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==Controversy==
==Controversy==
The comments pages on Harry's Place are an open forum where debates can frequently become heated.
The comments pages on Harry's Place are an open forum (although Gene often deletes comments critical of Obama) where debates can frequently become heated.


''Harry's Place'' is often accused of [[Islamophobia]]. <ref>Bob Pitt, [http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2005/3/24/harrys-place-and-islamophobia-watch.html Harry's Place and Islamophobia Watch], ''Islamophobia Watch'', March 24, 2005</ref> The site's contributors reply that they are criticizing what they see as a [[reactionary]] interpretation of [[Islam]], not [[Muslims]] in general, and that they are expressing solidarity with Muslims who are oppressed by Islamists.<ref>[http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2005/01/19/on_islamophobia.php On Islamophobia (January 19, 2005)]</ref> <ref>[http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2005/03/23/islamophobia_watch.php Islamophobia Watch (March 23, 2005)]</ref>
''Harry's Place'' is often accused of [[Islamophobia]]. <ref>Bob Pitt, [http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2005/3/24/harrys-place-and-islamophobia-watch.html Harry's Place and Islamophobia Watch], ''Islamophobia Watch'', March 24, 2005</ref> The site's contributors reply that they are criticizing what they see as a [[reactionary]] interpretation of [[Islam]], not [[Muslims]] in general, and that they are expressing solidarity with Muslims who are oppressed by Islamists.<ref>[http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2005/01/19/on_islamophobia.php On Islamophobia (January 19, 2005)]</ref> <ref>[http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2005/03/23/islamophobia_watch.php Islamophobia Watch (March 23, 2005)]</ref>

Revision as of 20:10, 17 March 2010

Harry's Place is a British political weblog first set up in November 2002 and named for the Sham 69 song "Hurry up Harry" and the first name of the founder of the blog, Harry Hatchet. The logo on the front page of the blog is a quote from George Orwell: "Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear".

It has been nominated for a number of awards, including a Guardian award for political blogs [1], the 2005 Weblog awards for UK blogs, [2] as well as the UK section of the Islamic Human Rights Commission's 'Annual Islamophobia Awards' 2006[3]; posts on the site have ridiculed these last awards and openly invited nomination. [4]

File:Harrysplace logo.png

Politics

Harry's Place defines itself as centre-left and was supportive of the 2003 invasion of Iraq[5], the concept of humanitarian intervention[6] , and liberal dissident movements in the Islamic world. It is a supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict[7]. It is highly critical of Islamism [8] and of what it characterises as totalitarian, pro-Islamist and antisemitic tendencies on the left.[9] [10] Nick Cohen noted that the blog was one of few places where it was being pointed out that "a section of the left has allied with religious fundamentalism". [11]

The site is particularly critical of Ken Livingstone, [12] [13] George Galloway, [14] RESPECT, [15] [16] and the Socialist Workers Party.[17] It is a staunch opponent of religious and political censorship of all kinds, [18] and was supportive of the 2006 London March for Free Expression.[19] The site is also one of the main backers of the Euston Manifesto.[20]

"Harry Hatchet" has had several guest columns in The Guardian's technology and online commentary sections.[21] [22] On the other hand, Harry's Place contributors disagree with The Guardian's editorial writers more often than not, and their vehement disagreements with various Guardian columns are a frequent subject of topic on their site.[23]

Contributors

Harry's Place was originally started by a blogger, using the nom de plumes Harry Steele and Harry Hatchet or just Harry, who was originally the sole writer. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center served as a "wake up call" according to Harry, prompting him to try to better understand what political forces led up to it. In 2002, he began blogging as a way to clarify his own thoughts on political issues such as the impending war in Iraq, moving away from his Communism to embrace a more moderate social-democratic worldview. He made a public break with his former views in a Workers' Liberty message board discussion in October 2002, where he said Stalinism was a viewpoint "I now reject totally".[24]

The rapid growth in the site's audience led him to include other like-minded writers so that the blog could be updated more regularly. Harry ceased to contribute regularly at the end of September 2005.[25]

Other contributors include Marcus, Gene Zitver (aka "Gene"), David Toube, and more recently, Adam LeBor, Brett Lock, Brian Meredith and others. Marcus is an old friend and political comrade of Harry's. Marcus attended the February 15 2003 anti-war protest in London, and came away with the opinion that "I don't know if I can consider myself left-wing anymore if this is the left". Marcus wrote about his views on the politics behind the February 15 demonstration, and soon became a regular contributor. Gene is a resident of the United States and from a socialist and trade union background, and had spent several years living in Israel. Harry came across Gene's posts on a George Orwell discussion list, and invited him to start posting on his blog. Gene is a strong opponent of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, whom he accuses of being authoritarian[26]

David Toube is a lawyer and former lecturer. He also came to blogging after the September 11 attacks. One of his close childhood friends was among those killed in the World Trade Center, while another close childhood friend became a militant Islamist, and appeared in the media applauding the attacks. Toube claims that he took up reading and writing blogs as a way of trying to making sense of these events.[27] Journalist Johann Hari also contributed articles to the weblog until Autumn 2004, when he left to start his own blog.

