Is ability to offend really corner stone of freedom of speech?
I had to laugh, as I watched Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, being interviewed about left-wing protests, and his objections to President Trump’s visit to the UK, as he said that the ability to offend someone, is the corner stone of freedom of speech as long as it is done peacefully. Oh really?
Tell that to Michael Fabricant, who took Sadiq at his word, and did an image of him with a pig, which the mayor said would be tolerated under free speech? Within minutes there were howls of protests and Fabricant has had to take the cartoon down and issue an apology! Only offensive images of Trump are acceptable it would appear?
However, does this mean that the mayor will now rescind his threat to sack any of his staff who fail to use gender neutral language when addressing people?
Is this the end of political correctness that is controlling what we say and do, which Sadiq has championed or is it a ploy to get him out of an indefensible position?
In February 2017, two men were prosecuted at Bristol Magistrates Court, for publicly preaching, using, and quoting from the King James Bible, and found guilty, as it was asserted to cause offence and be abu- sive to use this version of the Bible (I use it with joy!) and thus a criminal matter?
Their conviction was quashed on appeal! Will Christians now have freedom to practice their faith? Will ethnic minorities be given protection from persecution if they convert to Christianity, which at the moment they are denied in all but the most extreme cases.
Will Jews be left alone to live their lives in peace? Will white middle class lefties stop taking the name of Islam to further their own agenda. And most of all, will the extremists finally realise they speak for no one but themselves and that Trump, despite all his gaffs, actually commands a lot of support from everyday people which is more than can be said for them, and what they advocate!
Of course the problem is, that when one accurately quotes the left, one is accused of mud slinging.
The Mayor of London has now said publicly that he believes in free speech, and the right to offend; but he also believes that his radio works because there are vertically challenged, non gender, peace loving, trade union, politically correct (zee) people inside working it. Dream on! Steve Vickers