My One Law for All Co-Spokesperson Anne Marie Waters was to speak at a meeting on Sharia Law and Human Rights at the University of London last night.
It was cancelled by the Queen Mary Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society organisers after police had to be called in due to Islamist threats. One Islamist filmed everyone at the meeting and announced he would hunt down those who said anything negative about Islam’s prophet. Outside the hall, he threatened to kill anyone who defamed the prophet. Reference was made to the Jesus and Mo cartoon saga at UCL.
The University’s security guard – a real gem –arrived first only to blame the speaker and organisers rather than those issuing death threats. He said: ‘If you will have these discussions, what do you expect?’ Err, to speak without being threatened with death maybe?
I ask that organisers re-arrange another meeting on the same topic and invite us back again. This time we urge them to be more prepared so that the meeting can go ahead as planned. This is an important battleground for atheist, secularist and humanists groups and must be taken seriously. We can’t – and won’t – allow the Islamists to have the final word on this.
Again, this is not about lacking cultural sensitivity or discrimination as the pathetic UCL Union thinks. It is not about racism and ‘Islamophobia’. It is not our fault for raising the issues. We are not to blame for ‘provoking’ the Islamists; they need no such provocation…
It’s about being able to criticise and speak out against that which is taboo and the barbarism of our century. Free expression is all we have at our disposal to do so.
Stand up for it and refuse to budge or there will nothing left when they are through with you.
Free speech is worthless if it only applies to things that don’t offend anybody, and it’s meaningless if people don’t have the courage to exercise it. One of the greatest values of free speech is to protect individuals from government tyranny. Those who will not exercise their free speech without government proteciton greatly misinterpret its value.
I personaly would invite this type of attack as I have the means to defend myself.
Please reschedule and hold the talk anyway. Have the talk! The Talk WILL go on!
Get a camera to film it! The IslamoFascist, who sucks the member of his Satan (metaphorically, since I know you’re Atheists) needs to be put in his proper place, BOWING TO THE ALTAR OF FREEDOM AND EQUALITY!
Religious Fascists, of ANY FAITH need to shut up & SUBMIT!
Good peaceful Muslims, Christians, etc. need to speak up! Atheists, Deists & Non-Fundie Theists need to hold hands & STAND UP, FIGHT BACK & TAKE OVER!
SO PLEASE, I BEG YOU! RESCHEDULE THE TALK AND FILM IT THIS TIME SO WHEN PANSY TALABANI-WAHABI-BABY BOY COMES BABBLIN’ LIKE THE DEVIL HE IS, WE WILL HAVE EVIDENCE!
I am POed! The Far-Right has had it’s way for so long. The Progressives have not stood up! When you don’t stand up, the Regressives rein! We need to speak up & tell the higher ups in our Nations that we are not being bigot nor are we against the religion per-se but we are against DANGEROUS ZEALOTS!
I am a Wiccan, A Pantheist & A Monist. Though I’m a person of faith I will still stand by you 100%.
The talk is being re-scheduled after the rally.
***The talk is being re-scheduled after the rally.***
Good to hear. Any thug who threatens violence against people for discussing religious figures should be in prison.
I don’t believe these extremists are behaving like this in defence of their religion, they are using there immunity to prosecution as base for instilling fear in the population. I think maybe this is the growth of a new mafia and the police and politicians are already too afraid to tackle the problem.
I can’t believe that your organizers weren’t prepared for this with 20 or so very large policemen(hired off duty if you can do that in the UK). They could have removed this follow and filmed him and his friends with his own camera to ID them. Get your act together, this is a real fight and you need to win it. Christopher Hitchens wouldn’t put up with this BS.
This has never happened to an event we have organised. However, this was a student organised event. It’s ridiculous to expect a student group to hire 20 large policemen for an event on their university grounds. And By the way, do you know how much that costs? No, I didn’t think so. So we should be expecting a donation from you soon?
What a pity the organisers did not half expect and prepare for trouble. They could have made attempts to thwart the filming – dressed in burqas, of course.
Joking aside I hope the incident was filmed and that bully boy made accountble in a court of law for disrupting a meeting and issuing threats such as expressing intentions to “hunt” people “down”.
In the end good sense and basic human rights will triumph over such pathetic attempts to stifle free debate in a free country.
