The Facts About Islam: Banning Ladders at Speakers Corner and Other Safety Restrictions

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Banning Ladders at Speakers Corner and Other Safety Restrictions

Some Christians recently harassed Joseph Cohen's Israel Advocacy group two weeks running at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London. There have been sparks of violence and threats over the years and I've listed some below in a letter which I sent to Inspector Harris a while ago amidst the furore over the ladder ban speculation. Clearly there needs to be increased safety measures and restrictions at Speakers Corner. Banning people who have been involved in violence or incitement to hatred would be a positive step.

A man who intimidated Joseph Cohen

Inspector Harris
The Old Police House
Hyde Park, London
W2 2UH

Dear Inspector Harris

As a member of the [Censored], I want to applaud you and thank you for your decision to ban ladders at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park. I genuinely believe this decision will help calm the atmosphere down there and discourage hate-preachers (including amongst others; Homophobic, Muslim, Racial Nationalist and Islamophobic Christian hate preachers).

There is an internet campaign started by one of the “extreme” Christians called Jay Smith asking people to write to you so the ladders get reinstated at the park. I personally think he’s acting out of self-interest rather than thinking about crowd safety and community cohesion.

I have seen an antagonistic speaker pushed off a ladder and I’ve also heard a speaker who uses a ladder (a gentleman called Christopher) threaten to chop a Muslim’s head off in the Farsi language. This was captured on video and you can view it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZSv2IhaQ8M&t=51s

There’s also a few other antagonistic people whom I believe fit in to Theresa May’s parliamentary comments yesterday (yes, my life is sad enough to watch PMQs) concerning Islamophobia. For instance, there’s a man who is called Dr Jay Smith by his colleagues (an old, short and stocky American man who looks like Colonel Sanders). This man uses the ladder regularly. He incites hatred of minorities (namely Muslims) by pointing at Muslims from his ladder and telling them they are meant to kill him as well as stuff like he “expects” to be killed by Muslims one day. All antagonistic and unsavoury stuff from the ladder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh-UJZ6CXbQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMcdepFvYxo

One of Jay Smith’s female colleagues tells Muslims Jesus will come back with a sword and kill Muslims because Muslims are the enemies of Jesus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ4EvZ9jJUM

Sadly there are groups who are taking advantage of the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and at London Bridge (an attack which could have seen me as a victim as I passed over the bridge a matter of minutes before the terrorist “people” attacked the pedestrians!) for purposes of Islamophobia – Jay Smith has a channel on YouTube featuring his ladder hate speeches which incite people to make racist comments about Muslims as well as provoking hate-comments in wanting to kick Muslims out of Europe:

http://thefactsaboutislam.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/adnan-rashid-racist-abuse-condemned-jay.html

I’ve even heard his colleagues talk about Muslim men as thinking like rapists and being unable to control lusts etc..

Sadly these people are taking advantage of the spirit of Speakers Corner. Freedom of expression is not freedom to incite hatred. There are Muslims and Pan-Africanists involving themselves in illegal comments and activities too. For instance, a Muslim pushed somebody off a ladder and at least one Pan Africanist is making racially charged comments about Black people being superior to White and Arab people whilst also denigrating White people as inherently violent.

I hope you can take this letter into consideration amidst the letters favouring the contrary position which have been sent to you through organised lobbying efforts by one anti-Muslim Christian group headed by an American Christian fundamentalist.

I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank the police force for their great efforts in keeping Britain safe. I know it’s a difficult job and you may feel, at times, your efforts go unnoticed but rest assured the British public holds the police force in high esteem. The best police force in the world, by far! You have my respect.

And once again, thanks for having the foresight to ban ladders at Speakers Corner.

Yours Sincerely

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Lizzie Schofield witnesses Beth Grove falsehoods