Controversies Rohan Jayasekera (writer)

1 controversies

1.1 jayasekera , david irving
1.2 john malkovich
1.3 theo van gogh

controversies
jayasekera , david irving

between 2001 , 2004, jayasekera ran associated blog uk quarterly magazine index on censorship @ www.indexonline.org. in may 2001, provoked outrage critics of holocaust denier david irving agreeing share stage him @ oxford union oppose proposition house restrict free speech of extremists . previous year high court judge had found mr irving active holocaust denier; anti-semitic , racist , associates right-wing extremists promote neo-nazism . strong protest followed, including direct appeals chair of board, michael grade, , objections of jayasekera s colleagues.

at time before irving s jailing in austria, jayasekera criticised breaking so-called no platform rule. policy – formally adopted britain s national union of students , other groups – requires, first, fascists should not given public forum, , secondly if gain platform other political parties , organisations should refuse share them. jayasekera declined comply. debate cancelled on advice of police.

john malkovich

there similar protest year later when jayasekera went online defend index on censorship s refusal cancel charity performance of john malkovich film dancer upstairs @ london s institute of contemporary arts (ica). in may 2002, malkovich had been asked – star of les liaisons dangereuses – fight duel with. picked robert fisk, independent newspaper s middle east correspondent, , glasgow mp george galloway, adding rather duel them, rather shoot them . fisk reacted outrage [1]; reporters sans frontieres condemned malkovich s comments, jayasekera dismissed them flippant in article index website. can cry wolf once on unrealistic threats , jayasekera wrote. undermines case real action when real , present dangers journalists raise heads. added:

over years since (the rwanda genocide), , not without criticism, index on censorship has turned reporting areas right free speech conflicts these other rights. index on censorship journalistic enterprise, not campaigning agency. has freed make judgement calls – equivocate – on when , , how , why freely expressed word can direct threat other human rights.

the fundraising event went ahead in december 2002 despite street protest outside ica. index on censorship has since changed strategy include number of successful advocacy campaigns in uk , abroad.

theo van gogh

jayasekera spent of 2003 , 2004 in iraq working on index on censorship s local media rights support projects in baghdad, in late 2004 again involved in controversy after writing online article many readers seemed condone or justify murder of dutch film-maker theo van gogh. article claimed van gogh free-speech fundamentalist had been on martyrdom operation[,] roar[ing] muslim critics silence obscenities in abuse of right free speech . describing van gogh s film submission furiously provocative , jayasekera concluded describing death as:

a sensational climax lifetime s public performance, stabbed , shot bearded fundamentalist, message killer pinned dagger chest, theo van gogh became martyr free expression. passing marked magnificent barrage of noise amsterdam hit streets celebrate him in way man himself have appreciated. , timing! long-awaited biographical film of pim fortuyn s life ready screen. bravo, theo! bravo!

there many protests both left- , right-wing commentators @ article. veteran feminist commentator germaine greer called item vile vomit , told london sunday telegraph in december 2004, that:

problem index on censorship s position that, nature, have publish things don t agree in order prove own point. hope giving fanatic platform , listening says, people able see how crazy person , refute arguments. on other hand, no 1 ever went broke underestimating intelligence of public.

nick cohen of observer claimed in december 2004 jayasekera:

...told me that, many other readers, shouldn t have made mistake of believing index on censorship against censorship, murderous censorship, on principle — in same way amnesty international opposed torture, including murderous torture, on principle. may have been radical youth, concerned fighting hate speech protecting free speech.

ursula owen, editor-in-chief of index on censorship, , co-founder of feminist publishers virago repudiated cohen s account in letter observer. later apologised jayasekera s original comment article, saying didn t think tone (was) right .