And still it continues...

I know there are people trying to "roll us back to the Stone Age" on that one. Thankfully we're not in times where we had to think "What denomination am I supposed to say I am to be safe? What is the current King or Queen of England and I'll say I'm that even if I'm not (ie Protestant or Catholic)" and then there those who would get jealous of, say, a herbwoman living on her own during the "Burning Times" (ie when people proclaimed to be witches could get burnt). So I think "Well at least we're not living in times like that - whew". Hence it shocks me to see there are some people - at various levels of society trying to "roll the clock back" and have a go at someone just for thinking differently to them personally.

If you're a British person (English) and you live in a part of the country like some parts of Scotland (maybe), Wales (North - or as I've discovered - West Wales) and you learn that, though anyone can say anything in your (university) home city and everyone knows it's nothing to do with them unless they are physically in that conversation with you and it's our norm to be polite and tolerant even then and you can think of precisely one instance happening in decades there because it is a very modern/tolerant city - you learn to look over your shoulder in some parts of the country up to a 10' odd radius before saying things you've said for the previous 60 years with no problem whatsoever/because there's nothing wrong with it - in case someone nearby has been eavesdropping/has no manners and verbally leaps on you.

It's a very sorry state of affairs when there are people who act as if they don't know Britain is supposed to be a country of free speech. Whether it's online or in free person you feel like handing them a sheet and saying "Do 100 lines - we have free speech in Britain" as there are people trying to kill that right of ours currently - in the media, on forums, etc. I know I tell myself "Oh well - I've obviously had a LOT more lives on Earth than they have - as I wouldnt do that" (yep believer in reincarnation here - hence I know so clearly curbing free speech is very very wrong) and I just think "They're young....they're younger than me....maybe they'll have learnt that lesson by a few hundred years later/and a couple of extra lives and stop acting that way".

But they are frustrating and I remind myself it must be meant to be an exercise in patience when someone who doesn't believe in our British right to freedom of speech tries to act that out.

CariadAgain

Britain is a free country....where we have freedom of speech
To a certain extent this is no longer true. The language you use in private communication - which you might expect to be free speech can also be subject to criticism if shared with someone who doesn’t like what you say or if they share it.

It is very difficult to know just what words one can use - on this forum - because of those who go off and report posts they personally don't like/terminology they personally don't like. I've figured out who they are by now - ....but, as people have stated to me, there may be "shadows" (ie people who never post on here) also reporting when one has done nothing wrong. One does feel like needing to put a corollary up above sometimes of "Britain is a free country....where we have freedom of speech".....and people have many different ways of putting things.

Even though I've made it very clear I never report anyone anywhere ever just for having a different opinion to me....I don't receive the same respect back from them.

David49

Wyllow3

If you look at the website, there is a sort of !!!! warning note, we need to look at it before making assumptions,

However of course there are some in Israel who don't like what their current government is doing especially as time has gone on..

Of course there are some in Israel who don’t like whats happening in Gaza, a significant number disadvantaged Muslim Israelis, there will also be a lot of mixed marriages too.

In the same way there were many in the UK that wanted to join the Nazis in 1940

That's one of the reasons that it's so important that people use accurate terminology: Jews if they mean Jews, Israelis if they mean Israelis, Netanyahu supporters, etc.

There is so much lazy labelling and conflating of all Jews with supporters of Netanyahu's actions in Gaza, etc.

I'm quite surprised that people haven't heard of B'Tselem.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%27Tselem

My Jewish friend has come back to me already and says "Very much aware of them. They have been supporting Palestinians for many years".....ie she approves of them.

Wyllow3

If you look at the website, there is a sort of !!!! warning note, we need to look at it before making assumptions,

However of course there are some in Israel who don't like what their current government is doing especially as time has gone on..

Of course there are some in Israel who don’t like whats happening in Gaza, a significant number disadvantaged Muslim Israelis, there will also be a lot of mixed marriages too.

In the same way there were many in the UK that wanted to join the Nazis in 1940

Hmmm....I shall have to have a more detailed look at it. Looks to be Americans living there that are running this (American spelling and some of the people involved "attorneys"). Looks professional at first glance.

I'll pass on details of that to my local Jewish friend (who hates what is going on there with a passion) and see if she's heard of them.

choughdancer what do you know about it?

If you look at the website, there is a sort of !!!! warning note, we need to look at it before making assumptions,

However of course there are some in Israel who don't like what their current government is doing especially as time has gone on..

I read that this is an Israeli organization that operates with a clear moral and philosophical foundation rooted in Jewish ethics, but it's not a religious organization.
I don't think it's Jewish because it says:

B'Tselem is an independent, non-partisan organization