Another day, another welter of protest from the far-right as they once again mount their high horses on one of their favourite issues - Free Speech. None of them have had their free speech curtailed, but this is not sufficient: they want to be guaranteed the freedom to override the T&Cs of social media platforms, as well as editorial decisions made by media organisations - including, in this case, the hated BBC.
Mark Meechan - claims to be a media personality
The Beeb in Scotland had inexplicably given a platform to Mark Meechan, who styles himself Count Dankula. Meechan is famous merely for training his partner’s dog to give a Nazi-style salute when he shouts “Gas the Jews”. He appeared to consider this to be terribly funny, rather than terribly offensive and, indeed, totally out of order. Nevertheless, he put the clip on YouTube. Which resulted in him ending up in court.
As the BBC reported, Meechan “denied any wrong-doing and insisted he made the video, which was posted in April 2016, to annoy his girlfriend … But Sheriff Derek O'Carroll found him guilty of a charge under the Communications Act that he posted a video on social media and YouTube which was grossly offensive because it was ‘anti-Semitic and racist in nature’ and was aggravated by religious prejudice”. He avoided jail but was fined £800.
Despite this, Meechan was invited to contribute to a late-night discussion show called The Collective, to air on the BBC’s Scotland digital channel. But when news of his appointment leaked out, campaigners were unhappy, with the Scotsman telling “Glasgow Friends of Israel member and lawyer Matthew Berlow said he was in disbelief that Meechan who he believes has made light of the Holocaust was even considered for a role”.
Then the Mail on Sunday’s Scotland edition put Meechan on its front page yesterday. The Beeb performed a screeching U-Turn, telling “We have been reviewing our new late night discussion programmes The Collective during the edit process. As with all new formats, robust editorial processes apply. In this case we have concluded that it’s not appropriate to include Mark Meechan as a contributor. The two programmes in which he featured will not be broadcast as part of any series”. Meechan is already playing the victim.
Hence him Tweeting “Due to the media getting outraged I got deplatformed and I am being edited out of the show. I fully 100% expected this, even while filming I was thinking ‘No one is gonna let this air’. So it's not a surprise to me. Can't have people seeing what I am really like can we? ;)”. What he’s really like? A UKIP hanger-on, basking in the company of Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson? Ri-i-i-i-ight.
Someone whose attempted “comedy” is a comeback like “I put my dick in your coffee cup when you weren't looking”? Someone who bangs on about FREEZE PEACH while blubbering that the Mail on Sunday shouldn’t be allowed to speak freely about him? As the Tweeter known as Roblola put it, “A man who constantly berates MSM for fake news is doing an awful lot of crying about being axed from a job with [the] MSM. The hated Beeb too no less. We know what you are like Meechan hence why you’ve been axed. Now go find gainful employment and stop blaming others”. Quite.
If Meechan is lucky, his nearest Timpson’s might give him a berth cutting keys and putting new batteries in watches. They’re good at rehabilitating criminals.
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3 comments:
Rachel Riley probably gave him a glowing reference
That Heil headline implies one of its long term staff has joined the BBC.
Quelle surprise. Not.
Now the BBC just needs to tell us how much they paid him.
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