Rosary-chanting Protesters force euthanasia talk to be abandoned.

Hillel

"A CONTROVERSIAL euthanasia lecture was abandoned amid chaotic scenes last night while a senior British medical ethics expert had a private security escort for his own protection." Irish Independent, Friday April 10 2009

Apparently, protestors from the right-wing Youth Defence group prevented the meeting from going ahead, while Gardai stood by and did nothing.

I had hoped that the day when the type of conduct indulged in by Youth Defence was acceptable was long gone. In my view there was a dereliction of duty by the Gardai involved and they should be disciplined accordingly. Thoughts?

kraggy

Not sure of the ins and outs of this but it's an absolute disgrace that a talk on an issue, however controversial, was cancelled due to the fact that people protesting are against it.

It was a talk, not a vote on it's implementation.

It's a direct blow against free speech in a supposed democratic society.

Edit: By the way, where did you hear that YD were responsible for it?

jhegarty

Do you have a link to the actual article ?

Hillel

kraggy wrote: »

Not sure of the ins and outs of this but it's an absolute disgrace that a talk on an issue, however controversial, was cancelled due to the fact that people protesting are against it.

It was a talk, not a vote on it's implementation.

It's a direct blow against free speech in a supposed democratic society.

Exactly! My view is that the Gardai had a duty to protect peoples right to free speech and, if necessary, should have arrested members of Youth Defence. Had I been there, I would have made a follow-on complaint to the Garda Ombudsman.

kraggy wrote: »

Edit: By the way, where did you hear that YD were responsible for it?

jhegarty wrote: »

Do you have a link to the actual article ?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rosarychanting-protesters-force-euthanasia-talk-to-be-abandoned-1705229.html

Dr Galen

does anyone know why the Gardai that attended didn't do anything? The article says that responsibility was left to the hospital security.

pablomakaveli

It's a disgrace. From the newspaper reports i read they were'nt just chanting the rosary but were shouting abuse as well. It's an absolute disgrace that the talk was cancelled because of them.

Firetrap

Is it any different really to protests when David Irving, the holocaust denier, is invited to speak?

Hillel

Firetrap wrote: »

Is it any different really to protests when David Irving, the holocaust denier, is invited to speak?

No its not - free speech underpins any democratic society.
And free speech is worth fighting for - hence my post.

meathstevie

Another classic case of "If you can't win the argument throw a tantrum".

JupiterKid

Youth Defense are a nauseating bunch of religious nutjobs who want to drive this country back to the 1930s. They are sexist, xenophobic, insular, homophobic and all in all utterly backward.

Well, they can go F*ck themselves I say.:mad: This country would be better off without YD.

turgon

Surprise surprise that Kathy Sinnot is mentioned in the article.

If someone was stopping a YD meeting of course that wouldnt be acceptable, one should only be allowed talk about what YD agree with.

O'Coonassa

lolol does anybody know where I can see footage of Irish youth chanting their Heil Mary's in protest? Kathy Sinott the hypocrite can go **** herself, 20,000 kids starve to death every single day because of the agricultural policy she supports.

Hillel

But, why were YD not ejected from the meeting by the Gardai?
Anyone know?

LoveDucati2

JupiterKid wrote: »

Youth Defense are a nauseating bunch of religious nutjobs who want to drive this country back to the 1930s. They are sexist, xenophobic, insular, homophobic and all in all utterly backward.

Well, they can go F*ck themselves I say.:mad: This country would be better off without YD.

WOW

Anyway, religious views should have no place in government or society. If you believe in fiction and fantasy keep it to yourself.

John_C

Hillel wrote: »

But, why were YD not ejected from the meeting by the Gardai?
Anyone know?

I'm not a legal expert but I would imagine that the rules of a University debate are not a criminal matter.

TomRooney

Hillel wrote: »

"A CONTROVERSIAL euthanasia lecture was abandoned amid chaotic scenes last night while a senior British medical ethics expert had a private security escort for his own protection." Irish Independent, Friday April 10 2009

Apparently, protestors from the right-wing Youth Defence group prevented the meeting from going ahead, while Gardai stood by and did nothing.

I had hoped that the day when the type of conduct indulged in by Youth Defence was acceptable was long gone. In my view there was a dereliction of duty by the Gardai involved and they should be disciplined accordingly. Thoughts?

good work from youth defense, the sick act of euthanasia should never be legalised or entertained.

O'Coonassa

TomRooney wrote: »

good work from youth defense, the sick act of euthanasia should never be legalised or entertained.

I'd soon be begging for somebody to shoot me if I was in enough pain and I'd gladly shoot members of the Youth Defence to put them out of theirs.

Galvasean

TomRooney wrote: »

good work from youth defense, the sick act of euthanasia should never be legalised or entertained.

Says you. Of course we could never have a reasonable deabte on anything if YD's thuggish actions were the norm.

nesf

Just as a point of note, Youth Defence are the same people as Cóir, that group that got a nice dollop of funding from McEvaddy to throw up so many anti-Lisbon posters in the last referendum.

ynotdu

Galvasean wrote: »

Says you. Of course we could never have a reasonable deabte on anything if YD's thuggish actions were the norm.

