Freedom of Speech - Protesters in London Saturday
Anti-insurgent raids in Iraq have incited street protests and more than a dozen dead. A Shia mosque was allegedly the target of an intelligence led operation in an area inhabited by Muslims loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr. As US forces moved in a gun battle ensued and according to a US military statement, 16 insurgents were killed and 15 arrested. But Iraqi police say the gunmen were members of Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi army and that 17 were killed and several injured. Representatives from the ‘firebrand’ cleric insisted the US forces had entered the mosque, something the US military deny [BBC]. Whatever the exact truth of the incident, it will do little to calm an already volatile situation in a fragile peace that exists between Shi’ites and the occupying forces. Until now, most insurgent operations against coalition forces have come from Sunni groups. However, the US was involved in a long stand off with the Mehdi army in 2004. Najaf and Kufa, in the south, were both surrounded by US forces in long running battles between April and October 2004. And in Sadr city a district in north-east Baghdad, US forces were engaged in weeks of heavy fighting before a ceasefire was negotiated. In Afghanistan a convert from Islam to Christianity has had the case against him dropped. There had been much criticism from the international community over the proposed prosecution of Abdul Rahman, who under Afghanistan’s Sharia law had faced the death penalty for his ‘crime’. The reaction in the US was one of shock but also of muted diplomatic statements. “We do want a favourable resolution, but they do have a democracy and unlike the Taliban they do have a constitution to which one can appeal,” Condoleezza Rice said on CNN’s Late Edition on Sunday. But what kind of democracy? Senator Jack Reed described the situation, having spent millions to free the country only for it to return to a state of such strict intolerance, as being shocking, not only for the US, but for the whole international community. “It shocks the world” he told CNN. Abdul Rahman, 42, who said it was “for God to judge” on whether he should live or die, may be released as soon as Monday, but there is a fear he may be killed by fellow Afghans [BBC]. It was for the defence of free expression which prompted a few hundred protesters to take to the streets on Saturday. Under the banner of March for Free Expression protesters gather in Trafalgar Square to listen to speeches from several activists and promoters of human rights. Maryam Namazie, a human rights activist and broadcaster, was the first to address the crowd, followed by Dr Evan Harris, a Liberal Democrat MP. But before the main speakers one protester started his own impromptu address to the crowd. Reza Moradi, 29, an Iranian who has lived in the UK for over eight years, held aloft a placard depicting cartoons which caused controversy throughout the Islamic world. The publication of cartoons, said to insult the Prophet Mohammed, have sparked protests from Muslims around the world, and death threats to those publishing them. "It's my freedom, everyone's freedom, to expose these pictures and encourage everyone to do the same," said protester Reza Moradi. A reporter asked Mr Moradi if he was afraid of reprisals against him. His response was a swift ‘no’. But for Mr Moradi, his expression of freedom was short lived. A short time into the proceedings police led him away and he was arrested after a single complaint by a member of the public. The reaction by one of the organizers was to rally a call of support and Ms Namazie encouraged the crowd to pass around the ‘offending’ placard, proclaiming, “They can’t arrest us all”. As the speeches continued, police stood by continuing their surveillance of the assembled protesters taking photographs and making video recordings. Stark irony indeed. Little coverage or publicity was gained from the event however. Neither Sky News nor BBC 24 made any mention to the protest and only a few papers printed any reference to the story. The lack of coverage of such events was discussed in one article in the Sunday Observer. “In London yesterday, Trafalgar Square hosted a freedom of expression rally and last weekend, thousands marched towards that same spot against the war in Iraq, though you would have had to search hard in The Observer to know that” the article read. Besides large numbers, valiant causes, or interesting and well known speakers, the editor of the Sunday Observer said, “There is, unfortunately, a law of diminishing returns on demonstrations that happen annually. Although the issues are no less important, nothing was ever going to have the impact of the original Stop the War march of 2003. The arguments against the war have been strongly made and widely reported and the fact of another march - and there are many - raising the same issues has, of necessity, a lower news value.” [Washington Post / Gulf Daily News] Freedom of a different kind dominated the headlines instead. The arrival home of Norman Kember, freed by coalition soldiers in an SAS led operation in Iraq last week. Kember, who had been held hostage for 119 days, arrived at his north London home surrounded by the media circus that has become common place for such events. Sky and BBC competing throughout the day with ‘Latest’ pictures and Live broadcasts from outside Mr Kembers house. And the coverage continued Sunday with Live coverage of Mr Kember leaving his house to go to church, shortly followed by his arrival at church and then Mr Kember singing in church. All that was missing was the buzz of the BBC’s news helicopter and the Skycopter beaming aerial coverage [BBC / Sky News]
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