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Nick Griffin Invitation Withdrawn
 cork |
miscellaneous |
press release
 Wednesday January 25, 2012 11:31 by Cork Against Fascism
Press Release from Cork Against Fascism
As of Monday January 23rd, it has been announced that the invitation to British National Party leader, Nick Griffin, to speak at a UCC Government and Politics Society debate in February, has been withdrawn. Cork Against Fascism, a campaign group made up of students, staff and members of the public, which formed in response to the invitation to Griffin, welcomes this decision. The reasons cited for the cancellation were the potential threat to the safety and welfare of students and the general public that Griffin's invitation would entail. Was it really necessary though to first go through this whole affair so that we could arrive at this conclusion? Griffin and his party profess and advocate views that are central tenets of fascism: they are racist, homophobic, sexist, anti-Semitic, and violent. It is not merely that we find these views personally distasteful and do not want them to be lent legitimacy: it has been observed time and again that the BNP use these sorts of public events as an opportunity to organize in an area, by seeking out the few people who agree with their views and involving them in the party. BNP spokespersons have previously said that they would be very enthusiastic at the prospect of an "Irish National Party"-style organization forming in this country.
These are the real dangers that UCC's Government and Politics society have flirted with, knowingly or not, ever since extending their invitation to Nick Griffin.
Society auditor Ben English would rather preach in his statement that the withdrawal is “not about politics”, but something “bigger than politics” - student safety. If the safety of students (or anyone else) at the prospect of a fascist organisation in this city is not a political issue, then what is it? Whose safety are we thinking of? The safety of those who would have sought to attend the Griffin debate, those who would protest, those who would police it?
Or the safety of a victim of fascist violence five or ten years down the line from now?
For many of us, our sense of safety and welfare has been infringed upon by the very prospect of this event.
The whole Griffin ordeal is entirely political. Our question should be, are we satisfied with the Government and Politics society's pragmatic cancellation, or do we want to recognise the political nature of this situation and ensure that it doesn't happen again?
The first step that the student community should take in acknowledging this threat is to adopt a No Platform for Fascists policy in the Students' Union. This is already the position of the National Union of Students in Britain and the Students’ Union of NUI Galway. Cork Against Fascism will be campaigning for the same standards from the UCC Students' Union. Student pressure can make this happen. As part of our No Platform campaign, we will be hosting renowned human rights and criminal lawyer, Imran Khan, for a visit to UCC on Wednesday Feb 8th, to discuss the recently concluded case of Stephen Lawrence - a black teenager murdered in Britain by a gang shouting racist slogans.
Furthermore, political discussion on the real risks of the extreme right and the role and responsibilities of the university in relation to this should continue. The context of the current recession makes our concerns particularly pertinent, as scapegoating becomes an easy currency for the far-right. Our political reality in Ireland is that we do not have a strong far-right or fascist movement in the country – we are fortunate in this sense. Why is it though that this threat is periodically imposed by student societies?
[email protected]
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Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1I drink with the fascists...but if i ever get a day off..its your round. Mine's a King Arthur thirst. As that great fascist Georgy Girl proclaimed it...
'You're either with U$, or a Guinness.'
We'll have to agree to disagree on this.
I have great respect for you, I just think you are wrong in this case.
Come along to the next AFA gig, there will definitely be one in March (details to follow). We could discuss things there over a bottle of buckfast.
The trick is to catch them in the verbal act, and demolish their arguments and reveal them for the idiots they are. Otherwise they get the already on-side crowd convinced and you're 'just another knacker'. Thats the crowds default mentality, and it needs defusing, not reinforcing. The crowd enjoys a cockfight, dont gratify them.
Fascism is the general condition, education is the only cure. Some are incurable, but they win if you give them the neutral crowd by initiating the violence.
Point us to where physical attacks are being carried out by fascists on travellers. If we attack those fascists, will you condemn us because we didnt wait to catch them in the act?
AFAs function is ton prevent fascists organising in Ireland.
We're not attacking just any middle class tossers: we're attacking those who provide a platform for fascists.
You have not addressed the points raised. It is incredible that you do not differentiate between those who fight fascists and the fascists who would exterminate gays, immigrants, travellers.
If you want to waste energy on middle/upper class tossers..stick to it.
Bad as the Irish are, I have more confidence than you seem to have in them.
You are feeding trolls and he will be grateful for your oxygen. You are giving a piece of shite importance. If you want to fight fascism in Ireland get on the front line with the Travellers, and let them tell you who they are, and how they disguise themselves in respectability, many of them in the left end of the spectrum.
