“The Online Harms White Paper”, “Harm Classification System’ and the Cowardly Complicity of Henry Jackson Society

This is not some fiction out of Atlas Shrugged or 1984. It’s worse. It’s real.

Online Harms White Paper – GOV.UK

UK Think Tank Recommends Silencing Foes of Jihad Terror

By Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer PJM, January 22, 2020

Mohammed Allakkoud, 18, with Mohammed Alfrouh, 20, who along with Omar Badreddin, 18, are accused at Newcastle Crown Court of assaulting two schoolgirls in Leazes Park, Newcastle. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire URN:28772080 via AP)

What to do when confronted with bad news? Kill the messenger, of course. The report broke last Friday that in Britain, Muslim rape gangs were “ignored by police for fear of stoking racial tensions.” One police inspector explained: “With it being Asians, we can’t afford for this to come out.” “Asian” is British media code for “Muslim”; for years, those who called attention to this rape gang activity were vilified as “far-right extremists.” So now that it has come out that the “far-right extremists” were unfairly derided and were, in fact, right all along, an even newer report has called for the forcible silencing of those tarred with this label.

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The UK’s Independent reported Monday that the new report from the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), which in the past enjoyed an unearned reputation as a conservative group, claims that “ministers’ failure to ban far-right extremist groups is undermining the fight against online propaganda.” The report charges that “posts by non-proscribed groups may not be properly monitored or taken down by social media companies.”

Nikita Malik, director of the HJS’s Centre on Radicalisation and Terrorism, complains about “the lack of far-right groups subject to proscription in the UK, when compared to Islamist groups,” and says that “the government will need to keep this situation under review in a fast-moving online world, where offending causes real and significant harm.”

There are several problems with this. First is that it continues the left’s practice of equating words with deeds, while discounting actual violence from hard-left groups such as Antifa. In reality, whatever “real and significant harm” results from “offending” online, none of it could possibly be as “real and significant” as actual wounds inflicted by genuine thugs, and the preponderance of those in the political realm are on the left these days.

“The report, which was commissioned by Facebook, proposed a ‘harm classification system’ to improve consistency across different kinds of extremism.” How will this “real and significant harm” be classified? Lowest level is feeling annoyed, highest level is being moved to tears? And what if someone lashes out online at the perpetrator of the online harm – is the “harm” negated? It’s ridiculous.

The second problem with the HJS analysis is that it continues the practice of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the U.S., of tarring with the “far-right extremist” label people who are not neo-Nazis or Klansmen, and whose only crime is to oppose jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women, gays, and others. The report, says the Independent, “also named extremists, such as anti-Islam figures Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, who had been prevented from entering Britain because of extremist concerns but are allowed to remain on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.”

What makes us “extremists”? The Independent doesn’t bother to explain; after all these years of defamation, it takes the label for granted. In reality, all our work has been in defense of the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, the equality of rights of all people before the law, and individual rights. We have never advocated, called for, or condoned any violence. What makes us “far-right extremists” in the eyes of the HJS and the Independent is the fact that years ago, leftist and Islamic supremacist groups began to tar anyone and everyone who dared to speak about the motivating ideology behind jihad terror with that label, and their campaign, in this careless and credulous age, has been remarkably successful.

But even if you hate our work, you should see this HJS report as ominous. Even the HJS itself should see it that way, as they have been called “far-right” themselves more than once. The HJS of all organizations should realize the danger of smearing individuals and groups with this label and then forcibly silencing them on the basis of those labels, with no recourse, no appeal, no way to mount a case in their own defense.

That is the way totalitarian states, not free societies, behave. Nevertheless, it looks as if the British government is going to go with the HJS report. A government spokesperson said: “The Online Harms White Paper detailed our intention to establish in law a new duty of care on companies, overseen by an independent regulator.”

Who will be this independent regulator? The Muslim Council of Britain? Whoever it is, its judgments will be entirely subjective, reflecting its own biases and prejudices and limiting the freedom of speech accordingly.

