Free speech

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

During college I was part of something that I'm still not sure whether I'm proud of or ashamed of. A BNP candidate was distributing some extremely disgusting leaflets around the college (and regardless of what you may think, there were, and I believe still are, some extremely racist and disturbing elements within the BNP), that were basically calling on all white students to "encourage" minority students to leave the college. So I was a part of a group, one may go so far as to call it a mob, who put a brick through the window of this candidate and spray painted his door.

I've more respect for BNP types than for the people who claim to stand for equality and "freedom."
I'd say a different approach would have been better than blatant terrorism, even though I haven't and won't vote BNP I think you're a f###ing coward for using such tactics.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

I've more respect for BNP types than for the people who claim to stand for equality and "freedom."
I'd say a different approach would have been better than blatant terrorism, even though I haven't and won't vote BNP I think you're a f###ing coward for using such tactics.

I'll not rise to the bait, as I said I'm not entirely sure whether I'm proud or ashamed. I would certainly do things differently now, but that's the aging process for you. A better route would undoubtedly have been to leave his prosecution up to the police, although it's worth noting that incitement to racial hatred was not particularly enforceable at the time until the otherwise pretty draconian Public Order Act of '94.

I will say that in that case violence was met with violence, you didn't see the leafleting, it was truly violent. The BNP have not always had the benefit of spin doctors like they do now, they had, and I believe continue to have some extremely violent and disgusting elements. That said, I'll still support their right to free speech. The limits of that free speech are now far better defined in law and publically they do not now say the things they openly said in the past.