The publicity that you receive from this alarming incident will enlighten many to the dangers posed by this particularly extremist interpretation of Islam, and that will be your vindication.
Keep up the good work – One Law for All.
This obviously wasn’t in Glasgow or Belfast where someone might have the strength of mind to issue a good slapping and the Royal Order of the Boot. I mean really, “threats of violence”. Begging for a sore head more like. Catch yourselves on.
Must say though, something of a dichotomy. All that good work and campaigning against Sharia while a member of Worker-communist Party of Iran. Really?!! Islamism my have become an evil in the world but it’s got a loooong way to go before it catches up with the atrocities born of Communism around the globe. Don’t people *ever* learn?
yes there are still many communists around. I never supported the Soviet Union or the gulags or whatever so I don’t need to defend or apologise for them. I am a communist because I believe not just in freedom but equality. and not just in equality before the law but socially too. ecocnomically too. You may be comfortable walking over homeless people on your way home and blaming the unemployed for being lazy. I however am not.
You are expressing compassion, with which I would agree completely. I don’t think any authoritarian model of government ever delivers compassion.
I believe in and follow the ideals of libertarianism. When you set people free you also free their minds and the better side of human nature. In a secular libertarian democracy I do not believe anyone would starve or suffer oppression.
Communism encourages most to do the least they can. Not to strive to improve themselves or anyone else. Where is has not been practised with barbarism it has still led a race to the bottom. It cannot operate outside the bounds of human nature. You seem like a wonderful person, hence my surprise.
I don’t look at this with a UK perspective only but from experiences in Mindanao also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mKdKTUc6vY&feature=youtu.be
They were attacked with video so here is my support with video. Cowardly attacks on free speech like this simply shouldn’t work anymore. The eyes of the world are watching.
cool
Too true ‘Karznor’, We’re a global community now and attacks on free speech is no longer accepted!
I have a feeling that when it is claimed that “Islam is peace”, what is really meant is that there can only be peace with Islam if everyone agrees with Islam; Pax Mujahideena if you will.
Regardless, the individual’s actions at the talk unquestionably constituted an offence under the Public Order Act (S4, S4A & S5) and thus Happy Atheist would have been well within his rights to perform a citizen’s arrest. I’m surprised someone with “advanced security training” didn’t know that.
“Islam is Peace!” and anyone who says different will get his head coshed, his neck stretched and will go on to meet Allah very quickly!
Do you not even see the stupid irony in your own statements, Islamobot ? are you really that clueless ? I was rather hoping you were an Islamo-Poe, but I guess not.
احترس
وسوف يعلمك
I get upset of you infidels even thinking about our beloved Prophet – peace be upon him.
Sharia will crush you. Islam will liberate you. We are growing in force, growing in will, sharia and islam is our destiny and I will await the day when thinking about your bigot arrangement will be totally outlawed.
Every day we expand in your rotten and decadent society. Soon Britain will turn to islam. And those who will not will face hardship.
Islam will oppress us, because it is nothing but slavery. It’s worse than Xianity. The only reason anyone would face hardship is because of crazy humans.
Islam is peace. Accept it! Even the government and the institutions are preparing and giving us all the necessary tools we need to take control any time soon. And believe the day will come and will laugh in your faces, you will be sorry. Of course we will accept non-muslims, but it would be better to convert. As soon as possible.
قريبا سوف يحرق الأرض
Not as sorry as you’re going to be when Islamism is in the dubstbins of history where it belongs.
Just go on with your hateful activites. God knows that the climate of UK will be like that of Pakistan one day.
Ahmed says:
“Just go on with your hateful activites. God knows that the climate of UK will be like that of Pakistan one day.”
– It will? Blimey – you islamists must think global warming is going to be really bad eh?
Ahmed- which god? They are all demiurges, if you ask me and don’t even exist, except in the minds of the humans who created them. Bow to you? The late great Gene Roddenberry is more respectable… as a human being. Take your scribbles and go away.
Islam is NOT peace. Islam means submission which means slavery. I’m sorry, but I would not put my ex-husband, my sons, or any of one else through that again. The U.S. and Great Britain ended slavery over a century ago, thank you very much.
BTW, Ahmed whatever, that is my way of saying, “F*** you!”
You little cunt, I guess your family should have raised you better. You will bow for me one day infidel, I find satisfaction in that fact.
