Release Date: 14th August 2004
Release Time: Immediate

Contact Details:
Chris R. Tame, 07957 644 519, chris@libertarian.co.uk
Sean Gabb, 07956 472 199, sean@libertarian.co.uk

For other contact and link details, see the foot of this message
Release url: http://www.libertarian.co.uk/news/nr025.htm

"SACK AND PROSECUTE EUROPEAN MINISTER FOR VILE RACIST SLURS", SAYS FREE MARKET AND CIVIL LIBERTIES THINK TANK


Denis MacShane, the European Minister, should be both sacked and prosecuted following the vile racist abuse he expressed in a recent 'Daily Telegraph' interview, says the Libertarian Alliance, the radical free market and civil liberties think tank and pressure group.

Libertarian Alliance Director, Dr Chris Tame commented:

"Racist Slurs

"Mr. MacShane's foul accusation that the English were characterised by "a dark streak of xenophobia and racism" and "offensive xenophobic hatred", is an outrageous racist slur.


Orwellian Hate-Mongering

MacShane further compounded this racial abuse by a hateful and hate- mongering attempt to demonise opponents of the European Union by claiming that opposition to the project of a European superstate was motivated by hatred and xenophobia.

The Reality of Euro-Sceptism

In reality euro-scepticism is overwhelmingly motivated by rational liberal concern over the creation of an unaccountable elitist despotism, the EU's destruction of the political polycentrism (national independence) that scientific historians and economists recognise as the source of its previously progressive character, its destruction of British liberal common law and civil liberties and their replacement by the illiberal Code Napoleon, its roots in Nazi, Fascist and Communist thinking, its crackpot socialist and economic interventionist policies, its corporatist privileging of Big Business, and its racist protectionist barriers against the Third World. Socialist opponents of the EU, some of whom still exist within the Labour Party, also rightly condemn the EU as a "rich man's club". They are right, but confuse neo- mercantilist corporatism (which benefits big business interests) with free market capitalism (that benefits the masses)".

No Place for Racialism or Incitement

The racialisation of political discourse, the foul racial stigmatisation practiced by Mr. MacShane, and the cynical use of Orwellian hate language to demonise and exclude liberal critics of the European Union are quite simply unacceptable.

MacShane's vile diatribe can also be seen as a form of incitement to repression, since the EU has constantly been seeking to make so-called "xenophobia" a criminal offence and government bodies and others in this country are calling for the removal of civil liberties of those they brand as "racists".

There can be no place in the public and political life of this country for a man of Mr. MacShanes's ilk. He should do the decent thing and resign, or the Prime Minister should sack him. We also call upon the Labour part to expel this hate-mongering racist from its ranks."

The Libertarian Alliance is also formally reporting Mr. MacShane to the Metropolitan Police, with a request that he be investigated for possible prosecution under the Public Order Act.

END OF COPY

Note(s) to Editors

(1) Dr. Chris R. Tame is the founder and Director of the Libertarian Alliance. He is a prolific writer and lecturer on many topics in sociology, economics, philosophy and the history of ideas. Amongst his many publications and lectures are 'Racism: The Lowest Form of Collectivism', 'The Case Against Immigration Controls', 'Anti-Semitism: The Socialist Impulse', 'Who Are the Fascists?', 'National Socialist Front', and 'The Eurosceptical Directory' and 'The Bibliography of Freedom'.

Dr. Tame can be contacted for further comment at 07957 644519 or by email at director@libertarian.co.uk

Extended Contact Details:

The Libertarian Alliance is Britain’s most radical free market and civil liberties policy institute. It has published over 700 articles, pamphlets and books in support of freedom and against statism in all its forms. These are freely available at http://www.libertarian.co.uk

Our postal address is

The Libertarian Alliance
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Tel: 07956 472 199

Associated Organisations

The Libertarian International - http://www.libertarian.to - is a sister organisation to the Libertarian Alliance. Its mission is to coordinate various initiatives in the defence of individual liberty throughout the world.

Sean Gabb's personal website - http://www.seangabb.co.uk - contains about a million words of writings on themes interesting to libertarians and conservatives

Liberalia - http://www.liberalia.com - maintained by by LA Executive member Christian Michel, Liberalia publishes in-depth papers in French and English on libertarianism and free enterprise. It is a prime source of documentation on these issues for students and scholars.

Libertarian Samizdata - http://www.samizdata.net - a topical blog that works in association with the Libertarian Alliance.