It's Gays v Muslims as the Rainbow Alliance falls apart

From the Telegraph of London:

Stonewall, the gay rights charity, is strongly backing Clause 58, the legislation that would outlaw "homophobic hate speech". It denies that the measure is aimed at comedy poking fun at homosexuals - and I agree. I reckon Clause 58 is a thinly veiled attack on gay-bashing by Muslims and sections of the black community.

As Stonewall say: "The new offence will tackle serious acts of hatred directed towards lesbian and gay people. These include homophobic song lyrics, available to buy in Britain, which encourage the torture and murder of gay people and violently homophobic publications and websites, available to the general public." 

In other words, acts of hatred by certain black reggae artists and Muslim radical clerics. 

Clause 58 illustrates how much the "Rainbow Alliance" is in trouble. The coalition of gay rights groups, feminists, socialists, black and Muslim groups was always reminiscent of the Onion's fake World War II headline: "Japan Forms Alliance With White Supremacists in Well-Thought-Out Scheme". Now it's falling apart.

The gay rights movement was formed with three aims - to repeal laws against homosexual behaviour, to fight discrimination in the workplace, and make the population accept homosexuality. They've achieved all three - in Britain 71 per cent of people find homosexuality "acceptable", and among the young that figure is far higher, even among Christians and Conservatives.

I've noticed more gay men in the Conservative party, and in my constituency they've just selected a gay man for the next election. Admittedly I live in North London and they're hardly going to send in a whisky-soaked old colonel to fight the seat, but even in small towns attitudes are softening. My dad has come to accept homosexuality, and he has barely come around to accepting the Great Reform Act.

Almost all the gay-bashing, in London at least, comes from ethnic minorities, inspired by an increasingly intolerant Islam and a violence-obsessed black musical subculture.

The equality industry are shy about publishing figures, but the East London Advertiser is filled with horrific stories. There were 47 anti-gay attacks in Tower Hamlets last year; Muslims in swinging London are among the most anti-gay in Europe.

UPDATE: More news in the, apparently, quickening split between Muslims and Gays:

The street where Olly was stabbed on August 28

THE East End’s gay community has declared ‘enough is enough’ after a young man was left fighting for his life following a brutal homophobic stabbing by a gang of youths. 

A 20-year-old, known as Olly, was stabbed seven times in the back and chest, outside a gay-friendly pub this week. 

He remains in a critical condition in hospital and police have launched an attempted murder investigation. 

Both Bethnal Green and Bow MP George Galloway and Abjol Miah, the leader of the Respect group at Tower Hamlets council, have called for all communities to condemn last week’s attack in Boundary Street.

With 47 homophobic attacks in Tower Hamlets over the last 12 months, one man called the Advertiser to say: “It’s time we stood up for ourselves. I’m fed up with people almost excusing this kind of violence.” 

Police have branded last Thursday’s assault as “evil” and are treating it as homophobic. Cops believe the 20-year-old had been walking to the gay-friendly George and Dragon pub in Hackney Road with a woman when he was attacked at the junction of Boundary Street and Austin Street in Shoreditch onThursday. 

He was hounded by a group of around five teenage boys, hit over the head with a glass bottle then stabbed seven times in the back and chest. He underwent life-saving surgery at Whitechapel’s Royal London Hospital on Friday morning. 

The stabbing is also being linked to an assault in the same area 24 hours before in which a man and woman were both attacked and were kicked and punched by a group of youths. 

Det Insp Howard Way, of Tower Hamlets police, condemned the attack as “evil”, but although it was being treated as a homophobic crime, he was keeping an open mind about motive. 

Three men have been arrested, but police refused to give any details about their backgrounds. 

MP George Galloway said: “This is a sickening and vile assault that I am sure will unite the diverse community of Tower Hamlets in condemnation. “A near fatal knife attack by a group of people on a defenceless man is horrific enough. The fact that this also appears to be a homophobic hate crime compounds the evil.

“There is a rich and tolerant mix in Tower Hamlets. It’s one of the good things about our borough, and I am determined to keep it that way. Everyone needs to accept that people are different.” 

His Respect colleague Cllr Miah added: “There is no justification, in any language or any belief, for savagely setting upon a young man like this.” The gay community has grown in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch over recent years and Alan Booth, 45, who lives in Columbia Road, said it was time to fight back against homophobic violence. 

He said: “It has just got worse and worse around here—it’s left people frightened to go out. The problem is with a minority of Bengali youth: but that minority is significant. 

“Just because we’re gay doesn’t mean we aren’t men. It’s time we stood up for ourselves. I’m fed up with people excusing this kind of violence and the gay community are as guilty as anyone else in that. 

“It’s time we got some intelligent, sensible people together to discuss what we can do to make it safer for the gay community and for everyone in Shoreditch.” 

The three men arrested in connection with the attack have since been released on police bail.