Discussion thread for "One Law For All" Rally - London or anywhere in the world

By /MIKE
Added: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:39:33 UTC

Open thread for discussion of the One Law for All rally in London or anywhere else in the world.

[Update 12-Feb 4:15pm (GMT-6) via Miranda]

'Stop being so damn respectful' say free speech supporters in London

Atheists, secularists and supporters of free speech rallied in London today to protest what they feel is an "increased confidence of Islamists to censor free expression publicly". Around 200 people gathered on the steps of the memorial to King George V in Old Palace Yard opposite the House of Lords in Westminster.

Anne Marie Waters from the 'One Law for All' group, which protests against sharia law in the United Kingdom, said that freedom of expression was "the greatest freedom we have" and included "the freedom to offend".

Accusations of Islamophobia against those who reposted the Jesus and Mo webcomic was one of a number of incidents highlighted by speakers. Susan Zhuang from the University College London Atheist, Secularist and Humanist society spoke of the reaction to the posting of the cartoon to their Facebook profile: "maybe we were naive but we never thought it would come to this". The university's student union demanded that the group remove the cartoon, but the group declined and launched an Internet petition to "defend freedom of expression".