Blue Star Chronicles

Britain bans popular American talk show host Michael Savage for fostering extremism or hatred. Is it free speech or hate speech? Read about it below and see a photo and video.

Michael Savage

I find it troubling that free speech is being identified as ‘hate speech’ these days and there are even attempts at legislating what is okay to say and what isn’t. Restricting free speech is opening a can of worms that can not take us anywhere we want to go. I don’t have to like what you say, but I do respect your right to say it.

Apparently, the United Kingdom has decided to ban media personalities who say things that the government has determined is ‘hate speech’. Popular United States talk show host Michael Savage made their list of people banned from entering the U.K. What? Yes. He did. It seems the British government has deemed that his rhetoric fosters hate and extremism. You see, the assumption is that people can’t think for themselves and therefore, any voice that is not in complete compliance with the government’s approved way of speaking must be silenced.

All of those banned from entering the U.K. are alleged to foster extremism or hatred. Savage has been lumped in with the likes of white supremest Stephen Donald Black, a white supremacist, and anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps. Others who Britain has banned for their rhetoric are an Israeli settler, jailed Russian gang members, Hamas parliament member Yunis Al-Astal and Egyptian cleric Safwat el-Higazi. Its good to know its not just conservative radio show hosts who made their list.

There are 22 people on ‘the list’ of people not allowed in Britain. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the U.K.’s law and order chief, says she only released 16 of the names because of ‘public interests’.

It seems odd that Britain would take this kind of action considering the trouble that they have had with islamic radicals over the last few years. Many people are saying that Britain put a variety of people on the list to give the impression they aren’t singling out muslim extremists only.

Michael Savage told The Chronicle in San Francisco that he was shocked when he learned the news this morning.

“When I woke up and saw this this morning … my first thought was, damn, there goes the summer trip where I planned to have my dental work done,” the “Savage Nation” host joked. “My second thought was, darn … there goes my visit to the restaurants of England for their great cuisine.”

But, he added, the issue is no laughing matter — and represents a serious threat to free speech.

“Today it’s me. Tomorrow it’s someone else,” he said. “My first reaction is, this can’t be happening … that the land of the Magna Carta has now become the land of the mini-Carta.”

He is considering taking legal action against Ms. Smith for defamation. As Savage states, its him today, who will it be tomorrow?