BNP Racist Christmas party/fundraiser cancelled

[Sean]

Community centre bans BNP after Golliwog row
The venue set to host the British National Party's controversial Christmas party tonight has pulled the plug on it after a host of complaints.
The Ore Community Centre in London Road had been hired by the party to stage its festive fundraiser at a cost of £10 an hour.

However, the BNP sparked widespread outrage after announcing it would be selling Golliwog dolls at the event alongside St George crosses, Union Jacks and BNP regalia.Full article. (http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/news/Community-centre-bans-BNP-after.4772424.jp)


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_01/dollLDPE1503_228x313.jpg

A golliwog doll for anyone unfamiliar with them. The event was due to be picketed anyways. Good on whoever applied the pressure to this venue, they've been hosting them since 2001 appearantly.

[nuisance]

I have one of those dolls and many shops sell them.
However it's good to see the BNP turned away from another place.
:D

[Sean]

I have one of those dolls and many shops sell them.
However it's good to see the BNP turned away from another place.
:D
Yeah golliwogs are a bizarre thing and I know they have nonracist collectors. This is obviously the BNP's angle yet again, their schoolboy attempts to get a racist message across while pleading innocent. It adds up though; perhaps the venue were just looking for an excuse this year after a spate of bad publicity concerning the ****s.

[wigsa]

Blatantly obvious that the dolls have a racist agenda,it pisses me off that the law doesn't intervene with such a clear promotion of racist politics.

[cop an Attitude]

it reminds me of a Zwarte Piet from Sinterklaas. I have never really seen any of these black mockery dolls in the US before. Its so odd, even if you where racists why would you buy that, give it to your kid?

[Revy]

I've never seen that in the U.S. they were popular in the past though but definitely not today. It's the old "blackface" depiction of black people. Yes, it is very offensive and racist.

[DirectAction]

I've never seen that in the U.S. they were popular in the past though but definitely not today. It's the old "blackface" depiction of black people. Yes, it is very offensive and racist.
Spike Lee did a film call Bamboozled, which covers alot of the memorabillia and the political era, albeit with a modern slant.

[Red October]

I've never seen that in the U.S. they were popular in the past though but definitely not today. It's the old "blackface" depiction of black people. Yes, it is very offensive and racist.

A family member of mine brought back a few from New Orleans this year, so they're still around. She had no idea what it was or it's racist connotations though.

[Sean]

A family member of mine brought back a few from New Orleans this year, so they're still around. She had no idea what it was or it's racist connotations though.
The problem is that the toys are synonymous with wicked black people used in childrens books. Enid Blyton's noddy for example:


http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/355/noddy9hp.gif
Golliwogs carjacking Noddy. Srsly.


The thing about golliwogs, and any further expansion would probably merit a seperate thread in Discrimination, is that despite only being a children's toy charicature of minstrels, the term was then used as a racial slur against real black people. While the toys themselves in my opinion are quite cute, there is simply too much racism attached to them. What the BNP hoped to do by selling golliwog related merchandise through excalibur was (along with making a few quid from the skinheads) to get a whole "political correctness gone mad" feeling started. After all, the dolls themselves are harmless arent they?


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/29/article-1050671-0274842900000578-281_468x398.jpg

These binmen in August sparked the controversy that the BNP wishes to seize upon. They were driving around the streets of Reading with a 2.5ft golliwog strapped to the front of their truck and it offended residents. Golliwogs are cute dolls, but they have been used in so many works as a portrayal of the ugly, dumb, theiving black man to the point that the dolls mean nothing else other than a very negative effagy of a race of people. Many people collect them innocently, yes, but like many things, they have been ruined by idiots. I certainly don't think they should be blotted out of existence though, they are a curiousity, but by no means should they be displayed publicly in the UK or Ireland given the history of them and contraversy in the 1960s.

[Sankofa]

Spike Lee did a film call Bamboozled, which covers alot of the memorabillia and the political era, albeit with a modern slant.

This is actually a great movie. For anyone trying to understand what the "big deal" is about black face, the history behind it and why it is such an insult, you should watch this film.

It's not deadly serious, actually in some parts it's down right hilarious, but the message it puts across, and the ending , leaves you speechless; Really makes you think.

[Killfacer]

Selling Golliwogs is stupid by even the BNP's standard. What the fuck were they playing at?

[Holden Caulfield]

Selling Golliwogs is stupid by even the BNP's standard. What the fuck were they playing at?

trying to promote rascism in a sly way, and now i presume they will be taking the line of "the left-wing Labour PC brigade wont let us sell these innocent traditional childrens toys"

[Melbourne Lefty]

Blatantly obvious that the dolls have a racist agenda,it pisses me off that the law doesn't intervene with such a clear promotion of racist politics.


um...

Should the state ban childrens toys for political reasons? :confused:


trying to promote rascism in a sly way, and now i presume they will be taking the line of "the left-wing Labour PC brigade wont let us sell these innocent traditional childrens toys"


yup, thats what they are saying.