Galvasean if it was your doing as mod here I would appreciate a reason why my post on this issue was deleted?

If it was my bad spelling/grammer at times I understand.

Is there a second forum on the same topic going perhaps?

part of my posting was I believe many who shout others down are not really sure of their own beliefes.............. ?????????/

Firetrap

They should have let the man give his speech. People have brains of their own - they can take on board or reject his message as they want. It's so easy to preach about such matters until you come across people whose lives are such misery that it makes you stop and wonder. I know someone who's got Multiple Sclerosis and it never ceases to bother me on a human level. I think if I was in that situation - trapped in my own body and destined to suffocate when it gives up - I'd like to be hurried on my way. Life isn't precious when it involves pain and misery.

Hillel

TomRooney wrote: »

good work from youth defense, the sick act of euthanasia should never be legalised or entertained.

Why have you 349 posts on Boards, then?
Surely politics is much too important an area to have any debate at all, on?
Should we not just leave it up to our betters to tell us what we can, and can't, do? Maybe even a little public flogging for those of us who want an informed debate on all issues in society?

Hillel

John_C wrote: »

I'm not a legal expert but I would imagine that the rules of a University debate are not a criminal matter.

Debate - a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal.
Public Debate - the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it.
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=debate[/url]

This was nothing to do with a debate. This was intimidation at a serious level. "The event had to be abandoned when security staff decided he (Professor Doyal) should be removed for his own safety." "One yob bluntly told Professor Doyal that if he tried to speak he would be stopped." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6078555.ece

Youth Defence have a track record in this area, over many years.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,34934,00.html
Why was no one arrested? Names taken?

TomRooney

Hillel wrote: »

Why have you 349 posts on Boards, then?
Surely politics is much too important an area to have any debate at all, on?
Should we not just leave it up to our betters to tell us what we can, and can't, do? Maybe even a little public flogging for those of us who want an informed debate on all issues in society?

some issues should not be discussed publicly or normalised in any way, such as the pleasures a peodo may get from his sick acts or the same for rapists
as for euthanasia i dont big problem with it being discussed personaly, but i dont agree with the act itself.i believe it to be moraly wrong.

O'Coonassa

TomRooney wrote: »

i believe it to be moraly wrong.

But you only arrived at that decision by entertaining the issue. Now you've reached your decision you say the issue shouldn't be entertained. Please try to see the problem with this attitude.

TomRooney

O'Coonassa wrote: »

But you only arrived at that decision by entertaining the issue. Now you've reached your decision you say the issue shouldn't be entertained. Please try to see the problem with this attitude.

wake the fuuck up, i never said it shouldnt be discussed read my previous post again, please try to get your facts straight before you make silly comments.

Firetrap

TomRooney wrote: »

good work from youth defense, the sick act of euthanasia should never be legalised or entertained.

TomRooney wrote: »

Some issues should not be discussed publicly or normalised in any way, such as the pleasures a paedo may get from his sick acts or the same for rapists. As for euthanasia I don't big problem with it being discussed personally, but I don't agree with the act itself. I believe it to be morally wrong.

If you believe it's morally wrong, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. Stifling debate on it though, now that's a different opinion. Youth Defence is an organisation peopled with folk who don't want people to be able to discuss certain issues.

I don't think anyone who personally grapples with the issue of euthanasia when it lands on their doorstep is doing so lightly. I don't think it should be equated with paedophilia either.

O'Coonassa

TomRooney wrote: »

wake the fuuck up, i never said it shouldnt be discussed read my previous post again, please try to get your facts straight before you make silly comments.

You said it shouldn't be entertained. The meeting you came out against was a meeting discussing euthanasia. I'm happy you've changed your mind on the issue.

994

"And Paul was debating with the Pharisees; and they did offer a criticism of his teachings, and, lo, as they spoke he did place his fingers in his ears, and called in a loud voice "I cannot hear thee, Pharisee! I cannot hear thee! La la la la la!" And the crowd stood amazed at the thing he had done, and they were converted to the teachings of the Lord." (Acts 55:12)

RiverWilde

This is yet another example of the Banana Republic of Ireland. We're supposed to be living in a democracy where freedom of speech is welcomed. It seems that only certain 'acceptable' topics are permitted to be discussed. This is yet another disgraceful act of censorship by people who have no right to ram their beliefs down the throats of others.

If they don't like euthanasia, fine. That is their decision. They do not have the right to prevent others discussing the subject. If it does become law here they do not have to avail of it themselves.

When a person reaches a point where they lose control over their fate, will their prior wishes be recognised? This is a true test of a democracy.

Riv

Iwasfrozen

I cannot believe the people causing the disturbance from YD or otherwise where not arrested, This makes me sick to be honest that an open debate had to be cancelled due to some brainwashed Teenagers who don't appreciate free speech.:mad: