London Riots

So if you guys don't already know over the last three days, London has descended into extreme violence and pure thuggery. It all started in Tottenham following the shooting and death of a local man mark Duggan. Duggan was involved in various criminal activities and as such he was under police surveillance. Following an alleged volatile situation, where Duggan was said to have opened fire on policemen he was shot dead. This sparked outrage in his local community who were in disbelief about the so-called shooting. They were quoted as saying that Duggan was not a violent man, that he would not have opened fire on anyone and so he should not have been shot. Then, the clarity of the situation was called into question when it emerged that the bullets that were supposed to have been fired from Duggan’s weapon were in fact issued by the Met and thus this reinforced the belief that Duggan was shot done mercilessly.

Obviously this would have caused outrage in the community of which Duggan was a well-liked member and so the community of Tottenham took to the streets in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Unfortunately it seems as though Britons are unable to fathom what ‘peaceful’ exactly means and as such, as with the student protests and the workers’ protests, violence erupted except this time it was much, much worse. Suddenly Tottenham was overloaded with yobs and thugs who broke into local shops, set cars alight, began looting  and this is very different to the violence of the previous protests this year. Local businesses were ruined and public damage at an all-time high and yet it does not seem to be letting up.

Tonight marks the third night of these absolutely disgraceful acts of pure violence and criminality. Cashing in on the possibility of getting “free things” via looting, youths have taken to the streets all over London. These yobs are all pure opportunists, they have nothing better to do so take to the streets traumatising their OWN communities, and honestly how stupid must you be? I’m appalled by these idiots. Rioting and looting for no reason other than to riot for I’m sure the majority of these animals don’t even have a clue who their current Prime Minister is let alone them fighting for a “cause”. These riots are not about the death of someone, it’s quite simply about stealing. The level of disorder around London is such that the Met are hard-pressed to facilitate it, it’s crazy and what’s worse, as a tax payer, I’M GOING TO BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES!

On another note, where are the parents of these chavs?

Breivik's actions, should they be justified?

I'm sure that by now, you're all aware of the tragic mass killing that took place in Norway on the 22nd July. If not, then shame on you! At least 93 people, of which most were children, were killed in a twin terrorist attack all planned and undertaken by ONE awful man, Anders Breivik.

Now when the bomb exploded in Oslo, many people, myself included, thought the same thing, that once again a crazy Islamist group had targeted a western country and everyone was in shock that Norway, such a peaceful country was targeted. Enter thousands of Islamphobic rants all over the internet. However it emerged that far from an Islamist attack, this brutal killing was in fact carried out by a Norwegian national, in and effort "to save Christendom in Europe".

Obviously, when this new eveidence emerged everyone was in shock and the internet was rife with comments condemning Breivik's actions. However, there have also been mass comments actually DEFENDING his actions and for this I am shocked. It's not so much the fact that had a Muslim carried these brutal killings there would be international condemnation of Islam, that get's me annoyed, though it does play into it I must admit. It's more the fact that how can anyone sit there and actually justify such a horrendous display of brutality? How can anyone defend the mass killing of nearly 100 INNOCENT CHILDREN?

It has always been my belief that everyone should have the freedom to voice their own opinions; think what you want about Islam, hate it, love it, remain indifferent to it, but DON'T DEFEND COLD BLOODED MURDER. Do not make Breivik a martyr, HE IS A DISGUSTING, RACIST, MURDERER!

And on another note, I find it quite amusing how even when Muslims aren't responsible for terrorist attacks some people will still find a way to blame them, does your Islamaphobia know no bounds?

With You and I Defying Gravity!

I WATCHED WICKED TODAY!!! IT.WAS.AMAZING!

That is all :D

Is this right?

It might be an outlandish and a complete sweeping statement to make, but the more and more I learn, the more I can't help but think, the US Marines/army are no better than the Taliban. Why do I think this? They're both headed by war mongering, militant, power hungry men. Both have no qualms about severly breaching human rights in their mission, and both would sooner use weapons than diplomacy to achieve it. The only difference is; the US do this under the cloak of "democracy".

I'm beginning to harbour a severe dislike for the US government and their military institutions, it comes close to my hatred for terrorism. The more I research into American institutions such as prisons, the more I discover just how much is allowed to be swept under the carpet. A point in case? Guantanamo Bay, how is this atrocity still allowed to be running as a fully functional detention facility? Do human rights mean nothing to a country who is supposedly one of the biggest advocates of democracy? It makes me so angry.

I'm beginning to believe that US militancy should be viewed on the same level as the extremism of the Taliban and  it will only be, when people realise this and act accrodingly that wars that threaten all levels of society can be avoided. We need to stop terrorism, yes, but  as Mahatma Gandhi once said "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Bin Laden was unarmed

New information has revealed that Bin Laden was actually unarmed when he was shot dead. This means that surprise, surprise, the US gorvernment Obama lied to you, to the world. Now I'm in no way defending Bin Laden's character, he was an awful man who orchestrated the most heinous crime, of my time, but you have to question the "democracy" of a country that goes into a mission on an order to kill. Of course they now claim that there was a firefight, but it didn't include Bin Laden but surely the Navy seal are trained extensively in how to deal with these types of situations? Surely they could have reduced the number of fatalities and brought Bin Laden to face his victims and explain his crime, that would have administered true justice, would it not?

The very concept of innocent until proven guilty has just flown out of the window because Bin Laden did not get a trial. Now so many of you are now probably thinking that I am a Bin laden supporter but actually everyone deserves a fair trial, even the most hardened, extremist Nazis were given a trial after the end of WW2 so why does it not apply here? If the man was unarmed he should have been brought to the US to face trial where ultimately an unbiased jury would decide his fate. Unless the US has MORE to hide from the public?

Ultimately Bin Laden was killed and by doing this the US has denied the victims of 9/11 the right to hear why he did what he did, from his own mouth. It just gets you thinking how much more agressive can this "democratic government" get? How much more are they hiding away? Can they keep blaming others, terrorists, Pakistan, the Middle East, for their role in breaching by a massive amount, the human rights they claim they want to protect?

Bin Laden's dead, but what does it mean for Britain?

I woke up today to the news that Bin Laden has finally been found and killed. His 10 year terror has been put to an end but I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m completely conflicted; on the one hand his death means that the world can let out that 10 yearlong breath they have been holding and the victims that survived, and families of the victims that didn’t can get some sort of closure for the atrocity that was 9/11. On the other hand what does his death mean for the world, for Britain and for any ally, which includes Bangladesh?

At this moment I honestly doubt that Bangladesh will be affected much, the country is not really a world player and though extremism there is on the rise, it is still such a small number that it will not affect the country as a whole. It is for Britain that I worry. The death of Bin Laden has brought on so much celebration across the country, and indeed across the world but people are not looking into the long-term consequences of this.  

Whilst celebrations are underfoot, the world has just become a much more dangerous place. I can’t shake the fear that this could lead to a total war- that is a war that affects every member of society in all realms. Bin Laden’s death could, very much be another Franz Ferdinand assassination tale. I just feel like a world war is imminent and it is not solely because of the terrorists.

No one can deny that the west have been aggressive in their “war on terror”, they have we have become aggressive war mongers who have little qualms about the deaths of innocent civilians. US and British air raids have killed many innocent families which include children, yet they have been shaken off as “collateral damage”. Are we really o.k with this? If the same had happened here or in the US would we have been o.k with the victims being called accidents of the “war on terror”. It’s outrageous! This war has become, but maybe always has been, more than one against terror. It’s gone far beyond a war on terror and is now also an expansionist one. Oil, oil, oil? Is it such a precious commodity that governments will put the lives of children, even the lives of their own children, at risk? Why are we supporting a war which is on part driven by economic expansion? The money we spend on bulking up our armies could be used on more worthwhile things- education for all, maybe?

