocaust denial."
The move was also opposed by the university's Muslim and Jewish societies.
Defending its decision, the Oxford Union Debating Society said it was important to give people of all views a platform. Luke Tryl, president of the society, said: "They will be speaking in the context of a forum in which there will be other speakers to challenge and attack their views in a head-to-head manner."
The university's newspaper, Cherwell, has quoted Duncan Money, a second-year student, as saying he received death threats after criticising fascist groups in an internet blog. He said: "My family has been threatened, my friends have been threatened and I've been threatened. Someone rang in the middle of the night and said they would cut my throat."
The Scotsman
20 comments:
why has des browne pulled put of speaking ? is he scared that nick griffin is far more interlectual and intellegent than himself ?
"why has des browne pulled put of speaking ? is he scared that nick griffin is far more interlectual and intellegent than himself ?"
I doubt that. If you've ever heard Nick Griffin speak, he's nothing but a very poor rabble rouser. He hardly comes across as an 'interlectual'.
I listened to G Galloway ranting about this debate, saying it shouldn't be allowed. Why doesn't he debate with N Griffin, Galloway claims to have solutions, why doesn't he debate?
opps. i hear DR JULIAN LEWIS TORY MP has now quit in oxford over nick griffin speaking at oxford university tomorrow.it seems this man griffin either has a bad aftershave or the goverment and opposition goverment are shit scared of him ?
I definately won't be going
The scum are at it again here
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.1857427.0.0.php
Not just Mr Galloway, no-one should negotiate with the fash, you stupid brainless troll (collett, green arrow, or whoever you are, you stupid hitler-loving loser).
I wish nazi trolls would stay off this website, and stick to their white supremacist websites such as Stormponce.
I wish nazi trolls would stay off this website, and stick to their white supremacist websites such as Stormponce.
Agree! They've got dozens of blogs, we've only got two or three. Keep the twats out. KO and DG do a great job here but the modding sometimes sucks.
Anonymous said...
"I listened to G Galloway ranting about this debate, saying it shouldn't be allowed. Why doesn't he debate with N Griffin, Galloway claims to have solutions, why doesn't he debate?"
Because No Platform is exactly what it says.
It wasnt so long ago that i would have agreed and supported the view that the young people should be able to go head to head with the likes of Griffin and Irvine, i placed my trust in the young people to challenge their nazi views.
I very soon changed my position on seeing the photo of the 2 young people who were organising one of these debates, and they both appeared to be wearing nazi uniforms. Now this was defended as a prank at a party, but me im a bit too cynical to believe this. So i now very much support the No Platform view. I strongly believe that within our universities the far right have people in positions of power and authority who can bend these so called debating socities to their will.
Now we are in a position with Oxford the most hallowed of all debating socities has been hijacked under the banner of a Freedom of Speech debate, giving the nazis the biggest flip to their publicity machine this year, Griffin and Irvine will dine out on this for months, the nazis website is already crowing over it.
Something really stinks in the Oxford Union, these young people need to realise that events such as this come out of public money, and they are not there for a jolly they are there to learn. And believe me there is nothing that Griffin and Irvine will say that these young people need to learn.
"Stormponce"
Now that is a good simile.
'Because No Platform is exactly what it says.'
Well, No Platform is exactly what you say but a lot of us here don't agree with you.
Check out Max Hastings' article in today's Guardian - he makes some very points about why these two should be allowed to speak.
'nick griffin is far more interlectual..'etc
Yeah, right.
Indeed. Fascists piss off to stormponce and leave this website alone.
Better still, get a fucking life and stop wasting your life on the sick and sordid memories of adolf hitler.......
Me thinks many of these comments originate from the keyboard of the unloved one - mark collett
JimBobJoeBobBillyBob said...
"I doubt that. If you've ever heard Nick Griffin speak, he's nothing but a very poor rabble rouser. He hardly comes across as an 'interlectual"
LOL - neither do people who cannot spell intellectual
"And believe me there is nothing that Griffin and Irvine will say that these young people need to learn".
Thats the problem, people are becoming less inclined to just accept the diktat of people like anonymous however well meaning. Why on earth he thinks anyone who doesn't believe in 'no platform' is far right is going to end up pushing some of them that way. The rantings of pissoffnazitrollsbacktoscumfront said... gives the site a bad name and leaves an odious taste. The debate here is about how best to prevent individuals like Irving gaining credence but thats not the debate taking place outside i.e. limits of free speech? Fascistic comments like that above only weakens our argument.
'LOL - neither do people who cannot spell intellectual'
JimBob etc can spell intellectual. That's why he put the other version in quotes. (See post #1.)
Keep up, son.
"Thats the problem, people are becoming less inclined to just accept the diktat of people like anonymous however well meaning. Why on earth he thinks anyone who doesn't believe in 'no platform' is far right is going to end up pushing some of them that way. The rantings of pissoffnazitrollsbacktoscumfront said... gives the site a bad name and leaves an odious taste. The debate here is about how best to prevent individuals like Irving gaining credence but thats not the debate taking place outside i.e. limits of free speech? Fascistic comments like that above only weakens our argument."
That is a superb contribution.
And doesn't the 'pissoffnazitrolls-
backtoscumfront' approach feel, well, slightly dated these days? A trifle 1970s, somehow?
A bit more courtesy, perhaps, plus respect for the intelligence - as well as trust in the basically decent instincts - of the so-called 'young people', might win fresh supporters to your cause.
"A bit more courtesy, perhaps, plus respect for the intelligence - as well as trust in the basically decent instincts - of the so-called 'young people', might win fresh supporters to your cause."
Like he said, get back to Scumfront and don't come the old soldier.
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