Actually, Ahmed, my family, who are Fundamentalist Christians, even though I’m a humanist and one of my sons is a Buddhist, taught be very well. I can tell you this much, Islam is more shameful than being an atheist, because in their view, Islam is most definitely of the devil. We won’t chop each other’s heads off, that is for sure.
Ahmed says:
“You will bow for me one day infidel, I find satisfaction in that fact.”
Crap troll is crap.
“No man is above another except in piety”
– Who said that Ahmed?
Aye… and I am a cherry tomato.
I’m a Vanilla woman. 🙂
An I’m a chocolate milkshake! We’d go together well.
Kewl! 😆
Right. And the Soviet Union will bury us.
Yeah, we saw what happened when what’s his name slammed his shoe on the table and threatened to bury the U.S. 😉
Khrushchev
Yes, that’s his name
err it’s the other way around. We will crush Sharia. If you were so sure of all your power you wouldn’t need to threaten and intimidate left right and centre would you? If sharia was people’s culture Islamists wouldn’t need to resort to such indiscriminate violence and terrorism. Nothing is more rotten and corrupt than your Islamism. Yes people have a right to their beliefs and atheism but religion in political power? No can do. You know what the enlightenment did to Christianity; that is what masses of people across the world in places like Iran are doing with Islam.
YOU GO, MARYAM! 😀
Every day we get more and more, have you seen London lately? Luton? Some of you will even help us getting more power because you hate the decadent West as much as we do and know in your heart that it is the wrong path.
We can create a better, much more tolerable society. No drugs, no whores, no decadence. You know how low crime rates are in the most islamic states? None, nada crime. Why? Because ISLAM IS PEACE!
Just wait.
Um… no, there are a ton of drugs in Islamic countries, as well as whores, and other deplorable things. Y’all pride yourselves on whores, esp after you beat your wives. Islam means submission, which is slavery, not peace.
Zero crime!? This means that you have just declared that Islamic states stone innocent people. And you expect some sort of respect for this barbaric shit?
Ahmed Ali Audhali:
Are you a troll? I hope you are. A troll is an imbecile, of course, but if your views are genuine then you are a jumbled mess of proteins and aminoacids.
Please tell me you are a troll. I’d like to think of you as an imbecile rather than a slimy mess of organic molecules.
Excuse me, now I need to puke.
Who needs crime if you have islamism?
If you want, I can recommend you a very good therapist and an equally good psychiatrist. If I were you, I’d start with the psychiatrist, because you appear to be in need of medication before you can communicate with your fellow human beings.
Come to think of it, that was an unwarranted assumption on my part. Are you actually a human being or an Islamobot?
Oo! “Islamobot”! That’s better than everything I thought of.
I have some questions for you, Ahmed.
It doesn’t make sense to me that you say on one hand that Sharia will crush me, yet on the other, that Islam will liberate me. Are those two things very similar in your mind? Being crushed and being liberated, that is?
Are you a British citizen?
Could you you explain to me how the system in Britain is bigoted?
Do you think that most Muslims in Britain want the same things that you do, or do you think that too many have assimilated and would not agree with your positions?
I’d appreciate your reply, Thanks.
I remember watching some Irish Republican Army sympathisers holding a meeting. Loyalists were yelling at various individuals that they knew where they lived. That was a threat – I can’t see how it can be construed in any other way.
Or, to re-use the title of this blog: If you support terrorists, you are likely to feel or be threatened by opposing terrorists or those who oppose terrorism.
I’m afraid Britain has become a non-country. British people seem unable to find anything they can identify with and be ready to defend. Provided they get the latest iPad or iPhone, and a couple of beers with their friends at the pub, freedom of speech and democracy does not concern them. They are ready to cave in whenever any group of illiterate thugs blows the trumpet of racism, Islamophobia or what have you.
Though I am a foreigner, I find this a great, great pity; I’ve enjoyed the immense contribution of Shakespeare, Eddington, Pope, Ayer, Russel, Hume, Locke, Hobbes, Swift, Newton, Hawking, Turing, Yeats, Dickens, Penrose and countless others. Now Britain is but the shasow of its fomer self: a mere speck of land inhabited by people who are ready to surrender at the merest hint of a threat, at the merest suggestion of political incorrectness.