Again I’m conflicted: I hate this war for its innocent victims, I hate this war for its expansionist ways but I can’t deny that it is important to rid the world of terrorism. I can’t forget that if an isolationist approach was taken, Middle Eastern dictators would continue to commit heinous crimes against humanity. What do we do? Can we sit back? No. Should we be aggressive? No.

Diplomacy. Why can we not effectively use diplomacy? What is it about us global powers that means that time and time again international organisations made to prevent further wars (NATO, UN, etc.) fail? In any case Bin Laden’s death and ocean burial (another stupid move on America’s part) should be treated with a pinch of salt; we’ve yet to see the repercussions of it.

WAY TO GO BANGLADESH!

Quick post right now, but I shall expand later. Just couldn't go to sleep without saying...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY BANGLADESH

LBGT Rights?

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm one of the strongest advocates for LBGT rights. I have fought with a heck load of ignorant, idiotic and bigoted people, including some of my own family (I'm ashamed to admit) in order for people to realise the fact that all people regardless of what they are and believe are entitled to every type of human rights. It's very easy to ostracise gay people, a lot of the time it's done out of pure ignorance. Humans hate what they don't understand, but given that it's now 2011 this argument really shouldn't be an excuse to be homophobic. Homophobia is a dirty and disgusting disease and should be seen on equal levelling as all other forms of discrimination.

However, this is not what I want to talk about. Lately I've been feeling increasingly annoyed at other supporters of LGBT rights. It seems to me that these people, who are mainly straight, have taken on the personal mission of becoming the LGBT Power Ranger. Now that's all well and fine, what's not well and fine though, is when these people put homosexuals and transgenders onto pedestals, like they can do no wrong. Look anywhere on the internet and you will see image upon image where people have made out gays to be innocent, little angels in need of protection. They are not. What LGBTs are, are NORMAL people, controversial, I know...

It's stupid for LGBT Power Rangers to talk about LGBT rights when they themselves do not treat gays, bisexuals and transgenders as normal people. Now I know some LGBTs like to be treated like small, cute, little victims but most just want to be recognised as normal people with normal rights. LGBTs are NOT victims who can do no wrong and they are NOT in need of protection. What LGBTs need is recognition of the fact that they are just the same as you or me. They are not dirty or disgusting and they are not wonderful, amazing human beings who only see the good in people, they are simply just humans. The sooner we realise that, the sooner the rights of these people will be internationally recognised.

Red Nose Day 2011

So, following on from my last post, I've just finished watching Red Nose Day 2011. It was a mammoth watch because, though I always donate to Comic Relief and Children in Need, the last time I watched a full telethon was probably when I was in Year 8 or something. I was so proud of the generosity of the British public which saw MORE than 72 million pounds beeing raised by the end of the show.

This money will, in no doubt, save lives and make people's existence that much more bareable. In 2011, malnutrition, abject poverty and squalid lifestyles should NOT be killing people. We've come such a long way yet millions and millions of children are dying every year because they do not have the most basic resources - food, clean drinking water, health care. It's wrong, and we as human beings should think it our duty to help our fellow man out of these situations. Exploitation of the West have adverse effects on the third-world and so us consumers should really take it upon ourselves to make sure people we are unwittingly and wittingly exploiting, have at least quality of life.

These videos were the most hard hitting for me:

Nine year old children should NEVER be subjected to such a life. HIV may not be curable but the effects of aids can definitely be reversed.

If you guys haven't already donated you still can. Please do it  =D Click here to donate!

Help!

So it's almost Red Nose Day here in the UK. In Britain we have two major annual charity days one is called Children in Need which helps disadvantaged children around the UK and the other is an event for Comic Relief, Red Nose Day.

Red Nose Day is dedicated to providing relief for people all around the UK and Africa. I’m sure that some of this money will go to helping people in Japan too. The money donated helps provide people with the financial backing to help them survive another day but perhaps what’s more important is that it gives families back their hope. I’ve been donating to these charities since I was at least 13 and this year is no different. It’s just amazing how, even your spare change can make such a huge difference to the lives of people a lot worse of.

