With regard to Kneecap, Bob Vylan, and Palestine Action, the UK government is acting in a manner both repressive and foolish.
I dislike everything about Kneecap, from their taking their name from a punitive torture used in Northern Ireland to their waving the flag of a Lebanese sectarian militia and their poorly thought out comments on Gaza.
Nevertheless, government attempts to prohibit their expression of opinion is wrong. I understand that there are complex arguments to be had about incitement and free speech, but the UK is surely getting it wrong in these cases, where its difficult to justify in any but authoritarian terms the repression of political discourse like that of Kneecap, no matter how offensive that discourse might be to many.
The repression is also foolish on the government's part. If we accept that Kneecap's advocacy on behalf of Hezbollah is odious, the last thing we want to do is draw still more attention to that advocacy in a futile attempt to silence its expression. Have those responsible for taking legal action against Kneecap never heard of the Streisand Effect?
That effect was probably at work with Bob Vylan, whose odious antisemitism almost certainly received a publicity boost because of the attempt to throttle Kneecap.
As I mentioned above, much more can be said about the regulation of speech, but as an immediate rule of thumb we probably shouldn't police pop musicians publicizing their views on international affairs.
I disagree strongly with Palestine Action's views on Israel/Palestine, and think that they should be prosecuted and punished for criminal damage.* But designating them as a terrorist group and arresting some dotty old C of E minister for holding up a placard supporting them? That's police state style authoritarianism and also counterproductive in a manner similar to that of the crackdown on Kneecap
This repressive strategy also makes it more difficult to know who believes what. Don't silence people! I want to know if pop stars or priests espouse hateful or stupid opinions!
*I've read that there is possible linkage or coordination between attacks on military facilities and armament manufacturers by "antizionists" in the UK and Belgium and the ongoing Russian campaign of sabotage against western arms supplies to Ukraine. I don't know how well grounded these claims are.
#UKPolitics #UKLaw #Kneecap #BobVylan #PalestineAction #FreedomOfSpeech #FreedomOfAssociation
Karel 'Clock' K.
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