Apparently i did the wrong thing. Turning up to an unworthy event which i should have boycotted for all the drivel spouted by its organisers about the cartoons. Turning up, saying what i wanted to say, experiencing first hand the Orwellian nature of Blairs rally-vision and sticking my neck out in so doing. Having to wrestle my placard out of the hands of some pissed off muslim youths. That was all wrong also because by rights they shouldnt have been annoyed really should they, given that the event was full of dhimmi appeasers like its organisers. If the event wasnt large enough for everyones liking and we're all being laughed at then whose fault is that. It aint mine. I put in an appearance. Wandered off to the pub to regroup when there was any left wing bleating. At one point i recall wandering across the stage signs aloft to detract from some of the latter, just to make my own point about toonophobia (see left)- geddit??? Of course had we been greater in nos it would have been a stronger point without imho making us all look like a fractured inconsistent bunch. Besides i gather a few complaints came in about the rally having the cartoons on show - which pushes the issue.
The media sniffed around. And its them at the end of the day that push the left wing agenda but apparently its not worth tackling that on their stage. Just ours. But hang on we were asked time and again by passers by about the toon issue because erm..guess what. They dont get to read and have never heard of blogs. They stood around and joined in or mumbled on about wishing theyd known, expressed their annoyance over the dhimmi media in the UK not publishing the cartoons. And i got a chance to direct them to the blogs they need to know about.
Oh and just to make a nose out of joint point even more sour sounding from those on the right who think we all so terribly sucked - apparently we were all silly middle classers who wouldnt dare rock the boat to boot. And this from the comments section of a middle England blog i very rarely visit. Whoa. Being beat up on for being silly middle classers at a rally by...silly middle class right wingers doing nothing very publicly much of their own? You could almost hear a bunch of people rub their hands in glee supping their cocktails whilst 'commenting' from a nice safe un police photographed distance. Nuff already.
Getting My Sign Back
We few, we happy few...remembered not everyone reads blogs:
posted by Alison @ 5:35 pm
23 Comments:
Yes, I'm getting a bit hacked off with all these people throwing stones but who sat on their arses and did bugger all.
At least we were there and as you said we made headlines, even if only on the London news.
dfh - so sorry i missed you. Im referring to samisdata commenters above but bloggers too slow on my crappy laptop to get the links in. This post will be the last of the whining from me on whats being said. Im glad i went.
Jihadi wannabees sounds about right. Well done Alison, Steve and all, proud of you.
HAve you seen this?
http://pubphilosopher.blogs.com/pub_philosopher/2006/03/free_speech_pro.html
I've never really noticed a connection between the political left and freedom of expression so their presence must have been quite a spanner in the works. I don't think anyone was misguided in this venture but I couldn't really see this being a subject to inflame the British sufficiently to tear them away from beer and football, and unfortunately you were up against a big game weekend. Maybe next time, and there will be a next time something like this blows-up, you will find yourself surrounded by thousands.
Thanks Steve (anon). So we did all stick our necks out then - i cant understand what he's charged with? I wonder if 'Verily' at Samizdata is still sipping cocktails & might care to ponder some more on that and provide some pearls?...hmmm.
Wolfie - without rent a mob it was never going to be a huge rally. But youre right about beer (plus cocktails). Those with real balls of course just turned up with the cartoons without the fuss. I turned up but i wasnt quite so courageous.
Thanks DV.
Sorry Alison, I forgot to sign my name.
We were never going to get thousands on Saturday. It takes time to mobilise that number of people. What we did at the weekend was make a start.
I'm glad I was there too. I am ignoring the whingers who sit on the seats and criticise those of us that were on the pitch.
If they think they can do better, no-one is stopping them from having a go.
Or just fucking well turning up with the toons? Instead of which you get a whole load of on line whinging thats nicely available for all to chuckle over at 'Civility'. Plus the latters main laugh was the turn out.
Dfh had the right idea.
My cable was out the past 2 days or I would have posted sooner. Cheers to all who attended and to those who changed their minds about going after Risdons little speeches in his blog, I doubt if anyone blames you.
Many people including me requested... or demanded... our donations refunded. Mine was, along with the comment that it was "a march in favour of free speech, not a march against Muslims" and that I "am either a liar, or so befuddled by hatred" that I didn't understand that.
I never said it was. I DID have an understanding that it was to be a march against Islamic extremism, at the time I sent in a donation, as did pretty much all the rest of us.
Ah well. I have since decided to support the BNP. I think they're a bunch of racists and I don't believe in racism, however, they ARE the only party there with the balls to do what needs to be done, and I hope they gain enough membership to do it. It will be hard on a lot of people who won't deserve the treatment they'll receive, and it will be bitter medicine, but right now they may be the only doctor around.
Alison commented on my blog that the police count of 190 people at the rally was bullshit, Ok. I reported it because that's what the cops said. It damn sure wasn't near the 600 that Risdon said. Some newsies put it at about 300.
I guess the only way to have a rally there that gets attention is to wait until there's a serious attack with a bunch of lives lost and then scream and shout and run about and have marches and rallies and press conferences.
People are so damned complacent.....
