An attack on a journalist is an attack on journalism.
Although not exclusively the preserve of the “Alt-Right” it is fair to say that fascists do not care much for a free press.
Last October my NUJ colleague Trish Devlin received a threat purporting to come from the organisation neo-Nazi organisation Combat 18.
The group take their name from the first and eighth letter of the alphabet “A” and “H”– the initials of Adolf Hitler.
Here they are at a demonstration in Edinburgh.
The threat in a Facebook post stated that her infant child would be raped.
She took this seriously and contacted the PSNI.
Now, one year on from making that initial complaint, she is reporting the force to the Police Ombudsman.
This is not a good look for the good ‘ol boys of the PSNI.
You can listen to Trish here on Radio 4 Women’s Hour.
Her crime was to be relentless in pursuit of the truth about the activities of Loyalist crime gangs.
As Trish says, much of the abuse against female journalists is highly gendered.
Sexual violence is regularly referenced in these threats.
The NUJ put out a strong statement about the failure, heretofore, of the PSNI to act in this case.
Sadly, Trish is not alone in this.
My friend and colleague Angela Haggerty, no stranger to the misogyny of the far-right, was on the receiving end of this unspeakable abuse only last week.
Dear reader, I almost cried when I saw this.
I spoke with Angela today, and I asked her permission to flag this up.
What type of darkness causes someone to consider an infant child as a legitimate target for their hatred?
As I have recently written the word, “Taig” is the N-word of the Loyalist subculture.
It is aimed at Irish Catholics.
The “T” word is regularly seen in graffiti in the Six Counties and Fair Caledonia.
When Angela was my book editor, she featured in the “Rangers Chat” podcast as “Taig of the day”.
This was a regular feature on this dignified production.
The chap in charge of this online platform, a Mr David Limond, received six months in prison for targeting a young woman whose only crime was to edit a factual book about the death of the original Ibrox club.
It was admitted in open court during David Limond’s trial that Police Scotland had been less than zealous in pursuing Ms Haggerty’s complaint.
It was only after she was featured in a piece by Channel 4 News that Glasgow’s finest were moved to act on the complaint.
There is no danger of overreach when you mention the Ulster Loyalist subculture with the Neo-Nazi Alt-Right in the same sentence.
The connecting tissue of both belief systems is a shared history going back generations, a hatred of the socially excluded other.
The targets can change in time, the Catholic Irish, Jews and latterly Muslims.
However, the Herrenvolk exceptionalism is the same throughout, as is the misogyny.
Sadly, it would appear that female journalists who are perceived as “Taigs” are still not getting the protection they deserve from some police forces in the UK.
An attack on journalism is an attack on democracy.
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There are a great many Journalists unfortunately who don’t have the Integrity required to provide unbiased opinion.
There are also a great many drongos in Society in all areas of Society who for whatever reason cannot handle criticism of the things that they hold dear.
They see any from of criticism as an attack to their beliefs,beliefs that for the most part have been installed at a young age by daddy and mummy drongo.
It is appalling that these two females have been attacked in this way of course no rational person would dare defend it.
Then we aren’t dealing with rational human beings are we?
As for Democracy?
Well for me anyway that is no more than word handed to us the minions by those in control to describe the act of them giving us what they wish to give us and not necessarily what we actually want or need.
True democracy does not exist in the modern World.
Smoke and mirrors.
Also the other connecting tissue is they’re all ugly bastards.
Any grown man who could even think of threatening an infant does NOT deserve to labled human.
Such a creature is beyond contempt, and if ANY police authority is aware of its identity, arrest and prosecution to the full extent of the law should be immediate.
Any trial and sentence should be given maximum publicity in order that that the public are left in no doubt of the depths of depravity such organisations will sink to.
Really this should come as no surprise, the police name may have changed, but their loyalty remains the same.
Angela will know that for all the haters it will “end in terms”.
So sad that we have such scum on this planet.
Nobody should have to put up with these people.
For goodness sake will the police do their job?
I feel for these women but they are very strong
and will not give in to these bully’s.
I just hope some sports journos would read this
and grow a pair. If these wonderful women can stand
up to these cretins, then why can’t our journos stand tall
and tell the truth for just once?