Thursday, January 17, 2008

Conservatives Ditch "Lionheart"

From Bartholomew's Notes:

An update on the website of Phyllis Chesler:
Once I posted my interview with Lionheart, some readers insisted that Lionheart is a member of the British National Party which is a fascist, neo-Nazi, Holocaust-denying political party. People in the UK, the USA, and in Israel feared that although Lionheart’s freedom of speech in cyberspace is crucial, and that telling the truth about Islam should not lead to anyone’s arrest—that it was equally crucial that freedom-fighters and democrats not inadvertently make alliances with fascists.

At first, I thought that these well-meaning people were wrong about Lionheart. And why? Because I asked him outright if was a member or supporter of the BNP and he passionately denied that this was so. He insisted that he was an anti-racist who had friends of many ethnicities And then, a British blogger sent me the following snippet from Lionheart’s blog.

A pro-BNP screed from the blog follows, probably found the same way I discovered the shocking truth: by mystically typing the words "Lionheart" + "BNP" into Google. Why Chesler was unable to do this is unexplained. We might ask the same about this CBN News report:
Some conservatives are refusing to support [Paul] Ray [aka "Lionheart"] because of allegations that he is a member or supporter of the British National Party. The BNP is a white supremacist party. Ray reportedly denies membership in the BNP and insists that he is being slandered.

Perhaps CBN doesn’t have the resources to find out for sure? (BTW, we all know what the BNP stands for, but it now eschews public "white supremacist" positions, for strategic reasons) Also looking sheepish is the Jawa Report:
[11 January]: As to the charges that Lionheart is a supporter of the BNP, I've seen no evidence of it…

[14 January]: I've been defending Lionheart against the accusations that he's a BNP supporter. Maybe I was wrong?

"Lionheart’s"/Ray’s support evaporated when his BNP sympathies were picked up – and denounced – by LGF; he responded by denouncing LGF as "a traitor, nothing less than the equivalent of a Second World War Nazi collaborator who would have been shot", which turned out to be biting off rather more than he could chew. He quickly apologised, and quietly removed his pro-BNP blog postings – alas, too late.

There are a couple of lessons here. Firstly, the easy one: that whatever the real dangers of Islamism, hatred of Islam is the first refuge of the scoundrel in the UK and the USA, and as long as you avoid explicitly stating your support for an unambiguously far-right political party you can easily gain the uncritical support and sympathy of lazy conservative pundits who are willing to jump aboard almost any anti-Muslim bandwagon, no matter how foul or preposterous the rhetoric (although there is a free speech issue worth keeping an eye on). The fact that Ray managed to botch such an easy path to blog-glory doesn’t reflect very well on his abilities.

There is also, though, a more difficult observation: we can see a general human failing here, as well as a conservative vice. People want to hear voices that confirm their view of the world, and it takes an effort to consider critically those with a message that seems congenial – I wouldn’t claim to be perfect here, and I can think of a fair few unworthy characters who enjoy standing in certain "liberal" circles, thanks to a bit of "anti-imperialist" ranting.

So, what next for Paul Ray? Bedfordshire on Sunday has some clues:
Paul Ray, who 'blogs' as 'Lionheart', left Britain for an undisclosed location in the Middle East two years ago.

He claims he was receiving death threats which made it impossible to stay in his home town of Luton.

Since leaving Britain, he has regularly updated his blog with news and opinions on subjects such as the heroin trade, Islamic fundamentalism and police corruption.

Bedfordshire on Sunday understands that Mr Ray has been intending to return to Britain for over a year, in order to make preparations to emigrate officially and permanently.

Somehow I doubt supporters of the BNP are welcome in Israel, if that’s where he’s heading off to.


Unbeknown to Bartholomew perhaps, Lionheart has already been to Israel, as an "infiltrator of the ISM". The far right rag FrontPageMag reported also on it.

Here's a little more on Lionheart's dwindling support from Conservatives: LGF (Charlie Johnson) showing that Lionheart's apology for his statement:
Little Green Footballs you are a traitor, nothing less than the equivalent of a Second World War Nazi collaborator who would have been shot because of his treason - Iam sure there are many who would have obliged!

... was taken off Lionheart's blog...

