A BNP supporter stuck racist stickers on packages and sent them out in a protest over mosques, a court heard. The stickers contained the words ‘no more mosques’ and a cartoon figure of a Muslim with a bomb exploding from his head. They were found by Muslim workers at the Royal Mail Centre in Stockport in March. Internet trader Lockhart Kneen, 39, of Braemore Drive, Hyde, who sells political magazines for the BNP, claimed he had put the stickers on the packages and sent them out through the post in protest against a ‘Tameside super mosque’. Stockport Magistrates heard that the stickers, which contained the Muslim tenet ‘There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger’, were found by a Muslim mail processor who found them extremely offensive. "When I saw the statement about no more mosques and the writing in Arbabic, I knew that these stickers were not normal and were descriminating against muslim people," said Mr Mohammed. "I live in a free country and nobody makes trouble for me. I am very glad to live here, but of course the statement ‘no more mosques’ offends me. If I was a Christian and somebody said ‘no more churches’ it would be offensive."The packages were traced to Kneen, who claimed he had been advised by the leader of the BNP in Tameside that the stickers were not racist, but were illegal when stuck on public property. "I just thought, the stickers are fine, these parcels are my property and I live in a free country, so I decided to stick them on my property," he said "They’re going to move the war graves in Ashton and build a super mosque. I’m a methodist. If someone said no more methodist churches I wouldn’t find that offensive, that’s their opinion." Kneen’s internet account has been suspended and he is no longer able to trade in electronics. Defending, Mr Lake said: "It was an expression of freedom of speech that was expressed in the stickers and clearly had personal significance to the defendant." District Judge Tim Devas said: "I find the defendant’s point on Methodist churches thought provoking. But these stickers did cause offence to people of other cultures and I don’t find his actions reasonable." Kneen was fined £150 and ordered to pay £115 costs for two counts of racially/religiously aggravated harrassment. Tameside AdvertiserThis, along with the seemingly malicious prosecution of former BNP candidate Roy West has very dark and sinister undertones. Voltaire once said “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong”. It appears to me that the authorities are becoming increasingly paranoid and vindictive, you may think that making satirical blog comments about leading politicians, mentioning Dunkirk to a German national or objecting to mosque building has nothing to do with you, you may think these people deserve to be arrested and hauled before the courts because you object to their political views, but before you close your mind on this issue please remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller
12 comments:
I would like to point out that I have no affiliation to the BNP and never have done. Thanks.
Sorry if I gave the impression you were somehow connected to the BNP. I would like to categorically state that to the best of my knowledge Liam has in no way ever been connected or affiliated to the BNP.
Like any civilised individual, racism is abhorrent to me.
However, I am becoming increasingly concerned at the way in which the 'R word' is spouted out, left, right and centre.
This case clearly has nothing to do with race. The man's protest was directed towards Islam, not a race of people. It may come as a surprise to our rulers, that Muslims are made up of all races.
I am also apalled that it is now an offence to... cause somebody offence!
Whether or not we agree with the accused's point of view, we should question whether or not he has to right to freedom of expression.
'Political correctness' has gone too far, and for too long.
Wasn't it John Sentamu (the first member of an ethnic minority to be appointed as Archbishop of York) who said “Multiculturalism has seemed to imply, wrongly for me: let other cultures be allowed to express themselves but do not let the majority culture at all tell us its glories, its struggles, its joys, its pains.”
Articles such as the above only serve to turn people towards Nationalism, not away from it.
Racism certainly is rife in modern Britain, however, I fear most of it has absolutely nothing at all to do with the BNP.
Ironic you quoted Niemoller, who was talking about the Nazis, particularly given that this blog is the Village Pump for the local Ubermensch...
I am disgusted that this man has been prosecuted for this. This is the state persecuting people for their politcial opinions.
This may inhibit people from objecting to this mosque being built. We should be allowed to object.
It should not be a criminal matter if someone is offended. That is just life.