Maryam, go somewhere else. Britain no longer deserves your presence.
Well, that’s not entirely fair piero.
I am British and concerned about all peoples rights.
I do not care where people were lucky – or unlucky – enough to be born, I care enough to call a truce though – amongst so called ‘races’, amongst so called ‘nationalities’, amongst all men and women, so we can perhaps start to build upon some sort of mess that man made crap has made of us.
And yes, I really believe that the concept of race and nationality – like religion – is man made.
Now we have to deal with it. All of us.
Those are my views. I believe they are helpful. Yours, less so. Think about it.
I was tempted to reply “dream on”, but your comment shows that you mean well, and does not deserve mockery.
The utopian hope of a worldwide brotherhood is doomed for several reasons:
– Half the population of the world has a below-average IQ, by definition
– People act spurred by emotions, not reason, and the most powerful emotions are caused by childhood trauma, not by happy experiences
– About 4-5% of the population are psychopaths. The percentage increases to 10% if we consider mild psychopaths that can function more or less normally in societies where competition and ruthlessness have become the norm.
– Even non-psychopaths can be turned into psychopaths by pressing the right buttons (witness Germany 1930-1945, or the many related psychological experiments)
– Almost no-one in the West cares about the atrocities that are committed daily in the world. Children die of hunger, whole populations are exterminated by racial, tribal or religious strife, Catholics insist on preaching that contraception is sinful and are not held accountable for the untiold misery they cause, Muslims routinely engage in savagery (mainly directed to other Muslim denominations)… need I go on?
Meanwhile, the overriding value in British society seems to be politeness. Let’s not offend anyone, let’s all get along in peace and harmony. Soon you’ll find yourselves trapped in a hopeless conundrum: inch by inch you’ve given up so much that your country does not belong to anyone; it will have become a mishmash of conflicting tribes, and the more aggressive ones will have the upper hand.
–
Mmm, some interesting food for thought there piero, however;
1. I do not dream of an utopian world. For various reasons, I know that such a world cannot exist. I do not seek perfection, I seek justice. By their definitions alone they are quite different.
2. Half the population indeed has a below-average IQ. It’s exactly where governments want the populations IQ to be. The less informed the public, the more it can be manipulated. We know this is one of the reasons why faith schools is still insisted upon in the West. We still oppose them too.
The soviets – although, please understand, I am not a soviet supporter – had the best education system in the world. They refused for their citizens to ‘dumb down’.
We still see the effects of this today. Take Armenia for example. I believe it enjoys a 95% literacy rate. This is somewhat true of all ex-soviet countries.
An education system that treats all people equally -therefore educate all equally – is not an utopian dream, it is within reach and it is what the National secular society and its supporters (and non supporters too) aim to achieve.
3. I cannot speak about psychopaths or sociopaths. They have always existed. They always will. I do not believe they have any bearing on this argument.
4. Yes, it is true that Nazi Germany did show us how bad humanity could become when all conditions were met, however, I am still not convinced that most Germans of that era knew the true extent of what was going on.
Had they known, things may have been differebt. That is a matter of conjecture I agree, but there is a case for debate here.
5. You state almost no-one in the West cares about atrocities committed everyday.
Well, you know, that is probably taking it all a bit too far. Where do you suppose Amnesty International, OneLawForAll, Pen international, National Secular Society, Humanist and free-thinking societies, and the like gather their support?
Every day, in the West and in the East, we see humanity play out. And do you know what?
Despite all the shit that has been thrown at us, that has been developed to devide us – religion, nationality, concept of race, politics, etc, etc – we are still communicating with each other, we are still supporting each other and we will still be doing so for a while to come yet.
That is humanism. That is our natural heritage.
I do not know if you are a cynic or myself a natural optimist, but I do know this may continue to play itself out long after we have gone.
I just do not mind, helping humanity out a little, whilst I am here.
That’s not an utopian’s ideology. It is a very real human need to participate in this world.
“I do not know if you are a cynic or myself a natural optimist”
A bit of both, I think.
You made some valid points, but I still disagree with many of them. In any case, it was refreshing to read an optimistic post for a change. I do not particularly enjoy being cynical; I guess I was born this way. So thank you for lighting things up a little.
IQ is something made up by psychologists. It’s a construct designed to measure what psychologists consider intelligence.
