Another Knock For Free Speech?

Merlin the Magician

Merlin the Magician

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
3,556
Location
SOUTH WALES
Written by a SIKH with SIKH actors.... what’s this country coming too?

I was always told/taught you do as the Romans do when in Rome??

Aint it about time these multi national/Cultural people were doing as most people do? in this country, Abiding by the law, if it was the likes of you! Or I, We would be locked up for rioting like this, why don’t the police lock them all up then?………..


The directors of a British play depicting sexual abuse and murder in a Sikh temple reluctantly scrapped their production on Monday due to fears that violent Sikh protests against it would escalate.

The directors said they stood by the play and by the principles of free speech, but had taken their decision to avoid a repeat of riots at the theatre on Saturday night.

"Sadly it's clearly evident that the violent protesters have won," said Stuart Rogers, executive director of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

"We cannot operate this theatre in a state where people are throwing bricks through our windows."

Three officers were hurt and three men arrested on Saturday night when a peaceful protest against the play turned violent.

Police, theatre directors and members of Birmingham's Sikh community met on Monday to try to ease tensions, but Rogers said there was no guarantee the protests would not get worse.

"The theatre has two major responsibilities. Its first is its commitment to artistic freedom, but it also has a duty to its audiences, staff and performers," he told a news conference.

"Very reluctantly therefore we have decided to end the current run of the play, purely on safety grounds."

The play "Behzti" (Dishonour), by Sikh writer Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, is described as a "black comedy".

Set inside a gurdwara, or Sikh temple, protesters say it mocks the Sikh religion.
 
I watched BBC 24 hr news @ 8 am this morning and the manager of the theatre was adamant that it would go on as normal? for its booked duration........

He was soon told something different as you can see..............
 
The police are always the ones in the first line of getting duffed-over by people keen to exercise their right of free assembly and free speech to the point of violence, so I imagine the 'reluctance' was for public show. Privately, they probably thought 'thank f*ck for that'.

After all, getting battered regularly while miners displayed their wrath, Muslims laid waste to the urban landscape burning effigies of Salman Rushdie, 'animal rights' protesters regularly hurled bricks at them in the name of humanity, assorted anti-American organizations chucked red paint on them and screamed 'Fascist pig!' in their faces, and then the tweed-coated CA gave them dead animals to clear up... they must've decided enough is enough, can't we just say there's a threat to public safety, and let's get home in one piece for Christmas?

Of course, there could be a violent secular group just about to gang up on religious tokenry, and pull down Christmas trees and festive street lights... :rolleyes:
 
Ah, yes, and look what they've been reduced to! I'm surprised that rabid BACs (born-again curmudgeons) haven't set upon them during their Solstice twirlings at Stonehenge and stoned them to death for their errant ways. "Going to the stoning? Get yer pebbles..."
 
It appears that it was not the police's advice to close the play .

I am appalled by this decision - it now appears that violence can be used by any religious group to stop freedom of expression and that people will cave into it .

It is an absolute disgrace . I feel particularly strongly about this play as a close friend of mine committed suicide last year and her repressed and abusive upbringing in a Sikh family was a major cause of what led to her death .

Dropped play could find new venue

Three police officers were hurt in struggles at the theatre
The manager of a second Birmingham theatre company wants to stage a play cancelled after a violent demonstration by the Sikh community.
The city's Repertory Theatre dropped Behzti, which depicts murder and sex abuse in a temple, on safety grounds after protesters clashed with police.

Neal Foster, of the Birmingham Stage Company, said the decision to cancel the play had been made by "cowards".

He said he was now looking at staging the performance at the Old Rep Theatre.

Mr Foster said of the play, which was written by a Sikh woman: "The story cannot end here. I will be willing to produce the play in Birmingham.

"I think freedom of expression is more important than health and safety."

He told BBC Radio 4's PM: "I think it's one of the blackest days for the arts in this country that I've ever experienced.

I haven't been quite so angry and appalled at a decision by an artistic body in my whole life

Neil Foster
The Birmingham Stage Company


Head to head: Sikh protest
A 'provocative' writer
"If I'm really honest, I think the people who have made the decision... have actually been cowards."

Mr Foster said the Repertory Theatre had put health and safety above artistic expression.

"I haven't been quite so angry and appalled at a decision by an artistic body in my whole life."

'Police protection'

The Birmingham Stage Company is resident at the Old Rep, where the group has performed more than 30 plays since 1992 when the theatre reopened.

The Repertory Theatre cancelled Behzti after 400 demonstrators clashed with police outside on Saturday.


West Midlands Police said it had always been prepared to protect theatre-goers and the decision to close the play had been entirely down to the theatre.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Religious censorship is always wrong

David Patrick, Reading, UK


Birmingham's drama
Send us your comments
A spokesperson said: "Sufficient resources were on hand last night (Monday) for us to do this.

"We would not want to speculate on other theatres volunteering to stage the show.

"But emphasize we will always be prepared to protect theatre-goers and the public."

Three police officers were hurt during the clashes on Saturday.

The Rep's executive director Stuart Rogers said: "It remains a matter of great concern to us that illegal acts of violence can cause the cancellation of a lawful artistic work."

The decision to cancel the play was welcomed by Mohan Singh, from the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in south Birmingham.

He said: "Free speech can go so far. Maybe 5,000 people would have seen this play over the run.

"Are you going to upset 600,000 Sikhs in Britain and maybe 20 million outside the UK for that?"

Free speech

The government's proposals for laws to ban incitement to religious hatred had been blamed for "exacerbating" the protests.

But Fiona Mactaggart, Home Office Minister for Race Equality, said the planned law would have not had an effect on the row over the play.

"Nobody is suggesting this play (Behzti) incited racial hatred of the Sikh community."

However, she said the Home Office would look at the policing implications following the demonstration.

"Both of these groups have a right to free speech that it is right for them to be able to exercise."

Behzti, which translates as "dishonour", was written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatt, and was said to have been inoffensive to many younger Sikhs.
 
Tragically, Ardross, there are thousands of women oppressed by inherited religions from which they cannot be free, since some have declared apostasy punishable by death. When largely secular societies decide they will embrace nonjudgmental, all-inclusive ethics towards all faiths, they are also embracing those faiths' strictures. The increasing dilemma of secularists is how far they can go in attempting to restrict the religiously-sanctioned traditions of some societies (such as unwanted arranged marriages, circumcision of males and females, marriage of minors, etc.) when those traditions run counter to their own country's rules.

I'm terribly sorry for your dear friend, who, as you'll well know, was far from alone in the torment wrought upon young people, women in particular, through the conflict of an unchosen faith being imposed, often cruelly, while others enjoy much more intellectual and social latitude.
 
Are you quite sure you want to be so controversial, AC? I thought a mere bb or mm at most in this case. But there, that's what opinions are all about.

Allow me to wish that the season's grace falls upon you, dear heart, and all you hold dear. (That's Christmas, of course, not NH.)
 
Gulp!... my mistake, Dom! The aged mater has asked me at least three times if I'm working over Christmas and has taken some convincing that Lingfield is really not staging any racing between today and the 29th!
 
Lol...enjoy your (albeit short) holiday then Jon!! I've got a week, & I intend to kick the arse out of it fully! :D
 
The failure of the Government to condemn this loud and clear is despicable - then again we know they have no respect for the rule of law or freedom of speech

Scumbags
 
Back
Top