Hatun Tash was sensationally attacked and robbed at Speakers Corner today, in front of hundreds of onlookers predictably by an Islamic yob as usual.
She is a regular feature at Speakers’ Corner. Just last September she was escorted out of Speakers’ Corner by police; again, because she was being critical of Islam. Hatun has been warned that there are Muslims who want to kill her and that it is therefore dangerous for her to attend Speakers’ Corner. But Hatun is not intimidated or cowed. Even though she has been assaulted there before, she continues to preach there every week. She feels called to preach to the Muslims there and she is very effective in her ministry.
Provocative style
Hatun’s style is provocative. Deliberately so. This is how she attracts attention and gets people to listen. In September, the offending item was a copy of the Qur’an with holes drilled through it as a visual aid to point out that there are holes in the narrative around the Qur’an. As I pointed out then, no other book with holes in it would cause any problems or be seen as beyond the bounds of free speech. Only if we are effectively enforcing sharia law would we prohibit display of a Qur’an with holes in it.
Last Sunday she was wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon of Mohammad on it. Cartoons of any other figures would be clearly within the bounds of free speech. Only if we are effectively enforcing sharia law would a cartoon of Muhammad be prohibited. This is the home of free speech after all.
Home of free speech or not, Hatun was arrested, carried into a police van to cheers by the Muslim mob. She was held overnight in a police cell, before being released without charge. You can watch a video of the arrest here.
Capitulation to the mob
In the video, it is clear that there is a group of aggressive Muslims who are threatening Hatun. They are doing so right in front of the police officers. The police response is to arrest Hatun and take her out of the park. But she has committed no offence. After the arrest, a police officer talks to one of the Muslim protagonists who suggests to the officer that he has recognised that wearing that t-shirt was a breach of the peace. The officer denies this and explains (from 2:58):
Officer: She was here, and causing trouble. There’s one of her, and fifty-odd of you. So what we do is we take her from the situation. That’s what we’ve done.
Muslim: Appreciate that man, thanks.
Earlier the same Muslim man had challenged Hatun to go to France and wear her t-shirt.
The police have allowed the mob to dictate what the police should do. Rather than protecting Hatun and controlling the behaviour of the mob, the police remove Hatun and the mob cheers. The mob now knows that if they kick up enough fuss the police will remove Hatun again. The police have as good as said so. If this policy continues then it is clear that the mob have achieved their aim of Speakers’ Corner becoming Sharia Corner.
She is a regular feature at Speakers’ Corner. Just last September she was escorted out of Speakers’ Corner by police; again, because she was being critical of Islam. Hatun has been warned that there are Muslims who want to kill her and that it is therefore dangerous for her to attend Speakers’ Corner. But Hatun is not intimidated or cowed. Even though she has been assaulted there before, she continues to preach there every week. She feels called to preach to the Muslims there and she is very effective in her ministry.
Provocative style
Hatun’s style is provocative. Deliberately so. This is how she attracts attention and gets people to listen. In September, the offending item was a copy of the Qur’an with holes drilled through it as a visual aid to point out that there are holes in the narrative around the Qur’an. As I pointed out then, no other book with holes in it would cause any problems or be seen as beyond the bounds of free speech. Only if we are effectively enforcing sharia law would we prohibit display of a Qur’an with holes in it.
Last Sunday she was wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon of Mohammad on it. Cartoons of any other figures would be clearly within the bounds of free speech. Only if we are effectively enforcing sharia law would a cartoon of Muhammad be prohibited. This is the home of free speech after all.
Home of free speech or not, Hatun was arrested, carried into a police van to cheers by the Muslim mob. She was held overnight in a police cell, before being released without charge. You can watch a video of the arrest here.
Capitulation to the mob
In the video, it is clear that there is a group of aggressive Muslims who are threatening Hatun. They are doing so right in front of the police officers. The police response is to arrest Hatun and take her out of the park. But she has committed no offence. After the arrest, a police officer talks to one of the Muslim protagonists who suggests to the officer that he has recognised that wearing that t-shirt was a breach of the peace. The officer denies this and explains (from 2:58):
Officer: She was here, and causing trouble. There’s one of her, and fifty-odd of you. So what we do is we take her from the situation. That’s what we’ve done.
Muslim: Appreciate that man, thanks.
Earlier the same Muslim man had challenged Hatun to go to France and wear her t-shirt.
The police have allowed the mob to dictate what the police should do. Rather than protecting Hatun and controlling the behaviour of the mob, the police remove Hatun and the mob cheers. The mob now knows that if they kick up enough fuss the police will remove Hatun again. The police have as good as said so. If this policy continues then it is clear that the mob have achieved their aim of Speakers’ Corner becoming Sharia Corner.
- Category
- Audio

Be the first to comment