IQ is (now) a standardized and transformed variable, with average 100, standard deviation 15. The government has nothing to do with this, it’s so us psychologists can compare various tests more easily, and interpret scores.
Average IQ is a range, generally 1sd from 100 is seen as average, e.g., from 85 to 115 is all considered average. This means that roughly 68% of the population has an average IQ. Again, this is by design and governments have no say in it whatsoever. It’s a standard made by social science.
Further, IQ – as a tool – is designed specifically to function well for ‘average’ intelligence. It’s known to not measure very well outside what is considered average.
Perhaps it’s best to think of IQ as an invented ‘metric system’. Just like we decided that a certain length was a meter. We also decided a certain ‘length’ of IQ was a ‘meter’. Except that it’s a psychological construct, we measure not with meters but with reference samples.
As such, average IQ fluctuates with population as well. There are for instance known effects that raise the average IQ by roughly 10 points every 30 years, for which the norm groups are then corrected (frequent) or resampled (rare).
Basically your entire idea of IQ is completely fallacious.
I do agree IQ has been hijacked by the nonprofessional community. If you’re not immersed in a social science, you really have no business dealing with IQ. It’s hijacked for all sorts of fallacious arguments, like cut-off scores (you have to be “this” smart” to enter this school) etc.
There are just so many factors to keep into account, I would have to give you a lecture of several hours before I could properly convey the meaning of IQ to you in a way that’d be meaningful to use.
I’m not saying it can’t be done, if you love psychology, go read up on it. I’d highly recommend starting with Piaget’s works on intelligence. I’m saying it will take a lot of hard work and interest in the field.
@ piero.
Lol, glad I could be of assistance there.
Chin up, we’re in it together, and together, we’ll stand fine.
Thanks for the encouragement. I just think we are far too few, and will be defeated in the end. I’ll put up a good fight, though.
But promise me something: if I’m to be beheaded before you, you’ll tell jokes to the executioner; if they are good jokes, he’ll probably miss.
I’m afraid Britain has become a non-country. British people seem unable to find anything they can identify with and be ready to defend. Provided they get the latest iPad or iPhone, and a couple of beers with their friends at the pub, freedom of speech and democracy does not concern them. They are ready to cave in whenever any group of illiterate thugs blows the trumpet of racism, Islamophobia or what have you.
Is that why Britain has been conquered so many times throughout history. Granted the Colonies, now called the U.S. defeated them, but as our “Mother Country” we are still friends. Regardless, I’m sure Maryam will be welcomed over here across the Big Pond, where our amendment rights, although somewhat threatened by the Religious Reich, are still fought for and appreciated. 🙂 I know I wouldn’t mind meeting her in person at least.
The craziness is escalating –
Maryam have you heard that Rhys Morgan’s 6th form college today made him remove the Jesus and Mo image from his profile or else they would expell him?
Thanks for giving a heads up.
This is why I hate Arabs/Mudslimes.
Oh no. Not this racist again.
Yikes yikes yikes.
I saw reports of this just after it happened yesterday on the UCL atheists & secularists page – I didn’t realize it was One Law for All.
Anne Marie and Maryam: you’re the best. Thanks for defending our rights.
If the police are interested in finding out who this joker is, there may be some clues.
The pro taliban, pro jihad forum Islamicawakening.com has a thread on their “politics,jihad, and current affairs” section called “urgent-calling all muslims to East London today!!”.
Chances are the cell phone guy is the “Abu Maryam” that started the thread. If not, he likely knows the clown.
Thanks A Bear.
Here are their exact words:
“Brothers, the Queen Mary Athiest Society, sister of the shaytaani UCL Athiest Society (which published pictures of Rasoolullah(saw)) are holding an event today at Queen Mary University of London at 7:00 pm on ‘ Is Shariah in violation of human rights’.. We need your presence. Who gave these kuffar the right to speak? Let me ask you – if a bunch of kuffar got together and were given the right to touch your mother up and analyse her, then would you stand by and let it happen? Then what about your deen?!! Remember, these guys hate religion and are not looking to have an unbiased debate. Please be here by 7 pm. to let them know what we think. Back in my day no-one in UNi would dare even look the wrong way at a muslim, because we used to represent our deen and didnt take kindly to it being insulted. It is only when the pacifists ecame numerous that the kuffar dared to raise their heads. @ david sizer lecture theatre- francis bancroft building”
In fact, the comments are worth reading also…
http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f18/urgent-calling-all-muslims-east-london-today-55211/
Be careful accessing that forum. They’re probably noting IP addresses.
