Conservatives Ditch “Lionheart”

An update on the website of Phyllis Chesler:

Once I posted my interview with Lionheart, some readers insisted that Lionheart is a member of the British National Party which is a fascist, neo-Nazi, Holocaust-denying political party. People in the UK, the USA, and in Israel feared that although Lionheart’s freedom of speech in cyberspace is crucial, and that telling the truth about Islam should not lead to anyone’s arrest—that it was equally crucial that freedom-fighters and democrats not inadvertently make alliances with fascists.

At first, I thought that these well-meaning people were wrong about Lionheart. And why? Because I asked him outright if was a member or supporter of the BNP and he passionately denied that this was so. He insisted that he was an anti-racist who had friends of many ethnicities And then, a British blogger sent me the following snippet from Lionheart’s blog.

A pro-BNP screed from the blog follows, probably found the same way I discovered the shocking truth: by mystically typing the words “Lionheart” + “BNP” into Google. Why Chesler was unable to do this is unexplained. We might ask the same about this CBN News report:

…Some conservatives are refusing to support [Paul] Ray [aka “Lionheart”] because of allegations that he is a member or supporter of the British National Party. The BNP is a white supremacist party. Ray reportedly denies membership in the BNP and insists that he is being slandered.

Perhaps CBN doesn’t have the resources to find out for sure? (BTW, we all know what the BNP stands for, but it now eschews public “white supremacist” positions, for strategic reasons) Also looking sheepish is the Jawa Report:

[11 January]: As to the charges that Lionheart is a supporter of the BNP, I’ve seen no evidence of it…

[14 January]: I’ve been defending Lionheart against the accusations that he’s a BNP supporter. Maybe I was wrong?

“Lionheart’s”/Ray’s support evaporated when his BNP sympathies were picked up – and denounced – by LGF; he responded by denouncing LGF as “a traitor, nothing less than the equivalent of a Second World War Nazi collaborator who would have been shot”, which turned out to be biting off rather more than he could chew. He quickly apologised, and quietly removed his pro-BNP blog postings – alas, too late.

There are a couple of lessons here. Firstly, the easy one: that whatever the real dangers of Islamism, hatred of Islam is the first refuge of the scoundrel in the UK and the USA, and as long as you avoid explicitly stating your support for an unambiguously far-right political party you can easily gain the uncritical support and sympathy of lazy conservative pundits who are willing to jump aboard almost any anti-Muslim bandwagon, no matter how foul or preposterous the rhetoric (although there is a free speech issue worth keeping an eye on). The fact that Ray managed to botch such an easy path to blog-glory doesn’t reflect very well on his abilities.

There is also, though, a more difficult observation: we can see a general human failing here, as well as a conservative vice. People want to hear voices that confirm their view of the world, and it takes an effort to consider critically those with a message that seems congenial – I wouldn’t claim to be perfect here, and I can think of a fair few unworthy characters who enjoy standing in certain “liberal” circles, thanks to a bit of “anti-imperialist” ranting.

So, what next for Paul Ray? Bedfordshire on Sunday has some clues:

Paul Ray, who ‘blogs’ as ‘Lionheart’, left Britain for an undisclosed location in the Middle East two years ago.

He claims he was receiving death threats which made it impossible to stay in his home town of Luton.

Since leaving Britain, he has regularly updated his blog with news and opinions on subjects such as the heroin trade, Islamic fundamentalism and police corruption.

Bedfordshire on Sunday understands that Mr Ray has been intending to return to Britain for over a year, in order to make preparations to emigrate officially and permanently.

Somehow I doubt supporters of the BNP are welcome in Israel, if that’s where he’s heading off to.

25 Responses

  1. I run a blog that supports the British National Party 100% and post here only in the interest of the truth being made known.
    First the BNP is not a neo nazi organisation and has Jewish Members and also a Jewish Councillor. Its membership are just ordinary people from all walks of life that are concerned about the future for their children and grandchildren is a country that has become a nightmare to live in.

    With regards to Lionheart(who I have never met or spoken to), I can tell you this. He is not a BNP member but has written supportive postings but equally has written articles attacking the BNP.

    He is very religious and is a 100% supporter of Israel and like many people who discover a religion can become over zealous.

    I suggest you do a bit more “research” into the background of this man before and take much of what you read at the discredited LGF with a pinch of salt.

  2. First, I didn’t get any of my info from LGF, which I tend to avoid as much as possible – Ray’s blog speaks for itself. He believes that the BNP is the party which God supports and which he wants us to vote for. This outweighs any “attacks” he may have made.

