Nick Griffin's invitation to speak at TCD was revoked last week. This is fantastic news for Ireland who in the midst of a recession cannot afford to allow far right racist idealogies to be given any credit or lent any legitimate platforms. The group Trinity Against Fascism of whom I was a member issued the following statement. "Trinity Against Fascism opposed a platform being given to Nick Griffin and the organised racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny and other forms of hatred he represents. We did not see Nick Griffin’s invitation as a free speech issue. Nick Griffin is free to travel to Ireland and to speak whenever or wherever he wants. The invitation for him to speak in a prestigious institution goes far beyond his right to free speech. It gave him a platform to use in the spread of organised hatred in Ireland. Gaining platforms in prestigious institutions is an established tactic of the far-right. They do not do it to sway the opinion of students. Nick Griffin is on-the-record as saying that “well-directed boots and fists” are of more importance than “rational debate” in the pursuit of his ideology. The BNP try to gain these platforms for two reasons. Firstly, to gain legitimacy for their hateful ideology. They want to associate themselves with institutions of standing, like Trinity College and The Phil, and thereby gain credibility. Through their invitation to The Phil they also sought to bring their ideas into the mainstream of the Irish debate on immigration. Immigration is a serious issue – playing an important role in economic and social policy. The BNP hope to insert into the conversation demagoguery and ‘white nationalism’, thereby distorting or destroying serious debate. Their second intention was to give encouragement to hateful and potentially violent racists in Irish society. They want these racists to sow division in our communities along racial, ethnic and national lines. They also want these racists to organise, as demonstrated by their previous association with the failed Irish National Party. The consequences of encouragement to Irish racists cannot be known. Nor can the effects of their organisation. In Britain organised racism has led to hate campaigns and violence. What is certain is that these consequences and effects would be felt by the most vulnerable and marginalised in Irish society. Trinity Against Fascism also asked was the invitation worth its potential consequences. The direct consequences were that someone would get hurt on the night. Evidence from forums demonstrated that far-right groups were organising to attend. Large protests were being co-ordinated also. This posed a risk to Trinity students and staff, minority and migrant groups and any of those invovled in security. The indirect consequences are less obvious. But our call to withdraw the invitation was endorsed by leading Irish anti-racist groups and civic organisations on the grounds that it was likely to contribute to the development of hateful racism in Irish society. We should be very clear about this: the result of an organised racist element in Irish society is real thugs making real people’s lives hell. It is the firework through the letterbox, the assault outside a pub or the hate call in the middle of the night to an immigrant family. These consequences would fall to people in much more vulnerable positions than the vast majority of Trinity students. We stand by our campaign. It broke no rules and resisted any engagement in personal animosities. It stood up for Ireland’s and Trinity's migrant and minority community. It opposed the use of our college as a hub for hate. We thank The Philosophical Society for the withdrawal of their invitation. We feel that it is a responsible course of action." :) Forward the revolution Peace and progress