Free Speech Reality Is Racism

Much has been made by the far right in the UK of the ban imposed on Generation Identity activists like Martin Sellner, who was deported back to his native Austria after arriving at Luton airport, and was later given a permanent ban from Britain after trying to get in through Stansted. His intended speech was then given at Speaker’s Corner by Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson.

Martin Sellner

Lennon takes grave exception to being labelled a racist, even to the extent of turning up late at night with a film crew to indulge in a little creepy harassment. But I have to tell him that his pal Sellner, and indeed the whole movement the latter represents, are nailed-on racists of the lowest kind. Moreover, added to Generation Identity’s shocking Islamophobia is clear anti-Semitism. It is a Christian white supremacist organisation.

GI claims to be helping the homeless. But only the right kind of homeless. In March their London chapter told “London activists were back out on the streets tonight handing out warm pork suppers to the homeless. That the government can find money and sponsor programs for ‘refugees’ whilst the country has such a high rate of homelessness is a disgrace”. Handing out “warm pork suppers”.

That means warm suppers for anyone … except Muslims. And except Jews. Blatant anti-Semitism to add to the Islamophobia. Moreover, it is deliberate, calculating and cruel. Preying on the cold and hungry, then telling them “we’ll help you … but you have to eat pork”. A particularly nasty kind of Christian sadism.

Added to this slice of bigotry is the use of the “White Genocide” conspiracy theory, which is used by GI in their “Are you being replaced?” propaganda. This has its origins in the pamphlet “Are the White Nations Dying? The Future of the White and the Colored Nations in the Light of Biological Statistics” published by the Reich Institute in Nazi Germany.

Those peddling the “White Genocide” conspiracy theory include Alex Jones of Info Wars, and Brittany Pettibone, who is the partner of … Martin Sellner. The movement Sellner champions also features the likes of Benjamin Jones, whose quotes include “Long live the Identitarian Movement, fight for the Reconquista”. And these are the kinds of people who like to tell us that Islam is the religion that is Medieval.

This is the organisation that Stephen Lennon rushes off to Vienna to publicise, under the guise of “promoting free speech”. But, as we saw last weekend, free speech for him does not extend to Muslims. For Lennon, “free speech” means standing at Speaker’s Corner and reading out the words of Martin Sellner, a leader of a deeply racist and indeed anti-Semitic organisation which promotes the “White Genocide” conspiracy theory.

That is the reality of the claims that “it’s only about free speech”. It’s free speech for those peddling hatred - forget the occasional token non-white person wheeled out as some kind of get-out clause fig leaf - and no free speech for Muslims, and indeed anyone else who takes an opposing stance to whatever Stephen Lennon and his pals are promoting.

Maybe Lennon and those allied to him really don’t believe what Sellner and GI are promoting. But if you lay down with dogs, you get fleas. I’ll just leave that one there.