Go via a proxy. If you don’t know how to do this a straightforward way, though slow is to go via a site like ‘hidemyass’:
hidemyass.com
This guy sounds like inner city gang members. I live in an inner city and got very tired of this type of talk till they moved to the inner suburbs.
I don’t really know if “happy atheist ” is as silly as he sounds or in cahoot with this terrorist. The guy said something before he went in to make his threat and recorded himself. Who cares? Did he also sing karaoke a year before this and had himself videotaped?
The bottom line is, when you photograph people and tell them you will hunt them down that is a threat to every reasonable person. Everything else is irrelevant.
Oh, and thanks for being worried about our “unnecessary trouble “. Concern trolling noted.
My first thought about happy_atheist was that he may in fact be affiliated with this guy. I can’t put my finger on why, but you’re right that he doesn’t feel very genuine. Maybe it’s that one would have to be a complete fool or a co-conspirator in this (redundant I know) to feel that hunting someone down didn’t constitute a threat.
Some of the phraseology is indicative of a certain way of speaking – “my friend”, “very well,sir”. I think he’s one of the guys who planned it, inc this silly “not a threat” thing, the rest fucked it up and he’s trying to repair the damage.
Also if it helps, the other students asked him where he was from. He said he was studying natural sciences at UCL. Makes me wonder, why would he come down all the way to East London when hes got so many ‘kaffirs’ in his own backyard?
Because they were not speaking explicitly against Islam?
And if he really was as nice a guy as you put it, how come others who were there perceived a threat? Maybe they weren’t as smart a crowd as you are?
Oh, and sorry I never realized “hunting down” meant distributing candies.
First of all Anne, I am really disappointed to have missed what would Im sure have been an excellent disposition by yourself.
Secondly, I’d just like to explain the reason for my logic further. Prior to the talk at approx:6;30-6;40, I was outside that building having a cigarrette. I noticed an individual heavily covered up. From my years of doorman and later years of more advanced security industry experience, my instincts immediately told me somethiong was not right. I acted nonchalantly as if in my own world when I noticed the individual start talking to a random bunch of students who were hanging around. He was actually asking their advice! Do you know what he said. He said that he was going to walk into the lecture, record everyone (not take pictures, record) and then tell them not to say anything bad about Islam etc. He said that he would follwo this up by stating that if he found out to the contrary he would ‘hunt them down’. I was ready to intervene at this point but he suddenly said to them, ‘look what im saying cant be taken as a threat to violence, my words can be interpreted in a range of ways, I could be hunting them down to go and protest outside their houses and make their livesd miserable etc’ At this point i left off. I followed him into the lecture theatre (you may have noticed me) and witnessed everything he said. I then followed him out as he recorded two other indivuduals and made similar statements to them. He recorded all of this. And at no point did I hear violence or murder being mentioned. If they were mentioned then I could have made a citizens arrest and restrained him. So im sure that when you do find him, all he has to do is pull the recording out. Just trying to save you and the police unnecessary trouble with this rif raf, Dont say i didnt warn you! lol
Too bad no one else picked up the “nuances ” you did. Are you sure you don’t know this guy otherwise?
If this guy wasn’t a threat, then why did happy-atheis feel the need to follow him all around? Watching his every move according to his story, using his doorman and security guard experience. lmao
Hmmm….
I spent 13 years working as a nightclub doorman.
I’ve heard exactly those kind of equivocations myself hundreds of times from scum who fully intend to intimidate others and get away with it. They know full well such ambiguity can be used in their favour should it ever reach court, despite how they may make people feel at the time. Worse – you heard him explaining this to his compatriots, not you – clearly conspiring ahead of time and likely salving the fears of legal retribution some of his goons may have had.
I have real trouble understand how you, with your “doorman experience” don’t understand this. You should know full well that his intent was to cause distress through fear of force.
I certainly wouldn’t have been so forgiving; I’d be showing him how to do his wudhu with his head encased in a U-bend.
