The New Statesman’s James Macintyre reports on last night’s ‘Expose the BNP’ rally, with an explanation of why the journalists’ campaign was formed.
Mehdi [Hasan, NS senior editor] opened proceedings with a pessimistic take on the current situation, declaring that “we live in dark times” and dismissing the “pisspoor” journalism of the BBC’s coverage of the BNP in the past year. Mehdi’s main message was a powerful warning against the “normalisation” of the BNP.
A fascinating, if disquieting, saga has been evolving online over the past week: it started with three articles published on the Harry’s Place blog claiming to expose the religious views of the New Statesman’s senior editor (politics) Mehdi Hasan.
Following the articles, and Martin Bright’s (no) comment on his Spectator blog, Hasan has responded, here and here, with a list of reasons as to why he argues he is not an Islamist or Islamic extremist. He also argues that the HP pieces are quoting him ‘selectively, and out of context’.
Other reading: political blogger Sunny Hundal’s take on it here for Liberal Conspiracy (July 27), and a previous piece for context on Hasan and Harry’s Place, here on Pickled Politics (July 22).