Red Nose Day is on Friday, so please donate, don’t just assume someone else will do it. After all doesn’t every person have the right to live? Please donate whatever you can to Comic Relief

Oh I've Missed This...

O.k so this is WAY, WAY overdue but hey, didn’t I already say procrastination is my husband? I was meant to post this ages ago but I was too lazy to write anything and laziness = not being able to articulate anything meaningful. So I didn’t, I’m sure you’d rather not be put through that pain anyway, right?

So anyways, a couple of weeks back I had THE MOST AMAZING day out. I post this at the risk of sounding like a middle-aged, settled, woman but I had such an amazing day just simply having dinner, or rather a very late lunch, with one of my very good friends. Now I know most young people my age would probably rather talk about a "night out" than a "day out" but I honestly did have an amazing time just hanging out with my friend, window-shopping and eating. Like most things in my life, it seems, (seriously ask my library) this meet-up was WAY OVERDUE, and yes, it was mainly my fault. I’m beginning to think I’ve contracted a serious case of Can’tbearsedtomovemyfatarseitis. So yes, after many cancelled meetings, I FINALLY got off my arse to meet her and I’m so glad I did. I hadn’t seen my friend since I transferred unis and let me tell you what a breath of fresh air it was to be around her.

That day I had a 5am start at work but it was o.k, I really did owe her (I was also afraid that she’d eat my eyeballs if I cancelled on her for like the 5^th time that week!) So anyways, we agreed to meet up after I finished, and since everyone knows that I run on Asian Mean Time (take any given time and add two hours, for those that are wondering) my friend told me she’d meet me at Westfield Shopping Centre, which is like an hour away from her and only about 20 minutes away from me, what can I say, I’m worth the journey! HAHA! She also told me to text her when I was leaving so she could leave at the same time, now I know what you’re thinking, that would mean I would arrive at least 40 minutes before she did but again as most of my friends know, “I’m just leaving now,” for me means “I’m still searching for my jeans!” So we would arrive at the same time BUT I was still late….WHOOPS!

After this initial hiccup and angry texts about how I don’t love her and give her abandonment issues, (all jokes, she’s not really THAT unstable…not yet anyways) we sat down to eat. We decided on Wagamamas and let me tell you, that restaurant is massively busy during the weekend! We were sat next to a white/oriental couple, who must have found the two of us extremely interesting because they wouldn’t stop staring and listening in on our conversation, or at least the male half of the couple couldn’t. We just found it funny but for revenge, since it was beyond obvious that this was the couple’s first date, my friend who is also East Asian started talking about how absolutely crazy East Asian parents are towards white people (an obvious lie). I couldn’t stop giggling at the guy’s intense concentration on our conversation, he didn’t even make an attempt to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping!

The great thing about Wagamama, aside from the eavesdropping customers, is the fact that they give free green tea. I personally find green tea DISGUSTING; any liquid claiming to be tea but having no milk is just a fraud! My friend LOVES green tea though, do I hear stereotype anyone? She kept ordering more and more, in the end the waiter must have gotten seriously angry because he brought her, her 4^th cup of green tea but it was filled with MAHOOSIVE green leaves and he slammed it down on the table. I couldn’t help but laugh, serves her right for being a glutton right? She laughed too but being the East Londoner that she is also complained and got another cup and then said something along the lines of..

“If they didn’t get me another one I would have punched him man! KMT!” Yeah, she actually says KMT… =_=

After we’d finished or rather we’d been kicked out by the waiters, we stayed so long we saw three couples come, eat and go before us, haha! We decided to go window-shopping, when that got too tempting boring,  we started trawling around the place looking for ice cream places. We found two, but they were wayyyyy too expensive for the poor, trampy, students that we are AND THEN, my friend remembered something amazing. Westfield give out free samples!

Basically the rest of the day was spent chasing around the free samples of pretzels, doughnuts and yummy flavoured tea that were going around. I realised that day how much of a loser I actually am, but it was great and we got so high from the Whittard tea called Dreamtime or something, that we couldn’t stop ourselves from running around the precinct, scouting for male talent haha!

