Free speech nobbled

Below is letter published in The West Australian Newspaper:

Shame on Western Australia

Shame on WA, when a visiting politician, who has spoken in the US Senate, the British House of Lords and other European parliaments, is not allowed to speak to people in Perth.

WA residents have been denied the opportunity to listen to visiting Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Why? Because he is opposed to Islam – so what.

The Federal and WA governments refused to even speak to him, let alone provide a venue. Commercial speaking venues have broken contracts for unspecified reasons. Are they all scared of protesters and social activists? So scared that they have stifled free speech and diversity of opinion in WA.

End

In late January I blogged that I was concerned about free speech and freedom of association. Well, in Western Australia Geert Wilders was not allowed to speak in public. The Federal Government would not provide a venue, and Colin Barnett (the State premier) refused any assistance, and said Geert Wilders was not welcome here. Mr Barnett does not speak for all Wesernt Australians.
Commercial venues were also frightened off. Several accepted the booking and then cancelled, the last one which was fully paid for in Perth, Western Australia, cancelled at 9.20 pm on the Friday night before the talk on Wednesday. Due to security concerns, no venue could be found at such short notice. And so, we who had booked tickets were deprived our right to listen to Mr Wilders.
Similar antics occured in Melbourne and Sydney, the Melbourne talk finally took place at a slightly out of town venue, and 500 people paid, attended and braved the agressive protesters, who screamed, shouted and tried to stop people attending. The police had to move in to stop their nonsense. The protesters were unclear if they were protesting about the 'underclass', the Palestinians or Pauline Hanson. I have read Geert Wilders' speech and it is not about class, race, Palestine or Pauline Hanson.
Geert is a proponent of free speech, and as a result of criticising Islam, he has lost his freedom. He has to go everywhere with several full time security people, he cannot walk down the street without security and disguise. He and his wife live in a secret house, and his wife also has no freedom.
Surely governments and social acitivists should be protesting about the Muslims who want to kill him, for merely speaking freely.

But No 

The Government of this country (Australia) will allow people such asTaji Mustafa – the British leader of Muslim extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir; and Sheik Al-Sudais – who says Christians have a poisonous culture and Jews are the rats of the world – into this country to talk. Universities are happy to provide venues, and local councils offer facilities. So if you criticize Christian values, that is all OK; but if you criticise Islamic values, it is an absolute no no, and you will be risking your life.
 It is reported that Julia Gillard has agreed to attend the "Islamic Peace Conference" (a real oxymoron) – to be held in March in Melbourne, which includes many of the extreme Muslim speakers. Will she wear a hijab, out of deference to their cultural values?
It appears that only the politically correct brigade and left-wing progressives have the right in Australia to free speech. But why, when a democratically elected leader of a major party in a western democracy has been invited by Australians to talk, he is not allowed. He is branded by those, who have never really listened to him speak, as 'extreme', and full of 'hate speak'. That is a lie, and those who wish to shut him up because his views are different from theirs, are extreme and full of hate speak.

Shame on us

Our politicians and all Australians should be standing up for free speech, not trying to close it down.

 

Freedom of speech and association

 

Freedom of speech and association seems to be a one sided right. The unionists, progressive left and human rights advocates, are fierce defenders of free speech. That is until someone expresses a differing view from theirs, and then they become the most ferocious attackers of free speech and association. Australians will remember, hopefully with shame, the disgraceful behaviour of the progressives towards Pauline Hanson. A simple politician, who had a view, that all in Australia should be treated equally-One Nation. This meant that some groups who had special privileges would lose them. She was branded as extremist, far right, and whenever she tried to give a talk anywhere, her venues were invaded by screaming egg throwing unionists, progressives and human rights activists - denying her the right to present her views. Hardly democratic. She still won nearly 15% of the vote.

 

Now we have a visit of a democratically elected member of the Democratic Dutch Parliament. Polls say his party is now tied with the Dutch labour party making it equal with the largest Dutch parliamentary party. Now many will disagree with his views that Islamic multiculturalism in Europe has been a disaster,that all immigrants should seek to actively assimilate Dutch values, that Islamic immigration should be stopped. In a democracy people have every right to disagree with other peoples views, this has made the West great, and I endorse their right to disagree, and their freedom to speak their mind.

However I do not agree

with attempts to prevent him from speaking in public. The Dutch governent provides him with 24/7 security to protect him from being killed by Islamic extremists. Australia's federal government delayed giving him a visa to enter Australia in 2012 long enough so his visit could not go ahead at that time. The government condemns his views that Islam/Sharia law are not compatible with western culture and values. The government had no problem issuing a visa to a Muslim cleric Taj Mustafa who was proposing the setting up of an Islamic caliphate in Australia, and allowed a very young girl to promote jihad. Even the most liberal left organisation the Europen Court of Human rights has found that Islam/Sharia law are not compatable with westen democratic rights.

Colin Barnett the premier of Western Australia has forbidden that any government facilities be made available to this Dutch politician on his visit to Western Australia. The Westpac bank after agreeing to help set up a ticketing purchase site, withdrew the offer since they felt it was inappropriate. Since when has a bank been the guardians of our moral values. Several venues after agreeing to the use of their facilities for his talk then reneged on their offer. I doubt the venues were making a moral judgement, they were just scared that the great proponents of free speech and assosciation would cause havoc and damage their business in attempts to close down the right of this man to express his views of declining freedom in Europe.

One can anticipate that when Mr Geert Wilders arrives there will be protests, by those who disagree with his views, and that is their right in this democratic country. However it is not their right to try and stop others who wish to listen to his views, from heariing his talk. The organisers of his visit The Qsociety will not release details of the venue till a day or so beforehand to again try and limit disruption by the left wing activists.