This is a Google Ad being run on right of centre websites and blogs by the Metropolitan Police. I wonder if they are also running ones headed LEFT WING EXTREMIST... or perhaps MUSLIM ETREMIST ... or perhaps COMMUNIST SYYMPATHISER? I doubt it, because the left would be up in arms. However, it is somehow acceptable to go after people who can be dubbed 'Right Wing Extremist'. Some on the left would no doubt be quite happy to put me into this category.
Click on the link and you go to THIS page which concerns itself almost exclusively with anti terrorism measures. So why use the term "Right Wing"? Probably because it will get onto a lot of sites that way, and the media consistently use the term "right wing" or "conservative" to describe terror movements, even when they have nothing at all in common with conservatism whatsoever.
It is no crime to hold extremist views, whether on the left or right. It only becomes a crime when you break the law. These ads are McCarthyite in tone and have no place in a democratic society. They should be withdrawn immediately.
Hattip: Ianvisits
42 comments:
Why does the UK have such problems calling a 'Terrorist' a 'Terrorist'?.
From my understanding of the English language it is perfectly acceptable to describe someone who carries out an attack designed to maim, kill or panic innocent people as a 'Terrorist', why do your politicians/BBC carry out so many verbal somersaults to not use the word terrorist?.
I was watching a report from a Mr Bowen on the BBC, his observation on the Israeli government was as close as I have heard a British reporter come to accusing the Israelis of terrorist actions, is it allowed for reporters of a public broadcaster to be so biased?.
Sorry for so many questions, however, I am truly amazed at the biased reporting of your national broadcaster.
J Van Engelshoven, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Welcome to Broon's Britain - expect to see more of this I'm afraid. We've had 11 years of civil liberties withdrawn and the next step as history has shown us time and time again is the quiet silencing of the extremes of life, politics and everything else that's not in the absolute anodyne mainstream; extremism of any colour can be unpleasant, but it's part of our culture that some areas of of our democracy are going to be extreme in nature by their very nature...
I agree the advert should either be revised or removed, to single out one seems odd, although not at all unusual...
What is a right wing extremist these days? Let the banks fold, control immigration, get coppers of their fat arses preventing crime, make prison terms adequate, demolish much of local government, support the armed forces, reduce benefit or apply a community service element to it, end the BBC?
If it's kill people or start illegal wars then I could shop a few people.
I guess coppers have loads of work to avoid so some more won't make any difference.
The wording brings up all sorts of speculation about Nick Griffin for me...
Mr Sanderson. the BBC, since the strange death of Dr Kelly, has been a government broadcaster.
For some reason this situation has the tacit support of the Conservative party. For whom, it would be a relatively easy exercise, to bring it back in line.If they were at all concerned about it.
Yes, Indeed why not vile Socialist workers or indeed Anti-Nazi party louts?
Nick Clegg has been very lucky over the Xmas period – the BBC lost an absolutely dreadful interview in which he made more gaffes! As the production crew felt bad for such a dreadful performance, they accidentally pressed erase and one of the hapless Clegg’s team contributed some thoughts to the BBC to provide ‘balance’ as reported in the press.
Funny as the BBC do not need to provide balance on a programme by programme basis but the programs as a whole! That’s what they say when you complain about pro-Labour bias anyway! Clegg has been rumbled he has made another eye-watering bad gaffe!
If, by embedding this in a post and encouraging people to investigate further, do you get the AdSense clickthrough money?
Dunno if it works that way but it'd be rather ironic.
Sadly I don't think it does!
@ joseph.sanderson
Perhaps it is because we tend to assume people's innocence until proved otherwise in a court of law that we choose not to call people 'terrorists' until after conviction. Quaint, isn't it?
As to Mr Bowen - maybe you should protest to the BBC.
Anybody upset about this from the Met Police Farce should visit the Independent Policy Complaints Commission. If enough people complain they won't be able to claim it's some lone nutter and ignore it.
Suppose they can't call them Islamic Extremists for that would be disgracefully accurate.
If you're right wing and extreme (e.g. compared with Communists or people who want to nationalise the banks) you can also shop yourself. It's free. Ring 0800-789321.
By the way, if you type Muslim extremist into Google, you do get the same ad. However, apparently being extremely left wing is fine. (Stalin or Che Guevara might have killed millions, but that's ok because they're on Gordon's side.)
According to the Irish Independent Huge areas of Britain have become foreign colonies. That could be tomorrow's Ireland, too. Is that an extreme statement? To what extent is it true? As the truth is no defence, presumably the Metropolitan Police will arrest the author, Kevin Myers, when he next sets foot in London.
I don't think we have a particular problem in this country with right wing terrorism.
But as for Muslim - and that is racially asian - terrorists we do have a problem.
Say it as it is no matter how it 'sounds' to the culturally sensitive ears of the liberals I say.
Muslim terrorists are right wing.
What a joke! I have written a FOI request to the Metropolitan Police online.