13 Comments:

At 8:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

First of all I know "Little Green Footballs" to be a reputable site with high quality commentary on the Middle East. It's an Israeli site backed by hundreds--if not thousands of rightwingers. If the info. concerning Ray was leaked on the afformentioned site, the guy(Ray) is a loser, and a bigot. He has no place in Israel. I hope and pray Israel denies him asylum (that is probably what he's seeking).

You say: The fact that Ray managed to botch such an easy path to blog-glory doesn’t reflect very well on his abilities.

It doesn't reflect well on all the people who linked to him, and worse yet commented on his "blog."

 
At 7:39 PM, Blogger Gert said...

I doubt very much if Paul is seeking asylum anywhere. Offences under the 1986 and 2006 Acts are probably extraditable anyway.

Also, under the 1986 Act, so far (in twenty years time) only 44 convictions have been obtained. Pails is likely to get off by a close shave.

It seems though he's milking his five minutes of spotlight for all he can.

 
At 7:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gert: Agreed! I saw a link to his site over @ Nanc's and it sure seems like he's "milking" his time, trying to get his message of hate out to as many people as possible.

 
At 3:47 PM, Blogger Mad Zionist said...

I support the right of white supremacist, anti-Semite blogs to spew their hate. I also support the right of islamic supremacist, anti-Semite blogs to spew their hate. I also support the right of anti-theist, anti-Semite blogs to spew their hate. I also support the right of radical anti-Zionist websites to spew their hate. Lionheart may not be my kind of guy in many ways, but the minute our written expression of our innermost thoughts and beliefs are suppressed for political correctness (as determined by western liberal ideologues) we all lose. This pending arrest is a travesty of justice and totally immoral.

 
At 10:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

MZ: You lose sight of the fact that hate speech is illegal both in the U.S. and in the U.K. And what bothers me more is that there's a chance Israeli demogouges would even think of providing this bastard refuge.

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger Mad Zionist said...

Eitan, hate speech is legal in America. I can say I hate anybody or anything...it is my first amendment right. The minute we put a censor the rights of the objectionable is the moment we all lose our rights. We are allowed to hate, we are not allowed to give up classified information or information that is considered sensitive to our national safety and security, but we can hate until we are blue in the face.

 
At 3:50 PM, Blogger Gert said...

Madze:

In reality the argument you make, while correct, is also a tad theoretical. In the US you don't have to be a hater to become expunged from society. See what happens to some critics of Israel like Finkelstein. See also what happened during the McCarthy era.

The fact that in the US legally you have almost 100 % the right to say what you want, including vicious ad hominem libel or slander, also causes the US to be one of the most litigious societies on the planet.

 
At 2:38 AM, Blogger Mad Zionist said...

Gert, your last comment was very revealing. First of all, any society tends to shun those that they publicly detest. However, for you to suggest that free speech is harmful to society defines why we as Americans expelled you the British from our land by force. We do not appreciate being told what to say or when to say it by the government, and despite our own problems keeping totalitarian liberals like yourself from stifling our freedom, we have succeeded in keeping our freedom of speech more intact than any other nation in the world.

 
At 10:33 PM, Blogger Gert said...

Madze, Madze, Madze, here you go again, all gung-ho!. All I'm pointing out is that total freedom of speech has drawbacks as well as advantages. Calling for the murder of people for instance should in my view not be tolerated. But it's always a thin line. I don't expect an absolutist like you to understand that.

In the US freedom of speech has frequently been suppressed and many still call for it today, when it suits them, naturellement (insert tongue in cheek here).

BTW, what is it (me)? "Totalitarian liberal" or "truthseeker"?

 
At 1:29 AM, Blogger Mad Zionist said...

BTW, what is it (me)? "Totalitarian liberal" or "truthseeker"?

Depends on the topic. I would guess when it comes to your craft, web presence, you are indeed a truth seeker. Politically, I'll stick with totalitarian liberal. If it's any consolation, you are a rather enjoyable totalitarian to blog with!

 
At 2:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, indeed. Both of you are as a matter of fact. And I'd place you(Gert) in the same categories as MZ.

 
At 3:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just re-read that one, and "totalitarian liberal" doesn't quite sound like Gert to me...

 
At 2:58 PM, Blogger Gert said...

"Totalitarian liberal" is a complete oxymoron anyway: the totalitarians that do exist on the left aren't liberals...

 

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