Doormen and security personel vary tremendously, both in ability and character.
and the nutter did not even mention the cartoons! it is one thing to commit a crime , yet quite another to heap one on someone, no matter who they are
I was tempted to restrain him (being an ex doorman), but couldnt find a reason to as he really never made a concrete threat.
Happy Atheist, I’m going to hunt you down.
“I’m going to hunt you down,” is a concrete threat, you dunce.
Outside the hall, he threatened to kill anyone who defamed the prophet. Reference was made to the Jesus and Mo cartoon saga at UCL.’
Not true. I was there and witnessed the whole thing. The part about hunting down is true. But the individual made no reference to violence or killing. And even the hunting down statement doesnt necessarily reflect that he wanted to be violent. Because knowing how these muslims are, if they want to be violent they WILL make it quite clear on the spot.
Excuse me happy athiest, but you were you outside and did you speak to the people involved? I did. Tip – just because you didn’t hear or see something, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
First of all Anne, I am really disappointed to have missed what would Im sure have been an excellent disposition by yourself.
Secondly, I’d just like to explain the reason for my logic further. Prior to the talk at approx:6;30-6;40, I was outside that building having a cigarrette. I noticed an individual heavily covered up. From my years of doorman and later years of more advanced security industry experience, my instincts immediately told me somethiong was not right. I acted nonchalantly as if in my own world when I noticed the individual start talking to a random bunch of students who were hanging around. He was actually asking their advice! Do you know what he said. He said that he was going to walk into the lecture, record everyone (not take pictures, record) and then tell them not to say anything bad about Islam etc. He said that he would follwo this up by stating that if he found out to the contrary he would ‘hunt them down’. I was ready to intervene at this point but he suddenly said to them, ‘look what im saying cant be taken as a threat to violence, my words can be interpreted in a range of ways, I could be hunting them down to go and protest outside their houses and make their livesd miserable etc’ At this point i left off. I followed him into the lecture theatre (you may have noticed me) and witnessed everything he said. I then followed him out as he recorded two other indivuduals and made similar statements to them. He recorded all of this. And at no point did I hear violence or murder being mentioned. If they were mentioned then I could have made a citizens arrest and restrained him. So im sure that when you do find him, all he has to do is pull the recording out. Just trying to save you and the police unnecessary trouble with this rif raf, Dont say i didnt warn you! lol
http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2012/01/student-organised-talk-on-sharia-law-at.html#.TxWK-wi8xzk.twitter
I spoke to many people there and this account is closer to what was said – including what was said to the police.
Btw, remind me never to hire you as our security!
lol- I AM sorry Ann if any of my comments have been misplaced. I was just throwing my two-pence worth in. It is difficult to put witness accounts forward when video evidence is presented in any civil or legal matter as I’m sure someone of your intelligence knows. Also, did you notice the muslims houndinmg around outsidfe on the bench and in the foyer. Dont you think that for every evidence you bring those scum will breing one to counter?
Pathetic cowards like you are why harassment and bullying gets a free pass.
If I ever meet you something bad might happen to you and I may be the cause of it.
Im sorry Julian if I said anything untoward. I hate these scum just as much as you do. I would have liked to have crushed his head. But we have to go by the law and do things properly. We must not stoop down to their low level my friend
So are you saying that he threatened harrassment? What’s the law on that?
Also, why believe his interpretation of what he can get away with threatening?
I’m sorry, but even if you have heard the whole story, “hunt them down” is a threat of violent intent. The definitions of the word can only apply to that instance. Just because he loudly declares it is not a threat can in no way justify it or give him a get-out.
@ Happy_Atheist; What do you think he was going to hunt people down for… to give them flowers?
Also, be advised that when somebody states they are going to ‘hunt you down’, it is a threat in and within itself. No further dialogue required.
Yes i thoroughly hear your point sir. But the fact remains that he was outside and made quite a public speech (meaning that there were witnesses) that what he was going to say inside could not be taken as a threat. He recorded all he said on purpose because having half a brain cell, he probably knew an outcome with the police would result
Oh well if HE said it can’t be taken as a threat, that settles it….
What he said was without a doubt a threat. He might have said that it couldn’t be taken as one, but he successfully shut down a meeting by making people fear for their lives. You wouldn’t have had to restrain him. Instead, the proper decision would have been to call the police and then notify the event security, because a man had just said that he was about to threaten a lecture hall full of people.
