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NO2ID's racist problem

Guest | 20.11.2008 13:18 | Anti-racism

My wife is American and with the new laws coming soon she will need an ID card, we were concerned about this, so I recently started looking to see what was happening to oppose this. I have been concerned by what I have found.

I looked at the NO2ID website (no2id.net), which is very informative, but when I started following discussions on their forum I was a little freaked out

The BNP are considered
"ordinary British folk"
And there are concerns about
"being persecuted for your political beliefs, which most BNP memers are"
when another (entirely sensible) poster referred to the BNP as "fascist scum" he was told off and told that his
"attempt to use labels to drown out a debate makes you anti-democratic and dangerous."
before the thread was locked!
you can read the whole thing here (whilst it lasts):  http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=25095

The reason I have posted this on your website was due to another thread on the forum, which linked here:  http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=25015

On the thread, one (clearly BNP supporting) poster claim that Indymedia was "trying to associate the UKIP and BNP with violent thugs of the white supremacist kind" - I can't believe anyone doesn't already KNOW the BNP are violent white supremacist thugs! (never looked much into UKIP - I guess they are different, clearly a marginal, right wing group though).

Unlike my wife I am black British (the son of Nigerian immigrants), and do not feel welcome amongst such bigots. I don't want an ID card, my wife doesn't want an ID card, we don't want our two children to have them, but it seems to me the biggest group of people who are against ID cards include a vocal number who don't want any of us in the country at all. Furthermore, no-one in the NO2ID campaign seems willing to disown or discipline these racist supporters.

I realise there are other groups who are protesting against ID cards who are not cuddling up up to right wing extremists, but I am not sure I want to embark on some sort of left wing 'activist career' - I have never been political active (I only ever voted once, in 97 for Blair for my sins) and must profess I have never really thought about the concept of having no borders, and still have yet to give it real consideration.

Guest

Comments

Display the following 15 comments

  1. More info — Against ID
  2. hmmmm — no ID cards for anyone!
  3. so. — loppy
  4. No ID for me. — w.smith
  5. So you judge a campaign after some comments? — me
  6. Indymedia Guidelines — Indyreader
  7. liberals... — ---
  8. "Don't be surprised when you face don't fit" — Guest
  9. Illiberals — Pedant
  10. thanks guest — a no borderer
  11. My Personal views — James Elsdon-Baker
  12. In support of NO2ID — Jon
  13. Should we really have to remind the OP about stereotyping? — IndyMike
  14. NO2ID are not racists get real — Why create factions
  15. be vigilant against racism, and get on with the job too — ;)
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