The London Blasts: Media Review

FOUR YEARS ON

DAY 67: 12 September 2005

Contents

Snippets

Freedom Of Expression

DSEI

Nuclear First Use

SNIPPETS

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The Independent reports that the print run of the latest edition of the far-right British National Party's newspaper has been seized by British Customs and Special Branch (political) police. 60,000 copies of The Voice of Freedom were impounded as they arrived at Dover yesterday - the paper's printed in Slovakia.

The issue leads with the headline, 'What about showing some solidarity with the British people?', and the surtitle, 'Britain gets bombed but it's Islam that gets the sympathy.'

This is on page 14 of the Independent, but not in the online version of the paper. It is not noted in any other 'quality' news paper, but is in the Mirror and is recorded in BBC News Online.

A spokesperson for the BNP says, correctly, that this is a 'serious attack by the state on freedom of speech'.

The views of the BNP are abhorrent. Their newspaper is likely to incite both racial and religious hatred. But an attack on their freedom of expression is an attack on the principle of free speech itself, not simply on a fringe racist group.

Those celebrities who campaign against the new laws on incitement to religious hatred will, we can predict, demonstrate their lack of principle by their silence on this seizure.

There is a saying attributed to Voltaire: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.'

This is a principle that is at the centre of much of the post-7/7 debate, including the Blair/Clarke deportation laws.

Astoundingly, even Article 19, the anti-censorship group, has drawn back from thoroughly criticising these new laws, saying only that 'they breach international standards on freedom of expression. (See this pdf press release.)

DSEI

The Metropolitan Police have complained about the resources needed to safeguard a major arms fair in London's Docklands from protestors, when London faces a serious terrorist risk. 'A Met official said Scotland Yard had held talks with the Home Office and the Department of Trade and Industry to see how they could force the organisers [of the Defence Systems and Equipment International - DSEI - exhibition] and participants to pay "their fair share".' (FT, page 3, paid-for access)

There seems a simpler way of reducing the workload of the police so that they can continue protecting the people of London. Protect people around the world by shutting down the conference.

Once again, doing the right thing also makes Britain safer...

The coordinating body for protests is Disarm DSEI.

NUCLEAR FIRST USE

The Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the FT (page 9 but not online) but not apparently the Guardian, cover the development (actually updating) of a new nuclear doctrine for the United States, allowing nuclear strikes against governments or groups using, or preparing to use, chemical or biological weapons on the United States. The doctrine, once signed, will also permit the use of nuclear weapons on chemical and biological weapons stockpiles.

The Times has the best piece, noting that, 'The 1995 version of the doctrine contained no mention of pre-emption or WMD as legitimate nuclear targets.' The Independent adds that the Pentagon is planning for a new generation of nuclear weapons, designed to destroy deeply-buried bunkers, which Congress is not funding (well, not knowingly or publicly, anyway).

Too much to say on all of this. All directly connected to the 'War on Terror'.

JNV welcomes feedback.