Thursday, March 18, 2010

Democracy? Not in my name...

So the EDL, protectors of English democracy that they are, have now resorted to threatening journalists who expose their members' dodgy racism. How easily the mask slips. First it's the off-the-cuff seig heil and before you know it their members are threatening freedom of speech - all in the name of protecting English people like me from who knows what. To coin a phrase - not in my name!

A number of our members have been directly targeted by EDL thugs and now they are planning an 'email avalanche' campaign against the union too - for supporting our members right to cover their demonstration and not get the shit kicked out of them for doing so. Not just racists, not just thugs, not just enemies of media freedom but anti-union too.

If you can get to Bolton on Saturday and show your contempt for these narrow-minded bigots.

Rant over.

Yesterday we co-hosted a hugely successful event at Parliament - Democracy Without Journalists - which set out some real challenges for politicians who claim they want to support local newspapers and local and regional TV news. Jonathon Warren has done an excellent job documenting it on his blog

Earlier this week I did an interview with Press Gazette for their next issue, met with the union's legal service providers Thompsons and chaired a Justice for Colombia public meeting about the mass graves uncovered in La Macarena, which I visited in December.

Have also had meetings this week about BBC cuts, the future of ITV local/regional news, recruitment campaigns and a meeting with staff reps at the NUJ about the staff pension scheme.

1 comment:

Cicero said...

All traitors get their just reward. And yours will come to you.