When at last we decided to sit down again, which we did outside of the toilets in the Chanel section, don’t judge us, they have nice seats! When we finally sat down, we started talking about our weddings, as if any of us were close to getting married ^_^; She told me how Vietnamese weddings work, that she’d buy me a designer bridesmaid dress and pair me up with one of her boyfriend’s hot cousins, oh to dream *sigh*. I told her how Bengali weddings work, how she’d have to be there for ALL three days and how I’d buy her three cute saris, lenghas or suits and then we both got broody and started talking about kids.

Gosh this post really does make me sound middle-aged… Oh well! I loved my day out with one of my best friends and I’m so glad I did it.

February; The Month of Inspiring Students?

So today is the 21^st February, a day quite close to my heart and a day that is filled with both pride and sadness for my parents. Today is International Mother Language Day or International Mother Tongue Day. A day declared in 1999 to celebrate the beauty of language. It was declared an international day of recognition after the UNESCO recognised the need to commemorate a tragic but heroic day which was already being celebrated in Bangladesh.

On this day 59 years ago West Pakistan opened fire on students and professors of the University of Dhaka for protesting their rights to retain their mother language (Bengali) and their rights NOT to adopt a language forced on them (Urdu).  At least four students died defending (peacefully) the beautiful language of Bangladesh, a language I often take for granted. This day in 1952 would also spark more and more discontent from East Pakistan towards the West. It would mark the day that East Pakistan began to actively demonstrate against the West, something that would last almost 20 years and would see the genocide of 3 million Bengalis and indigenous people until finally independence would be granted in March 1971.

A language is the single most important tool human beings have. It is through language we communicate; through language we voice our love, our concerns, our annoyances, our ingenuity. We show almost everything through language. I can write this blog today because of language and it makes me feel deeply disgusted to think that people, young university students at that, had to die to retain recognition of their own language. Today over 300 million people speak Bengali, and this is in no doubt partly thanks to the massive sacrifice these students made all those years ago. I’m forever grateful.

It’s sad but I haven’t actually done this story any justice. My feelings towards this day, both because of my roots and because it is a testimony of pure bravery in the face of oppression, cannot simply be explained by a blog post. However I find comfort in the fact that all across the world at least, people will be honouring the memory of those that have died. All across the world, thanks to you, martyrs of language, people shall also be recognising the beauty in their own language. So, today, readers, celebrate your language but also please do remember those who paid the ultimate price to save their own.

Speaking of genocide, the 18^th of February marked an important day for another group of university students in another part of the world. In Germany 1943 a group of four boys and one girl from the University of Munich were caught by the Gestapo (the Nazi secret police) distributing anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets. They were just a group of young students, (much like those at the University of Dhaka) but they had an almost impossible task to even dream at that time, turning the fearful German citizens against Hitler and the Third Reich.

They distributed a total of six leaflets, calling for Germans to resist Hitler’s regime. They were  and still are among the bravest people of Germany and the world, yet they were caught. Betrayed by the university’s cleaner; Hans and Sophie Scholl were arrested, later so were the rest of the White Rose, and four days later they were executed.

The bravery of the students of the University of Dhaka and the White Rose is one of inspiration and utter respect. It is people like this that have shaped the world we live in today, a world of tolerance and love (for the most part). There is no doubt in my mind, that had these students not spoken out for what they believed, had they not resisted and fought back the world we live in would be extremely different.  Perhaps I find their stories all the more inspiring because as a university student myself, I can’t imagine being killed for standing up for what I truly believed in. I can’t imagine being that strong-willed and determined. I have nothing but respect and admiration for them.

For more information:

 http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8246538-international-mother-language-day-21-february-2011

http://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday/

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERwhiterose.htm

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/socialeffectsofwar/p/whiterose.htm

Sly, Horrible, Bad Mannered, Miserable, Thieves

I was going to post another politically driven post, one about Bangladesh, but something that has just happened to me has taken precedent.

