Why are people allowed to in cite racial hatred when little old ladies are being arrested for supporting an end to war and killing innocent chidren?

[BlueSkySunshineDay]

A keynote white, male speaker at T Robinson’s rally saying we must “end Islam” yesterday. What the actual FUCK? Why wasn’t he arrested?

Surely that freedom of thought and speech extends to saying that you don’t like/ don’t believe in a religion / ideaology.

I don’t think that Islam is the “enemy within” I do think that all the abrahamic religions reinforce the patriarchy and can be used to control and harm especially women and girls.

Yes it does extend to that. You can say Islam/Christianity/Judaism are misogynistic/stupid/harmful. You can be rude about them. It's all free speech. But saying that Islam/Christianity/Judaism shouldn't exist or shouldn't exist in this country is a big step further. I think it falls under free speech but also ironically it is using that free speech to call for restricting the free speech/free worship of others. So it's a very extreme position to take and anyone who says it on a "freedom of speech march" is a massive hypocrite at best. It's fine to look at people saying those things and call them extremists. Because they are. I wouldn't trust someone like that.

In some circumstances I think "end Islam" "end Judaism" would be incitement to violence but I'm not sure at what point it tips over for me. End the Muslims/end the Jews definitely is.

I am in two minds about whether the Abrahamic (or any) religions are bad for women and girls rights/reinforce the patriarchy. They definitely have in the past. But also there's nuance there and examples where it's provided a lifeline to women and girls (nunneries as an alternative to marriage for some women. Or the fact that Islamic rules around marriage were progressive for women for their time in some ways. Julian of Norwich is one of my favourite historical figures. And there is Saint Brigitte and her miracles. I don't want to dismiss other people's deeply held beliefs out of hand as being inherently harmful because that feels quite paternalistic. Clearly they benefit from it in some ways.

End Islam means what exactly? Getting rid of those who belong to that faith? Making it harder for them to exist? Re-education? What does it mean for the born and bred British Muslim of this country? Do we go into hiding? Do we have to identify ourselves because that is where this seems to be going. I am very much expecting that the only way brown people will be safe is by wearing religious items identifying themselves as non-Muslims. So you may as well put a target on the rest of us.

Some might think it is an ideology but it is a faith to many (including myself) and people do not just give up their beliefs because others don’t like it. I don’t push my religion on others and am anware that Islam has its faults, mainly due to the countless men who have used it for power and control. That is what men do with religion. I am tired of apologising for these idiots, but I am not going to replace one bunch of misogynistic idiots trying to tell me what my faith should look like for another.

Well said 👏

Because the uk has gone to shit in the space of about a month! We have let the US shit show infect us. It’s fueled in part by disillusioned white men that are venting their anger and hate at ‘lefties’ eg the educated. Old women supporting Gaza are easy pickings and many of the police service actually consist of those angry white men and support this right wing nonsense being spouted.

God how gross and patronising to call a woman a little old lady.