Last August, pundit and campaigner Owen Jones was leaving the Lexington pub in Islington after celebrating his birthday with friends. In response to this heinous provocation, he was violently assaulted; friends who came to his aid and tried to intervene were in turn violently assaulted. He later concluded that this was a hate crime and an example of far-right homophobia, a view that was not universally shared.
Owen Jones
Indeed, some in the media establishment attempted to trivialise the incident, with the increasingly alt-right Spectator engaging the services of Rod Liddle to mockingly tell readers “Much as the appalling Shami Chakrabarti has insisted, I stand ‘in solidarity’ with Owen Jones”. Note the quote marks. Liddle’s post also attempted to equate violent physical assault with having a milkshake poured over someone.
This would have had little or no effect on the Twitter troll army of far-right apologists claiming that the attack either didn’t really happen, or that Jones somehow deserved it, or indeed that it wasn’t anything to do with the far right or homophobia. To no surprise at all, the Speccy hasn’t been quite as enthusiastic to let its readers know that Jones’ assessment was right, it certainly did happen, and the far right was intimately involved.
We know this as, for instance, iNews has reported “Convicted football hooligan James Healy, 40, attacked Guardian columnist Owen Jones because of his political beliefs and sexuality, a judge has ruled. Healy, 40, unleashed an vicious attack on Mr Jones because of his media profile as an LGBTQ rights campaigner and left-wing, anti-racism and anti-fascism activist”. Which could mean he gets a longer sentence. And there was more.
“Recorder Judge Anne Studd QC ruled Healy targeted Mr Jones: ‘I am satisfied so that I am sure that [Healy] holds particular beliefs that are normally associated with the far right wing.’ She added: ‘I therefore propose to sentence Mr Healy on the basis that this was a wholly unprovoked attack on Mr Jones by reason of his widely published left-wing beliefs by a man who has demonstrable right-wing sympathies.’”
Why should the Judge come to that conclusion? Back to iNews: “Healy, a Chelsea fan, also allegedly had a football hooligan flag adorned with SS symbols and a collection of pin badges linked to white supremacist groups … One of the items bore the name of the Combat 18 neo-Nazi group, whose stated aims include ‘execute all queers’, the court heard”. His explanation - that he was a “hoarder” - clearly did not convince.
So while those who have followed this case will be making a diary entry after reading “Healy, from Portsmouth, is due to be sentenced on February 11 along with Charlie Ambrose, 30, from Brighton, and Liam Tracey, 34, from Camden, who have previously pleaded guilty to affray over the incident”, those out there on the right are silent.
Nothing from the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog. Nothing from the loathsome Toby Young. Nothing from self-promoting TalkRADIO host Julia Hartley Dooda. Nothing from the denizens of Conservative Home (so much for cross party support). And nothing from Andrew Pierce of the Mail, who is often wheeled out by the Daily Mail to speak As A Gay Man whenever there’s an accusation of homophobia.
It’s almost as if they don’t care if the Rotten Lefty™ gets it. I’ll just leave that one there.
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4 comments:
Of course they are silent. Just look at yesterday's news about the use of symbolism and terror watchlists.
I expect many had a sleepless night last night!
Only a moron or a propagandist would use the term "centre right" for corporate media thugs. They are prime movers of Britain's descent into a racist, xenophobic capitalist horror. They are far right corrupters of what's left of British culture. Vile scumbags without a trace of decent humanity in them.
If you think they're bad now, just watch as the Bozo Bullingdon gang increase looting and probably get us into yet another diversionary war at the behest of homicidal fascist maniacs in the USA.
Corporate media continues to betray this country to a creed alien to everything that makes life worth living. Disgusting cowardly far right creeps the lot of them.
Yes Anonymous, but then again you think literally everyone is a moron except for you and Julian Assange.
Of course there is nothing. The right wing media in our country doesn't care a jot even if someone they don't like is murdered- they just carry on as before.
Owen is a fearless campaigner and while his methods have not worked he has the benefit of being a good person who other good people admire. And that makes someone worthwhile. Meanwhile the right wing media are disgusting lowlives who no doubt cheer when people they don't like are beaten up and hounded away.
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