Stand up for Human Rights

On this International Day of Human Rights 2020 let us stand up for human rights and democracy in Ireland and #RecoverBetter from the #ChillingEffect of Amnesty International. #HumanRightsDay2020

On 20 November 2020 Colm O'Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland, signed with Amnesty International, an open letter that demanded "legitimate representation" be denied to certain people, people they defined as bigots and denounced as far right.

"We call on media, and politicians to no longer provide legitimate representation for those that share bigoted beliefs, that are aligned with far right ideologies and seek nothing but harm and division."

In a civil democracy who gets to define the rights of people to speak, to be given airtime on national airwaves, and to be granted political representation? Amnesty and 27 government funded Irish NGO's have decided that they do.

When challenged about this demand Amnesty Ireland issued a public statement decrying the many ordinary people who had challenged the letter. Their statement accuses those who spoke up as acting "to decontextualise phrases used in the letter in a way that misleads and confuses people".

According to Amnesty the letter does not "call on media and politicians to no longer provide legitimate representation", rather "the letter asks for media and politicians to not grant legitimacy". Excuse the abundance of negatives. They are examples of AmnestySpeak.

Michael Nugent, chair of Atheists Ireland, gives a thorough analysis of how Amnesty Ireland "falsely denies it’s call to deny human rights" in their statement of 24 November 2020.

In essence it comes down to the fact that words have meanings.

Legitimacy is "the quality of being allowed and acceptable according to the law".

This statement from Amnesty is post hoc double speak designed to deflect and distract.

George Orwell, author of 1984, said Newspeak is "designed to diminish the range of thought." It is characterized "by the substitution of one word for another."

For example "legitimacy" for "legitimate representation". It is there, hiding in plain sight. AmnestySpeak is the new Newspeak.

Amnesty can continue to accuse Michael Nugent, chair of Atheists Ireland, Social Democracy, commentators like Ian O’Doherty of the Irish Independent and Brendan O’Neill of Spiked, and countless ordinary people like me, of using "bad faith arguments".

I don’t think you will buy that line if you take a good look at what is on offer.

Have you ever tried bargaining in a Southeast Asian market for some tourist tat or fake designer goods. If so, you will recognise the phrase "same, same, but different".

Amnesty Ireland’s statement on 24 November 2020 and the original letter — Same, same, but different.

Amnesty UK’s corporate communications about the letter on 26 November 2020 — Same, same, but different.

Look at the reply to a query by an Amnesty International UK member, whose concern was how the letter “denies legitimate representation”. It is dated 26 November 2020 and comes from the following email address sct@amnesty.org.uk. The address of the Amnesty International UK Supporter Communications Team.

There are attempts to decontextualise certain phrases used in the letter in a way that misleads and confuses people, which is a common tactic used against many of our human rights campaigns. For example, the letter asks for media and politicians to not give legitimacy to those spreading vitriol or misinformation. This is being framed as a call to take away their political representation, which anyone reading the letter will clearly see is not what it means.

It is framed as a call to take away our political representation because that is exactly what Amnesty International is calling on media and politicians to do. Moreover Amnesty International is using bad faith tactics to mislead and confuse their members and the general public. AmnestySpeak is Newspeak.

I received a call from a journalist on behalf of a national Irish newspaper on 24 November 2020 at 18:45pm, the very day that Amnesty Ireland released their statement doubling down on demands to deny legitimate representation. The journalist explained that the paper wanted to cover the issue and give both Colm O'Gorman and me an opportunity to comment.

I had the copy of a letter I was preparing to submit to The Irish Times open on my computer. I based the comments I gave to the journalist on the exact text of that letter. The journalist signed off saying they would contact Colm O'Gorman for a response.

That piece never appeared. I heard nothing more from the journalist or the newspaper. I heard nothing from Colm O’ Gorman either.

We should attend carefully when Amnesty International call, as they do in this letter, for “an end in giving airtime” to certain people.

Amnesty International and Colm O'Gorman continue to say there will be no debate. In their public statements and their corporate communications they continue to confuse and mislead people.

They refuse to name the grassroots organisations described in the letter so we are unable test the veracity of their accusations. We are supposed to take their word for it. But their words are AmnestySpeak.

They refuse to evidence the supposed connections between these grassroots organisations and far right ideologies. All I have been offered is partisan oped pieces and random twitter threads that outline nothing more than hearsay, spurious correlations, and rumour.

It is time for us to stand up to the illiberal doctrine pushed by Amnesty.

It is time for us to heal the polarisation they are actively creating in our country.

It is time for civil debate to be platformed.

Is time to stand up to the #ChillingEffect.

I will continue to comment here and on twitter. I will also take concrete action in real life. The number one item on my to do list today is Send letter to Chair of the Board of Amnesty Ireland.

Anybody who is interested in standing up to the #ChillingEffect can get in contact with me here. I don't have a clear vision for how to do this. But in my heart I know that we have what we need and the right people will show up. I will do my best to hold space for the work we need to do. I will doubtless make mistakes. None the less I will listen. I will not freeze you out.

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I write this article in tribute to my Great Grandmother Maud Gonne MacBride who said yes to the treaty and to peace. In this drawing by Countess Markievicz you see her stand up to the Free State Army in protest against their treatment of prisoners during peace time. She was imprisoned for her peaceful protest. My grandfather Sean MacBride, co-founder of Amnesty International, was inspired by her activism. Thanks to @LisadellHouse for sharing the image with me.