Does Melanie have 'blood on her hands'?

[sp1814]

For a few years now, Melanie Phillips has written extensively on the evils of mass immigration, multiculturalism, and the evils of Islam, which are echoed in the ramblings of Anders Breivik.

Ms Phillips writes in the strongest terms - which is her right, but is she rignt to now wash her hands of the effects?

If someone writes a regular column denouncing (say) Jews, should they feel any responsibility for the rise in anti-Semetic attacks?

[pa___ul3]

then, em10, why is there such an outrage at these hate preaching muslims if they're "only saying what they believe"?

[emmie]

because some are doing it on our doorstep, whilst bludging off the state, rubbing our noses in it, whilst claiming their rights to a family life, and state benefits, all the while telling us what low lifes we are, and how we will one day live under Sharia law, and Britain will become an Islamist state. People like Anjem Choudary, and Abu Hamza don't belong in Britain, what they preach is hatred for the west, sedition and treason, and as someone already pointed out the threat to kill Members of Parliament hardly constitutes as just having an opinion.

[sp1814]

mightyWBA - something I should point out - Anders Breivik actually referred to Melanie Phillips in his 'manifesto' (she wasn't the only right of centre writer he referred to, he also admires Jeremy Clarkson).

carolegif - I have to say, I cringed when I read your post. I don't think it's fair to claim that Jews hate Muslims by default - Melanie Phillips' Judaism to me is incidental - her hate is far reaching, and extends to anyone who isn't white, heterosexual, middle class, monogomous, tee-total etc etc...

[sp1814]

Kromovaracun

The only reason I used the phrase 'blood on her hands' in the original question, is because that's what people have accused her of, and she refers to it in he piece (link posted at 16:55 yesterday).

It's not my wording!

[Old_Geezer]

Unless the words amount to inciting such violence, then no. Folk are held responsible for their own actions. It becomes a nightmare if there is a general assumption that blame can be spread around. Special cases may show incitement or whatever, but not otherwise.

[emmie]

sp do you know the woman in question, or simply go on what you read, or read between the lines, you make a judgement call on someone you never met, and are unlikely to meet, yet can safely say that she is all those things and more. I consider Clarkson something of a bore, a petrolhead who espouses on about nothing really, but perhaps he is not like that at all, and he has just a wide an audience from Top Gear, his writings, books, etc.
Anders Breivik may have been influenced by a film he watched, that is another theory being put forward, for his mad actions.

[sp1814]

em10

I would suggest that one way of knowing someone is to read what they think.

[Backdrifter]

Every single person who has ever publicly condemned the entire Muslim population on the basis of the actions of a few murderous extremists, and who has ever pubilcly stated stupid exaggerations such as "we are in danger of being taken over by Muslims", has played their own small part in helping to establish, feed into and maintain the atmosphere of festering paranoia and hatred from which Breivik drew his motivation.

[emmie]

no one yet knows for sure what motivated him to kill all those people, and as has been pointed out if he was completely against the followers of Islam, why didn't he go to a mosque and do it, even his lawyer thought him insane.