Selling Golliwogs is stupid by even the BNP's standard. What the fuck were they playing at?


Because the state comes out and makes a fuss about them, which keeps the BNP in the papers. And since an awful lot of people see them as being harmless it makes the BNP look like the victims of state oppression.

Everytime the government bans something in relation to the BNP, people who dislike the government become more sympathetic to what they see as a fellow victim.

Its very smart politics, just a shame for them [and good for the rest of us] that more media outlets have yet to attack them for selling the dolls.

[Holden Caulfield]

Should the state ban childrens toys for political reasons?
i dont believe it was the state, and they are allowed to be sold when not being sold by a White Nationalist party infamous for rascism, should they be allowed to have Fagin & Shylock puppets as well with big nosey and greedy fingers? but anyways how about this..

Golliwogs are cute dolls, but they have been used in so many works as a portrayal of the ugly, dumb, theiving black man to the point that the dolls mean nothing else other than a very negative effagy of a race of people. Many people collect them innocently, yes, but like many things, they have been ruined by idiots. I certainly don't think they should be blotted out of existence though, they are a curiousity, but by no means should they be displayed publicly in the UK or Ireland given the history of them and contraversy in the 1960s



yup, thats what they are saying.
yes but they are lying little shits, they will complain about being opressed, being made to feel unwelcome in Britain, about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, security of information etc yet when its suits them they will propagate forced migration, racial profiling and segregation, shouting over debates, silencing the media, and stealing a computer of a former member and publishing the e-mails on real life. We cannot get drawn into their games and plots they are shrew but we cannot allow them free reign.

the rest of what you said is a catch 22 like situation and can only really be discussed on a case by case basis with all factors accounted for

[communard resolution]

I've come to believe that the best thing to do about the BNP is to stop writing so much about everything they do. They know very well that bad propaganda is good propaganda too.

[Sean]

I've come to believe that the best thing to do about the BNP is to stop writing so much about everything they do. They know very well that bad propaganda is good propaganda too.I beg to differ. All negative information about the BNP should be put online as many times as possible. They have plenty of activists and if you ever read negative articles about them you'll notice that the comments below are immediately swamped by their supporters. If nothing bad of the BNP then the public mind will be awash with their manufactured positive image. Bad propaganda is not good propaganda, perhaps that arguement would work for an obscure group fighting for any kind of media attention whatsoever. Why speak out against anything if it only encourages them?

[communard resolution]

Does it make sense, though, to make a big deal out of those... what are they called, golliwogs? This is clearly a calculated cry for attention on behalf of the BNP - and as some posters pointed out, no doubt they will go the "loony PC brigade tries to strip us off our British traditions" route. That's what they want, that's what they'll get. Why not act like good parents and just walk away avoiding eye contact instead? It's not like these golliwogs will make anyone who visits the BNP fundraiser even more racist.

As for the bigger picture: yes, I do currently hold the opinion that too much of a big deal is made of the BNP and the threat they supposedly pose. They're a fringe group that is extremely unlikely to 'take over' and impose fascism upon us all. The SWP and UAF might be doing the BNP a favour by being so fetishistically obsessed with them. But that's a different issue that I've talked about in a different thread. This one's about 'golliwogs'.

[Sean]

Does it make sense, though, to make a big deal out of those... what are they called, golliwogs? This is clearly a calculated cry for attention on behalf of the BNP - and as some posters pointed out, no doubt they will go the "loony PC brigade tries to strip us off our British traditions" route. That's what they want, that's what they'll get. Why not act like good parents and just walk away avoiding eye contact instead? It's not like these golliwogs will make anyone who visits the BNP fundraiser even more racist.

As for the bigger picture: yes, I do currently hold the opinion that too much of a big deal is made of the BNP and the threat they supposedly pose. They're a fringe group that is extremely unlikely to 'take over' and impose fascism upon us all. The SWP and UAF might be doing the BNP a favour by being so fetishistically obsessed with them. But that's a different issue that I've talked about in a different thread. This one's about 'golliwogs'.Well yes, in this case this thread (especially myself) have fallen into the trap I guess. This was also the way it was portrayed in the original Daily Mail article. I believe that the golliwog dolls were only an excuse used by the venue, the real reason is most likely the potential picketing and spate of negative stories against them of late.

[Melbourne Lefty]

and they are allowed to be sold when not being sold by a White Nationalist party infamous for rascism,


selective bans depending on politics? Thats even worse. Just remember everything the state uses against the BNP will be used eventually against the 'far' laft in Britain.


yes but they are lying little shits,

yes they are.


should they be allowed to have Fagin & Shylock puppets as well with big nosey and greedy fingers?

Yup it would certainly make them unpopular with the rest of the population. We [and they] all know how unpopular anti-semitism is in the modern day world.