A threat to hunt someone down is a violent threat, no matter whether the speaker’s claims otherwise. That thug ought to go to jail for a significant period.
LOL at everyone in attendance. especially the ‘men’. you invertebrates were petrified of ONE man? hahaha. typical londoners. you let the kids run riot in the streets (aside from the turkish and bengali community, who are muslims- shock horror),and you allow 1 man armed with a camcorder to shut down this talk you’ve been so eagerly planning. cowards hide behind ‘freedom of speech’ when they wish to incite hatred. cowards sums you up quite succintly. enjoy watching over your shoulders.
Sounds like a threat to me.
That he felt the need to make a point that he was phrasing things to generate plausible denyability pretty much shows that he intended it to mean what he’s trying to generate denyability for.
Just because he pointed out that his wording could plausibly be construed as non-violent, it doesn’t mean you should rule out the possibility of violence in his intent. Given the history of violent reactions to criticism of islam in Europe, you’d really have to be numb between the ears to conclude that he did not mean for his words to be taken as a threat of violence.
Yea, because suicide bombers and hijackers always give advanced notice when they plan to kill people.
What do you think the guy meant when he said he was going to “hunt you down”. Is he planning to come over for a cup of tea? Maybe to watch some TV?
We’ve shared this story on our page to alert others of the ever-encroaching threat to free speech (and the equal threat of fundamentalists being given impunity to make death threats).
I say discuss Sharia anyway, as well as their illiterate “prophet” with a caveman mentality, and do not coward to their primitive bullying. No one should be blamed for speaking, but those who threaten death should be blamed and sent to prison. Oh, wait… there are a lot of Muslims in prison in the U.S. because they evangelize to those in prison, just like Xian evangelist do. If prison is like here… then again, I guess that’s where the whole lot of them need to be if they threaten to kill people over stupid stuff. Moo-ham-mad was an illiterate caveman, who made up a lot of crap, including the invisible man in the sky: Ah-yah. Really, I think all too many Islamics need to grow up and stop acting like playground bullies.
I was with you until your third sentence.
I don’t suppose you see the irony of your slew of name calling and then suggesting the ‘other side’ is full of playground bullies…
In the playground they make a clear distinction between name-calling and bullying. It goes:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names will never hurt me.”
Cameras need to be set up at these meetings.
That bastard Islamist should have been filmed and the police informed of his threats and behaviour.
Threats of violence is illegal in the UK, no matter the colour, religion or creed of the person issuing them.
How long the authorities in this country keep tolerating Islamists? It looks like it has been deemed normal and acceptable to let Islamists get away with anything.
Because they are not to blame – we are! For living, breathing, thinking, speaking…
They considered going after weak-minded bigots who blame a group of millions of people on the actions of a tiny minority, but then realized that the country would be empty if they did.
In other news, stop being a douche, grab your sack and get over your phobic fear, you Nance.
Someone films people in a university auditorium and then threatens to murder them in the name of an ideology. You say nothing about this event but accuse his potential victims of bigotry and phobia followed by name-calling?
Do you really believe that your response claims the moral high ground? Do you think that your words will persuade others to work to overcome bigotry and racism?
Most importantly of all, if anyone can silence another because he does not like what they may say, then what is to stop someone from silencing you? And if we establish that right for the authorities, what happens when the authorities no longer share our values?
Errrm, isn’t a death threat, or even a threat of violence, illegal in the Untied Kingdom, whereas speaking isn’t, at least not yet!
The government needs to grow some balls and stand up to the religious fanatics, of ANY religious persuasion, who would love to impose their brand of insanity on the rest of us!
Well said Peter Knight.In future I suggest that the organisers of the event take video and recordings of the people making death threats, take the evidence to the police and insist that action is taken against the perpetrators.I believe that the only type of speech that should should be illegal is specific, clear incitement to violence against others. And I understood this was the law in the UK.
Really, balls? I would think the government, the police and the security guard have balls enough, what are lacking are ovaries and backbone.
your right man it is insanity afterall its religion that breads psychopaths because with so much unclear open ended twisted meanings that every religion is maticulously written, people find any excuse to spills someones blood because their views are drastically different intuitive and evolved religion is the ball and chain of human evolution towards respect for one another as living beings