I live with 13, yes, 13 other girls. We've all been pretty friendly to each other and actually, I like most of them a lot. Recently, though, it's getting quite tiring living with them and this is for one reason only. Since returning to uni from the Christmas holidays, my "wonderful" (oh yes I went there with the quotation marks!) flat mates have decided that they will do everything in their power to be sly, horrible, bad mannered, miserable, thieves (yes, I went there!)!

Let me explain, so you don’t think I’m being unnecessarily bitchy. We came back from Christmas to find that “someone” had decided it would be o.k to leave their disgusting left over food on our kitchen table for the whole month. That’s right, someone decided to cook some rice before they left and leave it there for the magic fairies of Washing-Up Land to come and take it. This meant that the first sight we saw when we came back was a big pot of decaying, green, bacteria-ridden rice but, whatever right? Maybe someone forgot to wash it. Maybe they were in a rush to catch the train home. Whatever, no big deal. Oh no!

All of a sudden, dirt, grease and filth seem to be common place in our kitchen now. Once revered as the cleanest kitchen of the uni-I kid you not-orange, oily, residue, food stuff and fat of chickens plague our sinks, clog our drains and fester on our hobs. Again, whatever, we have cleaners, they’ll be our mums (note: my mum would never put up with me leaving such a disgusting mess), it’s fine. Oh no it gets worse still…

I went home last weekend, as I do every weekend, to go to work. I left Friday evening, I was back by Sunday evening, two days, and what do I find when I get back? All of my washed and dried pots and pans had been used, dirtied and left for ME COMING BACK FROM LONDON to wash! Now I’m a reasonable person, I let a lot of things slide, but this, this is just taking the biscuit! Being a Muslim, I don’t eat pork, they do, how do I know they didn’t cook pig? It wasn’t even a little dirty, this was full on disgusting! Burnt on food and residue, left atop a greasy, burnt overspill. I was fuming! I wrote a horrible but frank note and then called a flat meeting.

A note, via another housemate, also a victim of the same incident, was sent to every one of our housemates about SIX whole hours before the meeting was set. Come 7o’clock two housemates decide not to show up and another thinks it’s a burden and a waste of time but came begrudgingly, after receiving a swift kick up the backside from the aforementioned other victim. There, with me leading, we came to an agreement that we would show each other a little more respect and manners, we would be a lot cleaner and we would own up to anything me may have done which would upset others. No, no one owned up to using my things…yeah, I know! I was still happy with the outcome, though, it was positive, I was satisfied and so were the others, I’m not an evil dictator everyone had their chance to share any qualms they may have. So I had high expectations things would change.

Lo and behold, I woke up to real angry knocks and shouting from our lovely, wonderful, cleaners. They really are such sweeties, so friendly and always happy to see us, so the fact that they were so angry really worried me. What’s happened now? After EVERYTHING that happened during the meeting, someone had urinated in our bathroom. No, not in the shower so it goes down the drain, on the floor and covered it with a mat! I KNOW! A huge puddle of yellow piss all over our shower! Sad thing is, we have FOUR bathrooms in our flat, four toilets too, the one bathroom that they happen urinate over, would be mine wouldn’t it! If you’re wondering, yes the poor cleaners did have to wash it, yeah I know!

After the week I’ve had I just had to get away from this dingy flat for a while, alone. So I decided it was a perfect opportunity for me to go to Tescos. I did my weekly shop and thought I’d treat myself to a little treat, heck, I deserve one! I bought a pack of ten chocolate crepes amongst other stuff and was happy that I managed to get everything I needed for just over £15. Things are looking up! I gave myself a break away from my 3000 word essay and cracked it open at around 10pm, I ate two and gave one to another flatmate. A couple of breaks later my tummy rumbles, and hey it may be unhealthy but my tummy makes the decisions, so I go to the fridge and take out another one… WHAT THE FLYING FUCK! There’s ONLY THREE LEFT!!!! I’ve been hearing people go in and out of the kitchen but I didn’t think they’d have the audacity to steal someone’s food!

