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| Britain |
| Cartoon protests reach UK |
| 2006-02-04 |
| LEADERS of radical British Muslim groups threatened a campaign of protest last night as demonstrations spread from Europe to the Far East. A crowd of several hundred demonstrated outside the Danish Embassy in Knightsbridge, with protesters repeatedly shouting: “UK you must pray, 7/7 is on its way.” Western leaders were hoping that Muslim protests had reached their peak after apologies from many politicians and newspapers yesterday for any offence caused by the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. However, organisers in Britain gave warning that their protests would accelerate over the weekend, with BBC offices a target for their wrath. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, condemned the decision by some media outlets in Europe to republish the cartoons, calling it “insensitive, disrespectful and wrong”. He said that freedom of speech did not mean an “open season” on religious taboos, and he praised the British media for what he called their “considerable responsibility and sensitivity” for not publishing them. A radical Islamic cleric who lived in London until he was banned from Britain called for the killing of broadcasters and newspaper editors who showed insulting cartoons of Muhammad. Omar Bakri Mohammed issued his instructions in a religious fatwa from his hideout in Lebanon. He said that the first to be murdered should be the editor of the Danish newspaper that first published the drawings. His followers in Britain who helped to organise yesterday’s rowdy demonstration in London supported his demands as they called for more terror attacks to emulate the July 7 suicide bombers. However, the number of protesters was fewer than organisers expected and there were no other significant protests in the capital. Police refused to act on complaints from passers-by to order the demonstrators to take down banners praising the British-born terror bombers as the “Fantastic Four”, saying that their job yesterday was to ensure that the protest by 500 Muslims passed off peacefully. Security officials across Europe are concerned that some Islamic militant may act on such a fatwa and attack any one of the 27 editors from 13 European countries who have shown the offending material. The Irish Daily Star in Dublin was the latest to publish the drawings yesterday. While Mr Straw criticised such behaviour, French ministers supported the right of editors to reproduce the images in a debate over free speech. In demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza yesterday a preacher told 9,000 worshippers at one mosque: “We will not accept less than severing the heads of those responsible.” But as thousands converged on the Palestinian parliament building, Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman, told the crowd that, whatever their anger, they should not disgrace their religion. Most of the demonstrations in the Islamic world passed off largely peacefully. Demonstrators in Indonesiabesieged the Danish Embassy and pelted it with paint and eggs. There were protests in Sudan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan where 800 people converged on the Danish mission in Islamabad. The Pakistan Government called for economic and political sanctions against offending countries. The US State Department called for European media to act more responsibly and not to offend Muslims. Kurtis Cooper, a department spokesman, said “We all respect freedom of the press but . . . inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable.” No main US publication has published the images as politicians in Washington seek to repair their reputation in the Islamic world by criticising Western governments that back the showing of the cartoons. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #17 |
| Posted by: .com 2006-02-04 18:20 |
| #16 what he said |
| Posted by: Thens Glineck8416 2006-02-04 18:19 |
| #15 Fuck em |
| Posted by: Ding Dangalang 2006-02-04 14:56 |
| #14 Cartoon protests reach UK Like a tsunami of sh*t, Cartoon Madness slams against the shores of Old Blighty. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-02-04 14:53 |
| #13 gotta keep that Soddy pension account open... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-02-04 14:42 |
| #12 State Dept. comments were fence straddling, not a full apology / criticsm of the cartoons. But in any case, given the French foreign minister's harsh words about the protests, and given recent coordintion between DC and Paris, this might be a good cop - bad cop routine. Or it might be the usual from State. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-02-04 13:57 |
| #11 Surrender now to Sharia or you die! A little pushy wouldn't you say? Even with the lilly section of the UK. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-02-04 13:25 |
| #10 " . . . as politicians in Washington seek to repair their reputation in the Islamic world by criticising Western governments that back the showing of the cartoons." They were really stupd, ineffectual cartoons anyway. Can't believe the admin is cowtowing. In some ways not surprising, though. The whole thing on tort reform is an attack on the jury system. What's next? |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2006-02-04 13:18 |
| #9 disappointing to see the french and danes show more spine than the US and UK: Jack Straw grovelled to the Muslims as has the US State Department, supporting religious nuts over freedom of speech. really sad. even french ministers came out in defence of the right of editors to print the cartoons which weren't offensive. |
| Posted by: anon1 2006-02-04 12:53 |
| #8 Found this on Belmont's fallback page and thought it quite intriguing: "...For America an open antipathy between the West and Islam would destroy its carefully crafted attempt to ally itself with the Muslim street. It would place Washington in the intolerable position of having to choose between its old European allies and its newfound friends in the Middle East and Central Asia. For Europe the consequences would be no less disastrous because in following the policy of Appeasement its leaders have risked falling so far behind their publics that they now find themselves unable to steer the course of popular events..." |
| Posted by: Jules 2006-02-04 12:41 |
| #7 Jack Straw, apologist extraordinaire, is rumoured to wish to quit within the next couple of months (at the next reshuffle). Good riddance. |
| Posted by: Jake-the-Peg 2006-02-04 12:39 |
| #6 with BBC offices a target for their wrath. *snicker* so much for their appeasing ways. If you don't stand up, they make you bow down. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-02-04 12:13 |
| #5 I will repeat a modest request found in these pages. Each day, the MSM should publish a choice cartoon from the pages of the Arab media. |
| Posted by: Perfessor 2006-02-04 10:15 |
| #4 should have had the RAF put a few cluster bombs on that cluster fck crowd of wannabe Jihadis. Some lovely signs on display during the protest too such as 'Behead the non beleivers' and 'Kill those who mock Alan' . I want to hire a small plane with one of those big banners hanging off the back of it that says 'The Prophet Muhammad Was A Peodophile' and fly all over the UK especially London dropping cartoon leaflets of anti Alan cartoons. |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2006-02-04 06:10 |
| #3 There is so much irony in the cartoon protest. The eye rolling, the threats of "Dire Revenge(TM)", the chest beating, all the typical Lions of Islam crap being done worldwide. The Muslim response is itself a cartoon. Its as if someone cast this as a bad stereotype play, a caricature of their society. But no, they are doing it themselves. And then they expect the western world to take them seriously. I have to laugh. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2006-02-04 03:25 |
| #2 YJCMTSU |
| Posted by: Flimble Jitle8716 2006-02-04 02:24 |
| #1 Dear US State Department Kindly STFU and keep your nose out of our media. Best regards Wholuse Javise5389 |
| Posted by: Wholuse Javise5389 2006-02-04 01:08 |