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Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

A rally at Trafalgar Square?

This call [original link removed] for a rally in Trafalgar Square next Saturday is interesting. Does anyone know any more details of who is behind it? I would like to know more before leaping to any conclusions.

update: question answered – not worth supporting one group of (white) fascists protesting against another group of (Islamic) fascists

29 comments to A rally at Trafalgar Square?

  • guy herbert

    I don’t think it can be anything to do with the respectable Euroskeptic site Free Britain ‘cos they’d have a link.

    Secretiveness is not a good sign. Rather fear that it is “free” as in “rid”. Not my idea of freedom.

  • That is why I want a few more details first before turning up and maybe discovering myself in company I would rather not keep.

  • Verity

    It may be that in today’s climate of fear and a police state, they think they may be closed down under some fanciful terrorist legislation. The last thing the police and this government want is British citizens exercising their right to free assembly.

  • Shabbos Sammy

    Careful, guys. They could be faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaashists!!!!

  • Moriarty

    Pub Philosopher

    Ok, maybe I’ll get the link right this time.

  • guy herbert

    Since Trafalgar Square is a private place now (prop. K. Livingstone, Esq., or nearly) perhaps the GLA has a booking.

  • Ian Grey

    I suspect it is BNP organising it, if pub philosopher is right.

    http://www.actioninengland dot geebee dot com

    (Can’t link to it & post)

  • Too bad. I think I’ll pass as I have no urge to stand with white fascists against Islamo-fascists… suicide for fear of death has never made much sence to me.

  • The domain is registed to a chap named Stephen Cattell. Google has nothing on this name, so we’re not talking about anyone with any great history of putting forward his views in anything like mainstream fora.

    Central NIC

    There’s an email and phone contact, if your considering whether to endorse the protest, why not drop him a line?

  • In all it will be a nice little test bed for Sir Ian’s new found sensitivity.In order for this to work however it is advisable for people not to dress or act Brazilian.

  • David Davies

    I have just been through their discussion board. It is overtly pro-BNP.
    Leave well alone

  • Perry,

    Surely samizdata can arrange its own rally? We could all make huge placards of Speed Cameras, SPECIMEN ID cards, and photoshoped pics of Blair…

  • Dave

    Maybe it does have a lot of support from BNP types, but that doesn’t mean they are arranging it.
    The BNP would probably take advantage of any kind of protest like this regardless of who started it.

  • Why don’t you guys organize such a rally? Really…
    I’m a Canadian born and raised in Romania.

  • “Surely samizdata can arrange its own rally? We could all make huge placards of Speed Cameras, SPECIMEN ID cards, and photoshoped pics of Blair…”

    It is blasphemous to make images of Tony Blair!

  • Tom Penn

    The tone of the rally will be set by the masses of those who attend, not the original organizers. If I could, I would show up with a Free Denmark placard and protest respectfully. I hope that many will do what I cannot.

    Support freedom: http://www.petitiononline.com/danmark/petition.html

  • A Samizdata organised rally? It’s a good idea IMHO, and as a spin-off benefit the publicity would be valuable to the spread of libertarian ideas.

  • Tom Penn

    The tone of the rally will be set by the masses of those who attend, not the original organizers. If I could, I would show up with a Free Denmark placard and protest respectfully. I hope that many will do what I cannot.

    Support freedom: (Link)

  • I certainly have no experience organising such a thing but that does not mean I think it is a bad idea. Of course there are many worthy groups who might like to dip their oar in on this…

  • Midwesterner

    Does it strike any one else just a little bit funny? The idea of Samizdata’s strident individualists organizing a collective action?

    Brings to mind images of rounding up a herd of cats.

    All the same, go for it. I wish I could attend.

  • This will be interesting,if the rally is organised by the BNP,the powers that be will want to ban it,but if they do,unfovourable comparisons with the recent decapitators march will be drawn.
    All this could have bee avoided if Sir Ian Blair( no relation) had simply enforced the law in the first place.Now our government of lackwits has provided a recruitment opportunity for the BNP,the leader of which the self same government ordered the arrest.
    Cannot these idiots get anything right…answers please on the edge of a post card.

  • JK

    Midwesterner,

    Does it strike any one else just a little bit funny? The idea of Samizdata’s strident individualists organizing a collective action?

    I wouldn’t call myself a libertarian in the way meant by Samizdata, but I’m sympathetic. I hope the prevailing view here is not that collectivity is a problem. The problem is coercion and the State.

    Otherwise we land up with the view that “hell is other people”. We probably all have our misanthropic moments. But I don’t think it’s good to linger there too long. I actually think that an outlook which spontaneously sees social interactions, other things equal, as more threat than opportunity is prone to to authoritarianism and intolerance.

    Maybe the odd individual wants to become a hermit isolated from the world, and they should have the freedom to do so. But for most people the benefit of freedom is to enter into voluntary associations of all sorts which are binding in different ways – contracts, friendships, marriage and other associations. Individualism isn’t antithetical to those things. It’s a precondition.

  • Julian Taylor

    Would it be remiss of me to request that you delete the post, or is it just me who feels that Samizdata might be giving undue publicity to what is clearly a BNP demonstration this weekend?

  • Moriarty

    The plot thickens. (via Harry’s Place)

    If you’re looking for a peaceful protest, I don’t think that you’ll find one in Trafalgar Square on saturday. Especially as Perry’s original link has been posted to Stormfront, who seem quite keen on the idea.

  • Samizdatans tend to be grumblers and not doers (ie going to demos/rallies). They tell the world about these events but never sullies themselves with their presence.

    However, it is always good to find out how is organising it then ones does not have to do the backpeddling one sees with Islamic organisations when they attend demos who attract too much attention.

  • GCooper

    Andrew Ian Dodge writes:

    “Samizdatans tend to be grumblers and not doers (ie going to demos/rallies).”

    While you may have a point (I’m not the rally-going kind, myself, I’ll admit), you have to admit that, in terms of results, most rallies achieve the sum total of bugger-all.

    By and large, blogs seem to have a greater effect, I’d have said.

  • The idea of Samizdata’s strident individualists organizing a collective action?

    How odd! It is only state enforced collective action that is bad, or were you under the impression we don’t like companies too, which are of course all about ‘collective action’? Hell, Samizdata is a ‘collective’!