…and now Murray. Sickening news today that Douglas Murray, director of the think-tank the Centre for Social Cohesion and a friend to many young conservatives, has been banned from chairing a debate at the London School of Economics (LSE) on the grounds of public safety.
What that translates to is that LSE thought the riotous Islamofascists on campus, who can’t tolerate, amongst other things, free speech, might kick off, just as happened recently with the pro-Hamas protests in London. As I recall, the pro-Hamas supporters trashed a branch of Starbucks (since when did latte hurt anyone?), were arrested for carrying knives and bricks (presumably a poor substitute for AK-47s to shoot in the air), and assaulted the police. That’s not to mention the waving of Jihadist flags, praising of terrorists like Hassan Nasrallah, and chanting ‘Death to Israel’. To my knowledge not a single pro-Israel supporter was even cautioned. Clearly, these delicate flowers need their feelings protected then at LSE, at the expense of the democratic right to free speech.
How long before they start removing copies of Murray’s seminal book, Neo-Conservatism: Why we need it, and burning them? Read it, before it’s banned on the grounds of ‘public safety’.
Can’t the powers that be see the hypocrisy here? An awful lot of people are deeply offended, indeed scared, by actions like LSE’s, but because it’s not our way to turn to violence our voices aren’t heard, our views don’t matter.
This episode is only the latest in a terrifying parade of institutions and governments caving in to Islamofascists. First, of course, there was the murder of Theo van Gogh. Then, earlier this week Dutch MP Geert Wilders was indicted and will face persecution prosecution for his comments on Islamofascism. Now they’re censoring Douglas Murray. At what point are we going to stand up for free speech? No one has a right not to be offended. No one has the right to silence views they don’t agree with through threat of violence. That these people don’t grasp that the ‘battle of ideas’ is an expression, not a literal call to arms, should not be appeased. I only hope the cowardly LSE faces some serious questions over this disgrace; but I doubt it - the zeitgeist seems to be that you cave in to Islamofascists, lest they make you their next target.
Douglas sums it up eloquently, as is his style: “This is back to the bad old days of the LSE — where the most violent get to dictate people’s education. It is worse than censorship — it’s intimidation.”
Update: Damian Thompson at the Telegraph brands LSE gutless:
“I know for a fact that members of Al-Mujaharoun, a pro-terror Islamist organisation, have spoken publicly at LSE. I was there. The presence of the group was announced in advance, but that was OK with the School. Presumably that was because it was also OK with the Islamic campus ideologues in front of whom it cowers.
Murray is a ferocious critic of Islamism and its allies in the British establishment. That “offends” fundamentalist Muslims, who can dish it out (in more ways than one) but not take it.“
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