The country gets ever closer to a Stalinist state by the day. This really is straight out of the book of bolshevik propaganda. All they need to add now is "right wing extremists and the Zionist enemy" to complete their Stalinist credentials.
Dunno if all is as it seems...
The text header could be a keyword triggered one.
Google AdSense ads themselves are keyword triggered - and not always useful, for example ads for knives on articles about stabbings. Most newspapers shy away from them for these reasons.
But I do agree with your last paragraph, wont be long til they've got social work departments asking if they've seen people smoking near a child.
Iain I need your advice.
I voted Conservative in the 80's and 90's and still think was is termed Thatcherism was and is correct.
As a result I have been called a "right wing extermist" many times.
I am afraid Met Police mean me.
Should I report myself up to the AC Quick's team?
Michael Heaver - [4.37]
"The wording brings up all sorts of speculation about Nick Griffin for me..."
That's why it's been started - the BNP might just conceivably pick-up its first Parliamentary seat in the next GE (Dagenham East or Bradford anyone?). That could prove to be a catalyst for the anti-Cameron Conservative right and angry former Labour voters to take a punt on the Tories again. That cannot be allowed to happen - hence it's 'Facists Under The Bed' time.
Sorry Nick, they really are coming for you this time...
FB
Iain,
You support the slaughter of civilians of democratically elected governments in Gaza
(quote: I support Israel 100%)
I've reported you to the Met.
Seriously. Avoid the Tube.
Jesus, Old Holborn, steady on. That was quite funny.
Jimmy said...
Muslim terrorists are right wing.
And Hitler was a socialist.
I'm surprised any of us are still surprised by the People's Police.
If you google "muslim extremist" or "islamic extremist" you get a matching MPS ad, but not if you search left wing extremist or communist extremist. Thought police?
Perhaps they're referring to the left-wing "far right" BNP? Convincing the great unwashed that the BNP is right wing is one of the great coups of the left wing establishment.
It can't be the BNP they're after - they have their names and addresses already.
Many centrists think libertarians "right" and "extreme" so I guess mine is sleeping on the top of the bed.
I notice that the Met Police link leads to a form where one can leave, in confidence, 'anti-terrorist information' (generically, regardless of alleged position on the political spectrum). So I suggest we all use it to report Galloway, Benn, Sayle, Lennox and co. for supporting Hamas in the London march at the weekend.
Red Hand Defenders?
When they're not too busy shooting electricians or beating mentally ill people to death, I suppose they have to find something to do.
http://therantingkingpenguin.blogspot.com/2009/01/getting-away-with-murder-again.html
The Penguin
They are (mostly) right wing these days is all. Nationalist, separatist, racist, religionist, reactionary, ruthless, "freedom fighters", general population as pawns, world domination etc etc etc.
They are mostly right wing and anti-progressive these days.
Confusion from "Joseph.sanderson" also calling themself J Van Engelshoven.
Is this irony? i.e. Bowen should have the guts to have called State of Israel "terrorist" as they are "someone who carries out an attack designed to maim, kill or panic innocent people" or is it Hamas who are also "someone who carries out an attack designed to maim, kill or panic innocent people" though unlike Israel mostly the latter as their "missiles" are so very very shit.
Whereas the SoI have state of the art missiles that are damned good ar maiming, killing and panicking innocent people? Is that the inference JS? Or JVE?
Just asking.
Joseph Sanderson/Van Engelshoven
Dimwit. You miss the point. It is "Right Wing" in the ad that is the problem, not "terrorist".
And I used to think the Dutch (or ...) were smart...
Reads like something out of Russia or Germany in the 1930s.
UK really has some severe problems, this gov't is apparently quite comfortable with increasingly dictatorial behaviour over what is "correct" etc.
Still, it's Labour so what do you expect ?
The extreme group of Islam the Wahabi's are conservative Muslim's that is just one reason for why terrorists are known as "Right Wing"
The whole point of being right wing is that you think the government should shove off and let you live how you want to. That is in no way similar to the position of the Wahabis, and anyone who thinks it is has obviously fallen for the lefty establishment's attempts to misdefine what it eans to be right wing.
It might not be a crime to hold extremist views, Iain, but it's almost always unreasonable and unattractive.
Sarah Palin is a right wing extremist. So is Liam Fox. So is Sayeeda Warsi. So many more... so deeply uncool.
Sarah Palin is a right wing extremist.
In any real world she's pretty normal actually. Of course those wearing pink tinted glasses and/or living in overcrowded cities see things differently.
Yeah, Sarah Palin is pretty 'normal'. hahaha. Sarah Palin is actually a very divisive and scary politician...
Glad she's back in Alaska - where hopefully she will stay forever.
:)
That's pretty unnerving. Yeah, I'd agree that an ad that does deserve complaints.
As an American, I can only wonder how long it will be before we follow suit. The Council on Foreign Relations website has plenty bad to say about "right-wing militant extremists" already.
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