Stop the Islamisation of Norway and Europe: Demonstration In Oslo
Stop the Islamisation of Norway and Europe: Demonstration In Oslo
Category: EDL News Published on Monday, 17 December 2012 00:21 Written by Pyrus Hits: 1461
This Saturday, December 15th, the Norwegian Defence League (NDL) joined forces with Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) for a demonstration in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
Our very own Steve Simmons was on hand to deliver a speech and to meet with representatives of the NDL, SIOE and a number of other European Defence Leagues. He, of course, did his bit to further publicise the continued detention of EDL Leader Tommy Robinson and repeated Tommy’s words: “Islam has a choice, either integrate or disintegrate!”
As we all know, Norway is just one of many European countries that have their own problems with Islamic extremism. Few would doubt that Islamic extremism continues to the biggest threat that Norway faces, but there are still many Norwegian politicians and journalists who, like their equivalents in the UK, rush to condemn anyone who criticises their continued failure to confront this extremism.
Determining how best to defeat Islamic extremism is certainly not an easy task, but marginalising critics or arrogantly ignoring the well-founded concerns of ordinary people can have tragic consequences. No one can truly be held accountable for the depraved acts of the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, except of course the man himself. But aside from revealing his desperate need to justify his lust for violence, his rambling manifesto also reflected the growing divides in Norwegian and other European societies.
As our good friend Robert Lambert said in an article earlier this year, “it would be wrong not to recognise the part that far-Left organisations have played in fomenting violence in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.” Their principle tool, and one which has been gleefully adopted by many in the political mainstream, has been to characterise opponents as bigots, fascists or racists. The growing reliance on these dishonest terms is leading to a world in which diversity of opinion is no longer considered an achievement of modern democracy, but a reason to misrepresent and demonise those views conflict with your own; ironically, the typical modus operandi of genuine fascism.
Robert also reminded us of the danger of people falling for “unthinking clichés that the far-Left have become so adept such as exploiting, such as the need to combat ‘intolerance’.” The only intolerance that we should be really concerned about is the intolerance preached in mosques across the Continent - intolerance that has time and time again proven to be capable of inspiring horrific acts of terrorism.
It is Islamic intolerance and Islamic extremism that ought to be on the agenda, and yet there are still many in the world of politics and the media who stubbornly refuse to talk about these issues with any kind of sincerity.
Both far-Left and Islamic extremists rely on efforts to demonise and dehumanise their opponents. But what is truly despicable is how mainstream politicians and influential newspapers and broadcasters consistently fail to combat this misrepresentation.
Whilst it is certainly true that far-Right organisations have also been guilty of similar forms of incitement, they have been far less successful. One of the reasons for this is the existence of organisations like the NDL and EDL - organisations that, despite constant provocation, remain committed to peaceful protest and to protecting the rights and freedoms of all.
In fact, we are working to ensure that we remain at the forefront of efforts to defeat far-Right extremism. To support this goal, European Defence Leagues are asked to sign up to our Memorandum of Understanding, which makes clear what it is we stand for.
“We are anti-extremist, anti-fascist, and anti-racist… And we believe in the democratic traditions that best protect both our rights and freedoms.”
Clearly, it is Islam that is most need of reform, but if we cannot practice what we preach - if we cannot do our bit to defeat political extremism - then what hope is there for those who believe that Islam can be reformed, that it can adapt to the modern world and live in peace with its neighbours?
That’s why it’s important that peaceful demonstrations like this to continue to take place. They prove the critics wrong and they can make a real difference to the continued struggle against all forms of extremism.
Category: EDL News Published on Monday, 17 December 2012 00:21 Written by Pyrus Hits: 1461
This Saturday, December 15th, the Norwegian Defence League (NDL) joined forces with Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) for a demonstration in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
Our very own Steve Simmons was on hand to deliver a speech and to meet with representatives of the NDL, SIOE and a number of other European Defence Leagues. He, of course, did his bit to further publicise the continued detention of EDL Leader Tommy Robinson and repeated Tommy’s words: “Islam has a choice, either integrate or disintegrate!”
As we all know, Norway is just one of many European countries that have their own problems with Islamic extremism. Few would doubt that Islamic extremism continues to the biggest threat that Norway faces, but there are still many Norwegian politicians and journalists who, like their equivalents in the UK, rush to condemn anyone who criticises their continued failure to confront this extremism.
Determining how best to defeat Islamic extremism is certainly not an easy task, but marginalising critics or arrogantly ignoring the well-founded concerns of ordinary people can have tragic consequences. No one can truly be held accountable for the depraved acts of the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, except of course the man himself. But aside from revealing his desperate need to justify his lust for violence, his rambling manifesto also reflected the growing divides in Norwegian and other European societies.
As our good friend Robert Lambert said in an article earlier this year, “it would be wrong not to recognise the part that far-Left organisations have played in fomenting violence in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.” Their principle tool, and one which has been gleefully adopted by many in the political mainstream, has been to characterise opponents as bigots, fascists or racists. The growing reliance on these dishonest terms is leading to a world in which diversity of opinion is no longer considered an achievement of modern democracy, but a reason to misrepresent and demonise those views conflict with your own; ironically, the typical modus operandi of genuine fascism.
Robert also reminded us of the danger of people falling for “unthinking clichés that the far-Left have become so adept such as exploiting, such as the need to combat ‘intolerance’.” The only intolerance that we should be really concerned about is the intolerance preached in mosques across the Continent - intolerance that has time and time again proven to be capable of inspiring horrific acts of terrorism.
It is Islamic intolerance and Islamic extremism that ought to be on the agenda, and yet there are still many in the world of politics and the media who stubbornly refuse to talk about these issues with any kind of sincerity.
Both far-Left and Islamic extremists rely on efforts to demonise and dehumanise their opponents. But what is truly despicable is how mainstream politicians and influential newspapers and broadcasters consistently fail to combat this misrepresentation.
Whilst it is certainly true that far-Right organisations have also been guilty of similar forms of incitement, they have been far less successful. One of the reasons for this is the existence of organisations like the NDL and EDL - organisations that, despite constant provocation, remain committed to peaceful protest and to protecting the rights and freedoms of all.
In fact, we are working to ensure that we remain at the forefront of efforts to defeat far-Right extremism. To support this goal, European Defence Leagues are asked to sign up to our Memorandum of Understanding, which makes clear what it is we stand for.
“We are anti-extremist, anti-fascist, and anti-racist… And we believe in the democratic traditions that best protect both our rights and freedoms.”
Clearly, it is Islam that is most need of reform, but if we cannot practice what we preach - if we cannot do our bit to defeat political extremism - then what hope is there for those who believe that Islam can be reformed, that it can adapt to the modern world and live in peace with its neighbours?
That’s why it’s important that peaceful demonstrations like this to continue to take place. They prove the critics wrong and they can make a real difference to the continued struggle against all forms of extremism.