    Second, I didn’t call the BNP “neo-Nazi”, and I even qualified the CBN “white supremicist” description. We all know that the BNP has been trying to clean up its public image, and bringing on board dimwits like Patricia Richardson (the Jewish councillor) is part of the strategy. But thanks to undercover journalism we also know all about the private racist, anti-Jewish, and pro-Hitler views of BNP leaders and of the thuggish behaviour of BNP activists.

  3. Lyin’ Heart has already been to Israel, see his stint as an “undercover agent” in the ISM.
    For the far rightwing pundits, it’s gotta be confusing: here we have a blatant Islamophobe and hate-monger, self-styled Crusader (Crusaderette, more like) against the Muzzie Hordes (gefundenes fressen for rightwingers) and Israel supporter, who nonetheless hangs out with the BNP.

  4. […] is on the side of the BNP”, at which point some scepticism crept in. Phyllis Chesler quickly dropped him, and a repudiation from Little Green Footballs led to Lionheart describing the site as a […]

  5. […] its Media section. Jenvey’s personal friend ”Lionheart” (a “former” BNP supporter who rails against ”Paki Muslims”) has blustered at length that the forum is a front […]

  6. […] held up by the American right as a “free speech martyr”, although he was quickly dropped when statements in support of the BNP came to light (”the Living God is on the side of the […]

  7. […] Conservatives obsessed with the idea that the UK is under Muslim control; alas, however, he was quickly dropped when pro-BNP sentiments (which he has since repudiated) came to light. He has made much of his […]

  8. […] Top Posts Protest in Luton over St. George’s Day Event DecisionObama’s Grandmother Cancels Seventh-Day Adventist BaptismChristian Zionist Attack on Bishop Tom WrightArchbishop Duncan Williams Marries US BusinesswomanConservatives Ditch “Lionheart” […]

  9. […] was was “free speech martyr”; however, when his pro-BNP views were noticed he was quickly dropped. This led to a feud between Ray and Little Green Footballs, with Ray describing Charles Johnson […]

  10. […] man”? Ray has in the past made a number of comments in support of the BNP (which is why he lost the support of American conservatives last year), but he has also tried to keep a bit of distance from the […]

  11. […] erupted month), the Mail noted the involvement of virulent anti-Muslim blogger Paul Ray (”Lionheart“) and gave some details about Dave Smeeton, the group’s organiser. The Mail added […]

  12. […] which erupted month), the Mail noted the involvement of virulent anti-Muslim blogger Paul Ray (”Lionheart“) and gave some details about Dave Smeeton, the group’s organiser. The Mail added that Another […]

  13. […] This had been dragging on for 18 months, and was the original reason that catapulted Ray to brief fame in the USA. The legal details remain slightly obscure; he had claimed that the investigation had […]

  14. I doubt that Ray is BNP. My long term experience of the BNP and nationalism tells me that Ray is a multiracialist through and through. The sort of person who is happy to see a Britain where whites are a minority providing there is not a single Muslim.

    Most Islamophobes are liberals, not nationalists.

  15. […] for the BNP a number of times on his blog, and this was the main reason why American conservatives ditched him last year after initially offering support over his arrest for incitement. Ray takes the view  […]

  16. i have met paul ray on one occasion and certainly wouldn`t have him down as being into white supremacy or any of that rubbish. Thats for people who lack intelligence and i certainly wouldn`t put paul ray in that catergory

  17. […] Geller has continued to support Ray while other American conservatives (such as Phyllis Chesler) have repudicated him. Geller’s enthusiasm for one of Ray’s protests recently led to a spat with Charles […]

  18. […] language, and tends to fetishize medieval suits of armour and such. He also has a habit of calling critics “traitors” and recalling how in wartime traitors would be shot. […]

  19. […] with the group and disassociated himself from it and has a well documented history of racism and alleged links to the British National Party and to self-confessed football hooligans. He was also a close […]

  20. […] views then came to light (“the Living God is on the side of the BNP”), and Chesler repudiated him. Geller, it seems, simply deleted her post on the subject at some point (it was here, and can be […]

  21. […] in support of the British anti-Muslim activist Paul Ray (“Lionheart”). However, she did change her mind once the easy-to-find evidence of his pro-BNP views was brought to her attention. I see that her […]

  22. […] speech martyr” in 2008 over his arrest (which did not lead to any charges), although support quickly evaporated after it was noticed that he had made statements offering qualified support for the BNP (he […]

  23. […] and that he was seeking political asylum in South Carolina; however, support from the likes of Phyllis Chesler evaporated when it was discovered that he had made statements of qualified support for the BNP […]

  24. […] and that he was seeking political asylum in South Carolina; however, support from the likes of Phyllis Chesler evaporated when it was discovered that he had made statements of qualified support for the BNP […]

  25. […] despite the extremity of his statements (which were noted by Sadly No!). However, support melted away after pro-BNP comments came to light; Ray claimed that God was using the BNP and moving it away […]

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