Peter Tatchell fail

[Exi5tentialist]

The "Far Right" should have been a clue.

Problem is, as you know, the far right (and others) generally use the word 'islamists' as a generalised attack on anything to do with muslims. So Tatchell goes to a march in defence of muslims and holds up a placard which is using the same slogans the EDL and their like use. It's unnecessarily confusing. But there again, that's what makes Tatchell such a good self-publicist, albeit at great risk to himself, because everybody ends up talking about his contradictions.

[Robert_S]

The "Far Right" should have been a clue.

Problem is, as you know, the far right (and others) generally use the word 'islamists' as a generalised attack on anything to do with muslims. So Tatchell goes to a march in defence of muslims and holds up a placard which is using the same slogans the EDL and their like use. It's unnecessarily confusing. But there again, that's what makes Tatchell such a good self-publicist, albeit at great risk to himself, because everybody ends up talking about his contradictions.

Actually, I don't know very much about Islam or the EDL type of right wingers in the UK.


How do the Jews and the EDL get on BTW?

[Azathoth]

Nobody really gives a shit about jews in the UK. They are a very small minority and don't have anything like the political clout they do in the US

[Exi5tentialist]

My impression is that the EDL have latched onto a supposed alternative to racism because they know how badly racism plays in this country. Therefore they dress their stall with slightly subtler visions of western supremacism. Their targets are those who who they see as undermining the 'west'. The foundations of the west in the eyes of the EDL include the nation state (England, in our case) and all that the western nation state has achieved. They would probably therefore make a show of welcoming jews, gay men, bisexuals and even people of asian or african/carribean racial origin if they speak in the relevant local english accent and have been properly westernised.

The main ostensible target for the EDL is non-westerners and those who do not 'integrate' into the west. Therefore they would latch onto all the same anti-muslim hate speech that Dawkins, Hitchens etc are adept in. They might even welcome (again, ostensibly) some muslims who express 'anti-islamist' views.

I keep using the words ostensibly, because it's all for show really. Beneath the wafer-thin front, the EDL are the same racist thugs as the BNP, and I wouldn't rate any jew's chances going anywhere near them.

[Lozzer]

The "Far Right" should have been a clue.

Problem is, as you know, the far right (and others) generally use the word 'islamists' as a generalised attack on anything to do with muslims. So Tatchell goes to a march in defence of muslims and holds up a placard which is using the same slogans the EDL and their like use. It's unnecessarily confusing. But there again, that's what makes Tatchell such a good self-publicist, albeit at great risk to himself, because everybody ends up talking about his contradictions.

Actually, I don't know very much about Islam or the EDL type of right wingers in the UK.


How do the Jews and the EDL get on BTW?

Like a house on fire. The EDL have a penchant for supporting Israel, and carry Israeli national flags amongst Union Jacks. They have their own Jewish division, too.

[Atheist-Lite]

The "Far Right" should have been a clue.

Problem is, as you know, the far right (and others) generally use the word 'islamists' as a generalised attack on anything to do with muslims. So Tatchell goes to a march in defence of muslims and holds up a placard which is using the same slogans the EDL and their like use. It's unnecessarily confusing. But there again, that's what makes Tatchell such a good self-publicist, albeit at great risk to himself, because everybody ends up talking about his contradictions.

Actually, I don't know very much about Islam or the EDL type of right wingers in the UK.


How do the Jews and the EDL get on BTW?

Like a house on fire. The EDL have a penchant for supporting Israel, and carry Israeli national flags amongst Union Jacks. They have their own Jewish division, too.

[HomerJay]

It really didn't help that Tatchell's placard included the phrase, 'Stop far right Islamists'. The term 'islamist' just confuses the issue completely, 'islamism' means different things to different people, its inclusion makes it very difficult to know whether it was the gay bit or the 'anti-islamist' bit of his placard people were objecting to.

If you read the full account Tatchell makes it clear that the muslims were agreeing with the first but not the gayness thing.

The placards were double sided, one side islamist the other gayness, it was only when the gayness was displayed that things got nasty.

[Exi5tentialist]

It really didn't help that Tatchell's placard included the phrase, 'Stop far right Islamists'. The term 'islamist' just confuses the issue completely, 'islamism' means different things to different people, its inclusion makes it very difficult to know whether it was the gay bit or the 'anti-islamist' bit of his placard people were objecting to.

If you read the full account Tatchell makes it clear that the muslims were agreeing with the first but not the gayness thing.

The placards were double sided, one side islamist the other gayness, it was only when the gayness was displayed that things got nasty.

Yeah but it's Tatchell's account (talking to the Pink Paper). He's not in the most objective position. If the placard had just been about Gays and Muslims in solidarity against the EDL then it would have made things a lot simpler, but introducing the slogan about far-right islamism thoroughly confuses the whole thing. If there are any reports other than Tatchell's I'd be happy to hear them.