Post by leeside on Aug 2, 2010 13:34:55 GMT
Ian Paisley’s latest hate-filled rant against Catholics is receiving extensive media coverage. Speaking to the BBC World Service, Mr Paisley, who has spent most of his adult life preaching hatred and venom against Catholics, objected to the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain and criticised the Church in Ireland’s dreadful approach to the child abuse crisis. While these first two points may be taken as valid stances, he also refused to withdraw a remark where he described Catholics as “vermin” and the Pope as “the antichrist”.
Now, it’s hardly news that Ian Paisley hates Catholics. Nevertheless, the interview serves as an interesting glimpse inside the dark heart of a man who the media has been at pains to portray in recent months as a cuddly if eccentric grandfatherly-like figure. The tendency in a lot of media and political circles to see Mr Paisley as merely “a bit of a character” ignores the fact that he was a key player in preaching hatred against Catholics in the North at a time when Loyalist death squads, inspired by the rhetoric of the likes of Mr Paisley, roamed the streets of the region targeting, maiming and murdering Catholics for no other reason than their religion.
Mr Paisley bears a huge deal of responsibility for the sectarian violence that tore the North apart for decades. No other figure in Northern politics did more to create suspicion and hatred among the communities in the region. A wise man once observed that the perverse politicians make their way in life by appealing to what is worst in human nature whereas the truly great leaders appeal to what is best in human nature. Mr Paisley shamelessly thrived in appealing to the worst in human nature.
What’s interesting about a lot of the coverage is the fact that Mr Paisley’s sectarian remarks against Catholics are reported verbatim without comment. Could you imagine the justifiable furore there would be if a hate-filled racist bigot was permitted to describe black people as “vermin”? Yet, Catholics, it seems, are supposed to lie down and take whatever the sectarian hate-mongers have to throw out. Is this really free speech? Does the right to free speech mean that one has a right to preach unadulterated hatred against individuals or a community?
While most people (myself included) would share Mr Paisley’s criticism of the Church’s mishandling of abuse, many Catholics will find it hard to credit that Mr Paisley’s remarks are motivated out of a concern for child welfare. Any man who has spent his life spreading vile lies and innuendo against Catholics and their Church has very little credibility in being taken at face value on such a sensitive issue. Besides, Mr Paisley has never fully explained his role in the notorious Kincora Boys’ Home child sexual abuse scandal where dozens of boys where systematically sexual abused. The abuse came to light in 1980 and it was alleged by a key witness that Mr Paisley was aware of serious sexual misconduct on the part of one of the convicted abusers and refused to report it to the authorities.
Now, it’s hardly news that Ian Paisley hates Catholics. Nevertheless, the interview serves as an interesting glimpse inside the dark heart of a man who the media has been at pains to portray in recent months as a cuddly if eccentric grandfatherly-like figure. The tendency in a lot of media and political circles to see Mr Paisley as merely “a bit of a character” ignores the fact that he was a key player in preaching hatred against Catholics in the North at a time when Loyalist death squads, inspired by the rhetoric of the likes of Mr Paisley, roamed the streets of the region targeting, maiming and murdering Catholics for no other reason than their religion.
Mr Paisley bears a huge deal of responsibility for the sectarian violence that tore the North apart for decades. No other figure in Northern politics did more to create suspicion and hatred among the communities in the region. A wise man once observed that the perverse politicians make their way in life by appealing to what is worst in human nature whereas the truly great leaders appeal to what is best in human nature. Mr Paisley shamelessly thrived in appealing to the worst in human nature.
What’s interesting about a lot of the coverage is the fact that Mr Paisley’s sectarian remarks against Catholics are reported verbatim without comment. Could you imagine the justifiable furore there would be if a hate-filled racist bigot was permitted to describe black people as “vermin”? Yet, Catholics, it seems, are supposed to lie down and take whatever the sectarian hate-mongers have to throw out. Is this really free speech? Does the right to free speech mean that one has a right to preach unadulterated hatred against individuals or a community?
While most people (myself included) would share Mr Paisley’s criticism of the Church’s mishandling of abuse, many Catholics will find it hard to credit that Mr Paisley’s remarks are motivated out of a concern for child welfare. Any man who has spent his life spreading vile lies and innuendo against Catholics and their Church has very little credibility in being taken at face value on such a sensitive issue. Besides, Mr Paisley has never fully explained his role in the notorious Kincora Boys’ Home child sexual abuse scandal where dozens of boys where systematically sexual abused. The abuse came to light in 1980 and it was alleged by a key witness that Mr Paisley was aware of serious sexual misconduct on the part of one of the convicted abusers and refused to report it to the authorities.