Baring in mind that it was 2:15 am when I got up to get one, I think it’s safe to say; ladies and gentlemen my flatmates are sly, horrible, bad mannered, miserable, thieves. And, yes, I know exactly who it is! I can hear her right now in the kitchen as well, stealing someone else’s food no doubt; it’s now 3:13 am…

Should the BNP be banned?

Yesterday, once again, the violent and disgusting English Defence League (EDL) held another "demonstration" in Luton. The EDL were formed after a group of seriously misguided and easily brainwashed, not to mention utterly stupid Muslims called for British troops to "burn in hell". They have since held demonstrations to fight against "militant Islam" or so they say. In actual fact, no matter, what they claim it seems the EDL can’t stop themselves from talking about Islam has a whole. They’re not fighting against militant Islam, they’re fighting against Islam altogether, they spew nonsense; they find on the internet and do not ever go about trying to have rational debate.

It seems, every single EDL demonstration, thus far, has always resulted in drunken brawls and serious racial tensions, not surprising considering so much of the EDL is comprised of football hooligans and drunken chavs. They are a seriously fascist organisation and it’s worrying to know that their numbers are on the rise. Thankfully, most Britons, also view the EDL for what they are; a bunch of far-right hooligans, out, not to peacefully protest but to cause trouble. My friend and I were discussing this at work today and at some point the conversation jumped to the British National Party (BNP).

The BNP is a political party of the extreme right. They’re fascist and as such they are, like most fascists, are; racist, sexist, bigots, extremely nationalistic (note the difference between patriotic and nationalistic) oh and did I forget to add they think that you can’t be British if you’re not white? The BNP were formed from the National Front and have had such a rise in popularity, that they won 2 seats in the European Parliament and even in my constituency (which is perhaps leaning towards being predominantly Asian) had a BNP member trying to run for the local elections. Luckily their popularity has dwindled and so in the last general election they did not win any seats at all, a series of mocking facebook groups soon followed – I joined every one of them!

One of the main reasons I can’t stand Nick Griffin and the BNP is, of course, because of their racist policies. If voted into power, they have stated that they want to see the expulsion of all immigrants and their children regardless of whether they are legally British. This would mean that they would see the deportation of not only me but of people from a mixed background (one white British parent, one non-white British etc.) as well. Such a policy would mean disaster for British workforce, first and foremost and especially for such institutions like the NHS, a huge employer, on all levels, for migrants. Another reason I hate the BNP, Nick Griffin and many other predominant BNP leaders are serial Holocaust deniers! They also want to pull out of the EU, they want to enter into isolationism, they promote Islamophobia, they’re anti-Semitic, the list goes on… In short they are one of the most vile parties known to man, I would go so far as to say they are on par with the NSDAP (Nazi Party).

I could write forever about the utter idiocy and hypocrisy of, and of my hate for the BNP, however this is not what this post is about. My friend and I were discussing whether the BNP should be made illegal and we were both quick to come to one conclusion, no. Now before you all *facepalm* or do something worse, my reasons, or rather reason, since there is only one reason for why such a vile group should be allowed to stay, is freedom of speech.

I’m always so proud to be a part of a democratic society. A society that practices, liberties that are so taken for granted and it is for this reason that the BNP should not be banned. They are, after all, and it pains me to say this, a legitimate political party. As stated by the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), every single citizen of the EU has the right to freely express their views, they also have the freedom to think how they like and are never to be discriminated against for their political views. Frankly, banning the BNP, no matter how fascist they are, goes against their basic human rights and they are humans, poor excuses for humans but humans nonetheless.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to go make friends with any of the BNP members or supporters (someone drop a piano on my head if that ever happens) but it’s the nature of a free society to allow such people to voice their opinions. If they’re not committing a crime (Nick Griffin did go on trial for denying the Holocaust and the BNP have never come outright and been racist) then they have to be allowed to practise politically. We, as the rational Britain, have to also practise politically too by exercising our rights to vote and protest as well so that we can ensure such a party never get voted in.

Apologies for any incoherent bits, I’m writing this after a 13 hour shift starting at 5am with only 2 hours sleep.