Controversy

The comments pages on Harry's Place are an open forum (although Gene often deletes comments critical of Obama) where debates can frequently become heated.

Harry's Place is often accused of Islamophobia. [28] The site's contributors reply that they are criticizing what they see as a reactionary interpretation of Islam, not Muslims in general, and that they are expressing solidarity with Muslims who are oppressed by Islamists.[29] [30]

The blog is frequently critical of prominent anti-Zionist activists such as Gilad Atzmon,[31] Keith Burstein and Alexei Sayle [32] and in particular academics who demonise Israel such as Norman Finkelstein,[33] Noam Chomsky, [34] and Schlomo Sand.[35]

In July 2008 Harry's Place posted on an Al Jazeera report, translated by one of its contributors, in which the director of the British Muslim Initiative, Mohamed Sawalha, appeared to speak of the "evil Jew".[36] Al Jazeera subsequently changed the phrase to "Jewish Lobby".[citation needed] The British Muslim Initiative claimed that the translation of the original phrase was "malevolent" and implied that their President, Mohammed Sawalha was "anti-semitic and hateful". Mohamed Sawalha had been identified by the BBC in 2006 as a senior Hamas activist. [37]

On August 26, 2008, Harry's Place was briefly offline following a complaint to its DNS provider.[38] The site had reported that a member of the University and College Union's discussion list had posted links to white supremacist David Duke's website to support the call for a boycott on Israel. [39][40]

References

  1. ^ The Guardian political blog awards
  2. ^ Weblog awards
  3. ^ What is Islamophobia?Islamic Human Rights Commission website
  4. ^ We've been nominated, Harry's Place entry
  5. ^ What war, what left?, Harry's Place entry
  6. ^ The support of liberals for humanitarian intervention Harry's Place entry
  7. ^ Obama in Cairo Harry's Place entry
  8. ^ Islamism and Democracy (August 31, 2005)
  9. ^ The alliance (July 27, 2005)
  10. ^ Left antisemitism (October 23, 2005)
  11. ^ Nick Cohen, "Saddam's very own party", New Statesman, June 7, 2004, p. 26
  12. ^ Playing softball with Ken Livingstone (July 20 2005)
  13. ^ Ken Livingstone hosts Muslim Brotherhood propaganda exercise (February 8 2006)
  14. ^ My sendoff for George (September 25 2005)
  15. ^ RESPECT and the missing 500,000 (December 1 2005)
  16. ^ Pensioner attacked by RESPECT supporter (April 28 2005)
  17. ^ More Atzmon weasel words from the SWP (June 22 2005)
  18. ^ Kill the Bill (October 27 2005)
  19. ^ Freedom of Expression (March 27 2006)
  20. ^ The Manifesto - a personal view (April 13 2006)
  21. ^ Harry Hatchet, "A Blogger Writes", The Guardian, July 15, 2003
  22. ^ Comment is Free
  23. ^ Bunting cant. (March 29, 2006)
  24. ^ "Workers' Liberty discussion
  25. ^ Media Matters, The Observer, October 2, 2005, p. 9
  26. ^ Chavez vs the trade unions Harry's Place entry
  27. ^ Oliver Burkeman, "The new commentariat", The Guardian, November 17, 2005, p. 8
  28. ^ Bob Pitt, Harry's Place and Islamophobia Watch, Islamophobia Watch, March 24, 2005
  29. ^ On Islamophobia (January 19, 2005)
  30. ^ Islamophobia Watch (March 23, 2005)
  31. ^ Music for Antisemites, 10 March 2009
  32. ^ Alexei Sayle's Intellectual Journey, 10 May 2009
  33. ^ Finkelstein in trouble again, 26 May 2008
  34. ^ Chomsky on Cambodia, 21 October 2005
  35. ^ The Sandman, 10 May 2009
  36. ^ Harry's Place (2008) "British Muslim Initiative: "We Resent the Evil Jew in Britain"". 2008-07-02. Retrieved on 2008-07-15.
  37. ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (2006) Transcript of Panorama programme "Faith, Hate and Charity", BBC1, 2006-07-30.Retrieved on 2008-07-15.
  38. ^ Don't panic if Harry's Place disappears briefly Explanations on back-up blog.
  39. ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219572143539&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
  40. ^ Going Nowhere
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