Opus you ask those questions as if they had never been asked before. Every time a bunch of middle/upper class tossers invite a fascist scumbag over to get some attention we have the same discussion here. And yes they are tossers, they are seeking publicity without any regard for the consequences of their actions: the increase in attacks on minorities which will result.
Griffin is a fascist scumbag, he has convictions for racially motivated assault and he is a proven anti-semitie.
Here are some comments from the TCD debacle.
Griffins poison is not free speech it is fascist shit stirring, naive tools laying a red carpet for fascists thinking they can "defeat" them with debate are useful idiots to the likes of Griffin. You really believe your smug intellect will drive fascism back to the sewer? Give them an hour with you in some back steeet after winning your silly debate and you'll find out who'll be begging to return to what west brit little shits call the "mainland"
Mossin Nagant - AFA
We are not fascists because we oppose fascists. If fascists are planning an attack on immigrants and we attack them first, does that make us as bad as them?
Griffin has convictions for racist attacks.
Equally I don't think that TCD Philosophical Society should be able to use taxpayers money to bring a fascist to speak in Dublin Pip AFA
AFA statement on withdrawl of Nick griffin's invitation to TCD
Anti-Fascist Action welcomed the decision today of Trinity's Philosophical Society to withdraw the invitation to Nick griffin, leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), who was due to speak at a debate entitled 'This House Believes That Immigration Has Gone Too Far' next Thursday 20th October.
Far-right organisers like griffin do not come to speak at universities to engage in polite debate. They use these occasions as a platform to help spread their racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-Trade Union views. As such, militant anti-fascists will always oppose such events.
A spokeswoman for Trinity said the invite had been withdrawn after staff and students objected to the visit of griffin, a holocaust denier who has been involved in far-right politics in England since the late 1970s. Last night, 13 October, thirty AFA members and supporters called into the weekly PhilSoc debate, as part of a campaign against griffin’s invitation. We feel that this proved to be the tipping point for PhilSoc and the college authorities to withdraw the invitation.
This direct action was the culmination of a number of weeks work by AFA which included a mass email campaign, the production of several hundred stickers and the setting up of a Facebook page, entitled 'No Platform For Nazi Nick griffin in Dublin', which attracted the 'likes' of over 580 people.
AFA, who have been active in confronting fascism for nearly twenty years, have always adopted the dual strategy of both physical and political opposition when confronting fascism whether Irish or International, group or individual.
BNP supporters appreciated the organisation’s "ability to back up its slogan ‘Defend Rights for Whites’ with well-directed boots and fists. When the crunch comes power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate."
Nick Griffin writing in 1993 - of course none of the student 'debaters' expect to be around when the boots & fists come out so they can feel safe claiming it is all about ideas. Fortunately not everyone in Cork or elsewhere in Ireland is so dumb.
Are anti-fascist protestors trying to protect impressionable me and other gullible citizens from the verbal stratagems of BNP Nick Griffin - and any other public lecturers/historians that may be invited to Irish universities in the near future?
Thanks for the protective sentiments, dear campaigners, but I think you may be exaggerating the dangers and overestimating the longterm political influence of Nick and his like.
If a university society invites Geert Wilders, I suppose one can expect another surge of righteous emotions.
People become curious about forbidden fruit. During the decades of literary censorship many Irish people took the boat to pagan England and read a few of the dirty books that had been banned in catholic Ireland. Discerning readers realised that some of the porn paperbacks weren't worth reading anyway.
I remain to be convinced that some current antifascist campaigns are worth the frantic trouble. I like the expression 'hush puppy' as used by the previous poster to describe the cruel politicians who implement draconian economic measures that hurt the poor and the low income classes.
..while you draw attention to this overt idiot our blueshite pink-collared quislings are laughing all the way to the ECB.
Just cos they wear hush-puppies dont think they cant call for jackboots when the occasion requires. This prick is a decoy duck, probably unbeknowns to himself even.
Oh for god's sake.
Don't censor idiots of his ilk, you're only coming across like fascists who quash opinions that you don't agree with. You'll also make a martyr out of this fool. Go along, listen a bit, and challenge his ideas. Ridicule him. Make him look foolish. Just don't shut him up forcibly. It then becomes a victory for him, and he goes back to his idiot followers with his head held high, sanctimonious and satisfied in his opinion that his opponents are afraid of his 'truth'.
Stopping him is playing into his hands.