Naturally I am shocked over the massacre of journalists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris by Islamofascist gunmen. It is an assault on free speech, it is sickening and it must be deplored but watching C4 coverage of the event last night the cowardice and duplicity of the Western Media was there for all to see.
First up were the range of voices singing the praises of the publication for daring to challenge cultural norms, standing up to religious intolerance and to racism for fighting for free speech and calling for the Front Nationale to be banned. Er…hang on a sec…
Personally I do not find some of the crude jibes made at all religions by this publication very clever, funny or brave. Let’s face it Jews and Christians are not going to react by hacking heads off in protest, that sort of behaviour is the preserve of the Islamofascists. However, amongst the trendy liberal elite it is deemed clever and almost the norm to mock those of any faith (but especially the Christian faith) as if they were some relic of a former age, like those who support fox hunting, hanging or who believe in a flat earth. I admire those with faith. I cannot believe but almost wish I did. I find the principles of Christianity as far more appealing than those of the chattering classes.
As such while I regard much of what Charlie Hebdo lampooned about the faith I’d like to have offensive, crude and not very clever. Sure, attack the Church where it fails (like in child abuse) but to attack folks just for having faith or the faith itself in a sneering manner – how very Islington.
But I defend its right to publish this bollocks because I believe in free speech. And that is why I am perplexed by how the liberal elite think that Charlie Hebdo trying to get the Front Nationale banned is worthy of praise. Okay it fits in with the modern liberal agenda but it is hardly in the Mill or Gladstone tradition of supporting free speech is it?
That I loathe and despise everything that the party of Le Pen stands for is a given. But the way to tackle those who hold such views is not to ban them for that only forces them to seek extra-democratic outlets fir their hate and venom. The way to tackle fascists is to confront and expose them for what they are, to remind folks of the exact words that old man Le Pen used when describing Hitler’s treatment of the Jews and all of the other dark poison at the heart of the Front Nationale.
It was David Ben Gurion who said that Israel would not be a grown up adult country until it had both prostitutes and Nazis. The former were quick on the scene. The latter arrived in the 80s with Meir Kahane’s Kach party. It was better that this nutter was allowed to sit in the Knesset and be exposed for the vile creature that he was than that he be allowed to whip up sympathy by being banned and engage in far less attractive activities.
Believing in free speech means that you allow all to speak whether you agree with them or find their views repellent. For the liberal elite free speech seems to be rather more selective.
As to the bravery of Charlie Hebdo in showing an image of Mohammad I noted how C4 news stressed last night that “we do not ourselves do that.” Of course C4 does not do that although it would happily show an image of Jesus shagging Mary Magdalene. The fact is that the Islamofascists have already won. The media is terrified both of being shot or hacked to death but also of crossing certain lines of political correctness and being accused of racism and bigotry. Mocking Christianity is cool. Mocking Islam is politically unacceptable.
As ever the Western Liberal Media show themselves as both cowards and hypocrites.