Dear Editor,
I recently started a petition to ask Katie Hopkins not to perform at Bedford Corn Exchange. The Borough Council were amazing and responded very quickly, asking her not to come.
Due to the serious nature of things she has said, and some of the actual and potential consequences of them, this was an appropriate decision. However, I am proud to live in a democracy and understand why some people feel concerned this challenges democratic freedom of speech.
As open discourse is the only way we can ever move toward a more tolerant society, I will explain my views.
Katie Hopkins has called publicly for a ‘final solution’ regarding Muslims, echoing the views of Nazis.
She refers to Sadiq Khan as the mayor of Londonistan and has pushed the idea that immigration and multiculturalism leads to ‘white genocide’. She is openly and proudly racist.
If a radical Islamic speaker, who believed in a ‘final solution’ for Church of England worshippers came to our town and demanded the genocide of white people, calling them ‘cockroaches’ and mocking photographs of their dead children (as she has done with a young Turkish boy), this would cause people to be afraid and feel threatened.
The difference is that the outcry would be louder.
Her comments have already led to a violent attack on a man in the north of England, who was left unconscious after yobs broke into his home, hit him over the head and left her quotes written all over the walls.
Nobody should live in fear, or feel marginalised, because of one person’s ‘right’ to offend.
It is true that in a democratic society Katie Hopkins can think what she likes, however bigoted and unpleasant it may be. The question here was whether she deserved a big, public platform to speak in our town, where we share our workplaces, schools and streets with our Muslim friends and neighbours.
Moreover, the Corn Exchange is provided by the Borough Council, so then the question becomes, what kind of message does the council want to send about the kind of views they would like to endorse?
I would like to congratulate the Council on their swift decision-making and the clear message they have sent to those who would preach hatred in our town: we stand together, we will not divided.
Victoria Harrison
Bedford
Editor’s note: This letter was amended on 21 November 2022 at 1:19pm. In the letter, claims about Ms Hopkins departure from past employment were made that Ms Hopkins refutes in the strongest terms. While our letters page is a column that allows people in Bedford to express themselves freely, claims made must be accurate. We are therefore happy to make these changes and do not believe they change the subject or aims of the letter.
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