'a rally here '. Here we go again. It was most definitely 600 Rasta. I didnt do a head count. Thats at least 500 more than bothered to turn up in the US or Denmark at any of the freedom of speech rallies there. This pointless bickering about how many turned up gives nothing but succour to the MAC. Do you think they would bicker incessantly on line about stuff like this or play down their efforts? No theyd shut the fuck up and bullshit if they had to. There'd have been 'ten thousand' had only 10 turned up and been seen on the news. The sooner we learn to play their hideous pr game the better. So far i feel as let down by the moaning fractous 'dhimmi' wailing crap thats gone on since as I did by Peters u turn. After all why not simply show up like dfh? Or offer some support. Instead of openly grinding axes for them to laugh at. Seems so obvious to me that im fed up with it. Whatever. If that forum thing happens with the MAC ill be there to ask some pertinent questions making myself a face again with the jihadi wannabees. Overall i was really impressed with all those who turned up on Saturday, by some of the speeches, the passers by asking questions and generally think that for about a months worth of publicising on the blogs it wasnt bad at all. Hell left wing rallies with hundreds of thousands take years to develop and use rent a mob jobless commies. The people i was with saturday were a well meaning lot who risked a fair bit to be there, got off their middle england arses rocked up in the pissing rain to be filmed by Big Brother. Not the same bunch at all. This wont happen over night but its a start and i was glad to be there at least.
I was prepared to head up from Dorset originally until I saw that while I was away settling into a new job the Leftist mindset had taken over the whole thing and wiped out Voltaire's small spark of independent thought. I've been on my fair share of demos and I can honestly say that I've never heard anything quite so absurd as asking people not to mention the reason the demo was put together in the first place. That's why I wasnt prepared to put lots of people out at this end so I could be there - forget 600 for a March For Free Expression. If you want to raise ten or twenty times the number lets try a March Against Islamism.
You did great and the numbers don't matter - do you feel good that you got out there and had your say?! Actually the turnout was quite good I think. Criminy - we're all working and it isn't the easiest thing to attend rallies. I'm pissed that I couldn't get UAC or ProtestWarrior to respond positively to me here in the US. Really pissed. I mean - it's pretty simple. Free Speech - we're for it. How political does that have to get in a free nation for God's sake.
Love that you took your sign back. These slimy little bastards (Jihadi Wannabes - YES!) are used to people cowering in fear. They really, really do NOT know how to deal with someone standing up to them from a righteous/freedom point of view. It's all about intimidation and fear. That's wrong and abusive. To advocate 'letting the issue fade' is the dishonorable way to go and serves no good purpose.
You did it. You stood up. You've got more balls than all of those critical self-important silly middle class right wingers combined. I look up to you!
Telling yes = his frustration i expect. From the Fear and tension that comes from getting on the tube, thinking i wonder if ill make it to work today. Then seeing your government powerless to act and to add insult to injury apologise for your right to free speech - and summons an Iranian man who showed the cartoons and stood up for womens rights to court. That tells me something yes. And standing up for free speech alongside feminist communists tell me something. Maybe youre right i dont want to end up a Leninist or something ;)
Alison, don't worry about it. You done good.
The thing about free speech is that you have to extend it to your enemies or you don't deserve it yourself, to paraphrase Voltaire.
Yes Alan! At the CAIR meeting I attended they kept saying that we had no right to defame their prophet yet insisted that their right to free speech must not be curbed.
Thanks Monica. Of course i was surrounded by a bunch of true wingmen in order to get that sign back. But there was something pretty important/special about them ensuring i (as a woman) got to take that sign out of their hands. The incident gets some discussion over at Pub Philospher with my thoughts on it. Silly & small maybe but important. I was also interviewed by the BBC but im afraid i could see what she was trying to do and couldnt quite work out the smartest way to respond. Had a bunch of other bloggers who are much better than i been there im sure we would have come up with something. Thats the shame. BUT im VERY glad i went. And i do feel good. Specially since its a wake up call:- Not everyone blogs and there were plenty who asked about the march and the signs who had no idea what the blogosphere was but support the pov.
Thanks Alice. where d'you go for your anniversary btw?! Nosey me as ever.
BTW all i fully intend to go along to that forum on the cartoons with Global 'Civility' (civil unless youre a woman of course) whenever that takes place. IF that takes place! as Ismael at the muslim org that countered the free speech rally seem to have ducked it.
Alison (aka Boadica),
One year my wife and I went to San Francisco on our anniversary. (I know you didn't ask ME that question.) We were staying at the Hyatt Regency on California Street. There was a floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the floor with a love seat facing it. We went out in our jammies and sat there drinking champagne. Since we were seated close to the ice machine, we received alot of strange looks.
What's a wingman?
Is it the same as a 'wingnut'?
And what's this Global Civility forum?
amcd - lol no i didnt, and now i feel bad. Why did you get funny looks for sitting near the ice machine particularly or was it the combo of love seat, jammies and champagne wot done it. Alice was going somewhere grand in the Old Smoke so i was being a tad nosey. (Boadica sort of stuck thanks to Ch btw!)
steve - nooo! wingnut no. wingman of mayhem yes.
I think over at the March blog they are trying to get Global Civility into a 'forum' to discuss the cartoons. Id like to meet this Ismael fella.
that was weird - trying again.
who deleted their comments above btw?
Not me.
BTW - in answer to your question on my blog - we are teaching the girls Spanish. Well - I'm learning along with them and they are MUCH better at remembering vocabulary than I. It's hell getting old. I know some Spanish so I'm not terrible - but it's been decades since I've had to deal with learning a foreign language. I took Latin. I think it would be good for them to take Latin too.
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