'Mosques' are not a race of people they are buildings, but quite honestly even if they were a race of people we should not be stopped from objecting anyway. To stop people from objecting if race is concerned is very wrong and very dangerous. What if it were a building for a race like a West Indian Center? Does that mean objections are illegal? Should be illegal? NO. It should not matter. People, all of us, should be allowed to object.
And, I agree with the objection anyway.
When the state prosecutes people for objecting this is a very dangerous move. This case is very troubling.
Tamesider - could you define racism for me please? You say it is abhorrent, do you know what it means? Or is it just a scary word for you?
This is a disturbing story and the accused should clearly never have been found guilty of racism for objecting to the building of mosques! Another erosion of freedom of speech under Stasi-Labour.
What's confusing here is that nowhere in the report is there anyone called 'Liam', yet TC apologises to Liam for linking him with the BNP. Is Liam the same person as Lockhart Kneen? A clarification would be helpful!
carnaciuck:
I was also confused about who is Liam???
Not to worry, this prosecution should never have happened, just a way to stop people objecting to the erosion of British and British culture by mass immigration. It is just to shut people up.
As someone said (much better!):
"This prosecution will provoke outrage, anger, disbelief and fear (amongst other things). I hope that the fear is not dominant. I suspect that the state desires the fear to be dominant.
There are many ways if viewing this.
Of course it is an infringement of freedom of speech and expression.
However, it is also, relatedly, an act of political suppression. This is one of many examples of the criminalisation of political dissent. Views that are opposed to the political policies of mass immigration into this country are becoming illegal to express. Mass immigration is a politcal policy (set of policies). How can one object to this policy without offending someone? Not really possible. Hence, to object to this policy can be deemed illegal.
In this particular case there are other factors. For example, the war graves should not be moved/destroyed in any circumstances. However, the principle of the criminalisation of political dissent is a relevant factor in this case and in many others. The fear that people will experience when hearing of this case, and others, is one factor that may inhibit them from speaking out in the future.
However, for many people the outrage and anger will be dominant and such cases may encourage others to speak out."
carnaciucK:
'This is a disturbing story and the accused should clearly never have been found guilty of racism for objecting to the building of mosques! Another erosion of freedom of speech under Stasi-Labour.'
THE ACCUSED SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF ANYTHING FOR EXPRESSING A PEACEFUL POLITICAL OPINION.
THE ACCUSED SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED BY THE STATE FOR EXPRESSING A PEACEFUL POLITICAL OPINION.
THIS STATE IS SUPPRESSSING ANY FORM OF OPPOSITION TO ITS POLICIES OF MASS IMMIGRATION - INCLUDING MASS IMMIGRATION OF ISALM AND ISLAMIC WAYS.
THIS MAN SHOULD NIT HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED.
THIS IS A VERY DISTURBING CASE.
THIS THREATENS EVERYONE'S FREEDOMS.
children of lewin:
the poem is about how the nazis came for different 'bad groups' (e.g. first the Jews, then the...then ...until they came for me and noone was left to help me) until there was no one left to help the author.
This is what is happening here.
Your freedoms are being taken away. You sit and watch these one off prosecutions for expressing 'forbidden opinions' and you do not see what is happening. In the end if no one stops this you yourself will not be allowed your freedom.
freedom is not free.
Children of Lewin-
This is a translation of the poem. The poem is a warning against supporting (by accepting and doing nothing) state oppresion of the people and was origianlly written as a warning against the National Socialist ('Nazi') governement in Germany.
This poem is very fitting for this particular state prosecution of this man. The government are using th epolice to suppress political opposition. You say nothing. The warning of the poem is that you will be next.
'When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.'
To the two puzzled posters...
"Liam" is a local blogger. The item was originally posted with a reference to Liam which may have led people to mistakenly think Liam was in the BNP. Which he is not.
The item has subsequently been ammended to remove mention of Liam and thus remove all confusion...or so we hoped!
Apologises for the confusion
We now officially live in a police state.
A fascist police state.
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