Luke


Thanks from Switzerland.

How come you all look more intelligent than Abu Laban (sorry for the lousy joke: I know that's not diffcult)

Maria


Well done guys. We were going to go but decided not to after the main principle seemed to change (i.e. no cartoons allowed). Anyway, I applaud you and thank you for standing up for freedom. Can someone tell me what the main placards said as there are no close-ups of these? Thanks and well done again!

Anonymous Bastard

nice pics. thx for having the guts to stand up against Islamo-fascism!!! This is only the beginning.
I think it was a success and we have the medias attention.

better luck - more people -next time ;)

marcel
from germany

Tom Gordon


Thanks from New York City

Your message and photographs made my day! At last, a group of freethinkers standing up to hatred and intolerance. I can only hope that as the Islamic fascists become more radical, there will be more rallies like yours. Freedom of expression and freedom of choice need to be defended at all costs. There can be no middle ground with those who want to control what we say, write, draw, or do. They afraid to debate, because they are afraid of the truth. Since there can be no dialog, they must be confronted. FREEDOM MUST BE DEFENDED!!!!!!!

Jim Emerson

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=SCANNERS

Brilliant job -- and a very moving Statement on your petition (which I also signed).

You folks should also focus attention on another example of religion-mocking cartoons being banned in the UK (and suppressed in the US): Tom Cruise and Scientology have reportedly put pressure on Viacom/Paramount and, as a result, the Scientology-mocking "South Park" episode "Trapped in the Closet" will not be shown at all in the UK and has been pulled from the repeat schedule in the US.

When governments or media corporations buckle under to religious pressure, free speech is quashed.

Nordish

http://nordish.net/blog/

More pictures here:

http://nordish.net/blog/?p=25

Damned Infidel

Great pics; freedom of speech must absolutely be defended. If someone doesn't like what you're saying, they're free to protest.

Threatening violence just shows the paucity of the arguments of fascists!

margo


Keep up the good work, and continue protesting. Citizens of the Free World can't buckle to the ignorance and hatered of the Islamofascits seeking to destroy us. To keep the Free World really free, its citizens must be allowed to express their opinions. Way to go!!!

Perry de Havilland

http://samizdata.net/blog

More images of the rally are here http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/2006/03/the_profreedom.html

steve

Great effort but the other thing you need to address and i am not joking is the European birth rate because if you don,t get a positive birthrate muslims in the end are going to rule Europe,they will become the majority and have the numbers to win a democratic election and then we will see how long your free countries last.

Mary

New York City is with you. Good going guys. Life ain't nothin' if you can't express yourself freely. Keep up the good fight.

Lukas

http://don't have one

There should be many more people like you. Europeans, especially the Left, seem to labour under the fatal miscompehension that you can actually argue and negotiate with Islamofascists, and that they will leave them in peace if only they let them get on with their business of hatred and bigotry, expressed through the means of threats and extreme violence

Anonymous Bastard

Good for you! We need more people like you!

Ted

Sir Percy

http://www.talkveritas.com/

Well done for attending the rally on what was such a damp day, especially towards the end.

Also many thanks for providing me with the the only photographic proof that I was actually there!

Yes - Paola was hot and tell her that she can sign my petition any time ;-)

If we do this again we'll EACH have to bring at least 10 people because the turnout was a bit dismal.

It was great to see people from so many different political backgrounds united around such an important issue.

One question - which pub did you go to?

All the best,

Sir Percy

Don


Sorry I couldn't make it. Don New York

Michael Fuchs


Cheers to everyone for chiming in with really lovely, supportive (and well-expressed!) comments, from all around the world. Cheers to Andrew Sullivan for the link. (The first sign he's ever read me after, oh, about 5 years of me reading him. ;^) Cheers to the other participants/bloggers who have posted links to other (really great!) photos from the day. Especial cheers to Peter Risdon for his Herculean efforts in making it all happen; to all the speakers, who were stirring, first-to-last; and to all the really lovely people I met on the day - and with whom I look forward to building enduring friendships. (And whose excellent blogs I look forward to reading, with the veriest keenness!)

Follow-up dispatches on the march to follow (whenever I get a couple of free minutes to rub together . . .).

Thanks once again to all who've expressed their support here. It is appreciated.

Michael

j0nz

http://drunkenblogging.blogspot.com/

Superb photos mate!

neil

http://www.littleatoms.com/

Hi Michael,

It was a pleasure to meet you both, and a shame we failed to meet up in the pub later.

Sorry to hear about the incident with the gang, this is the only bit of trouble I have heard about the day.

Best wishes

Neil

Bernie

http://www.icanhelpit.co.uk

It was good to meet you especially the beautiful Paola.

GravelRash

http://democracyfrontline.org/blog/

What a great thing you've done!!! Fan-bloody-tastic! (I know not ALL poms object to 'bloody!')
I'd have given anything to participate in this, but it's a long way from Oz!
However, your efforts didn't go unnoticed, at least on the blogshere. I hope those ales, harram as they are, tasted better than ever!
Perhaps I've missed it, but where are the photos of the 'near miss' with the "offended" muslim?
As was said by someone earlier, Paola can petition me as often as she likes!

Steve

http://pubphilosopher.blogs.com/

Have you seen this?

http://pubphilosopher.blogs.com/pub_philosopher/
2006/03/free_speech_pro.html

Daniella

Thank you for standing up for freedom. Freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, individual freedoms are the biggest value we have. We should not take them for granted or let them be threatened.
I wish I could have been there at the demo. Next time I will join :-) Best wishes,
Daniella from Hungary

alison

http://www.makingheadlines21c.blogspot.com/

Hello Michael. I missed the comments section, doh! It was great to meet you. I hope we get to meet up/do that all again soon.

Sir Percy

http://talk-veritas.blogspot.com/

There are some great ideas for the way forward on the March for Free Expression Blog!

However, a Blog is not an ideal place for discussion.

A Forum would be much easier for everyone.

I just happen to have a 'CaFÉ' forum that I created earlier!!!

Link:

http://freeexpression.17.forumer.com

Please drop by and try it out.

I hope to see you soon and please, bring your friends!