If the British government does indeed adopt its recommendations, the HJS report will be one more step on Britain’s way to cutting its own throat and becoming the kind of totalitarian state it fought against so valiantly in World War II. The Orwellian language of this from the Independent is ominous: “The report comes after the Commission for Countering Extremism called for the government to adopt a proposed definition of ‘hateful extremism’ in order to standardise efforts across different ideologies while protecting freedom of speech.”

Protecting the freedom of speech while destroying it. One would think the British would have learned their lesson from the free hand given to the Muslim rape gangs, and not dare to silence any more voices that are speaking unpopular and unwelcome truths. But from the looks of the HJS report, no such luck.

_____

Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), publisher of The Geller Report and author of the bestselling book, FATWA: Hunted in America. Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 19 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. 

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Poppey

4 years ago

No media outlet in UK , print or other would report on Tommy Robinson’s Panodrama documentary when they had the chance last year and his voice is blocked from all media except telegraph. We lost Pat Condell as well, Britain First, black pigeon speaks and Paul Michael Watson too, all of them blocked and censored, so what are our options ?

What happened to those two black Trump supporting sisters, where are they now ?

This conspiracy of enforced silence by the deep state is all powerful because whatever you do to conform to other peoples sensitivities is never enough. The dividend for the state and MSM is this, a largely mute and ignorant society which believes it’s “waycist” to say BOO to a goose.

Self censorship.

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ladywarrior

4 years ago

Reply to  Poppey

Diamond and Silk….you’re right…haven’t seen them on Dobbs lately…probably covered over because of the impeachment crapola….

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Owen_Morgan

4 years ago

There are hardly any far-right groups in the United Kingdom. Every now and again, a new disorganisation spills a few dozen airheads on to the streets somewhere, usually equipped with English flags, which are a lot less complicated to get right than British ones. The establishment reacts in feigned horror. The individuals vary from stupid and thuggish to stupid and harmless, but, taken together, amount to nothing.

Precisely because the “far-right” is so eternally toothless in Britain, the Left has to follow its American counterparts and spray the epithet around as widely as possible. Brexit and the recent General Election have demonstrated this very well. Any vocal supporter of Brexit in 2016, or of the Conservatives in 2019, is consigned to far-right extremism by the Left today. More people in the UK voted for Brexit than ever voted for anything else here, so that’s a pretty lop-sided definition of “extreme.”

I am willing to bet that the tiny number of self-described “far-right” groups have little if anything to do with the new anti-Semitism in the UK. Attacks on Jews in person, vandalism of synagogues and destruction of Jewish graveyards are just about always committed by muslims. Yet the Left-supporting establishment, complicit in the anti-Semitism, weasels about the true culprits and schizophrenically tries to apply the blame either on mainstream political movements, or on infinitesimally tiny, flash-in-the-pan rabbles.

This is the way things will be, from now on. If you don’t agree with the Left, the Left will try to scare you into silence, until the Left gets the chance to stifle your voice for good.

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Porter G. Stone

4 years ago

In many countries big numbers of the citizens consist of weak, cowardish, freaked out opportunists who are tolerating the leftists, the democrats, the muslims.
Which will lead to nothing but civil war in their countries.

Thanks God USA have the 2nd Amendment, which teaches the citizens to be responsable and to stay tenable by their own weapons against inside and outside enemies.
At the very end nothing but that would stop Democrats to take over the power.

The USA governments need to be trusted by their citizens.
But Democrats governments – due to their ruthless craving for power and richness – fear the citizens.
Without exception all US Democrats governors try to silence citizens and disarm them.
And – look at that miserable government of Virginia, even ready to let kill the most innocent and vulnerable babies at 9th month of pregnancy!

Let’s pray that those most dangerous Democrat polititians and bureaucrats, these sleazebags, liars, hypocrats and criminals get wiped away by the election in November.

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mark

4 years ago

”
Nikita Malik, director of the HJS’s Centre on Radicalisation and Terrorism^= one of satans muslims, enough said!

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John Acord

4 years ago

Just another attempt by Conservative, Inc to silence those who actually defend Western Civilization. It will fail just as others have. After January 31, it will be time for MUSXIT, and that will be supported by an overwhelming vote. Boris either implements it or there will be a new “Lord Protector” who will.

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