Sunday, February 12, 2006

Poll backs cartoon publishing



Most people in Britain believe newspapers were right to publish the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad which have sparked violent protests by Muslims across the globe.
As thousands gathered in London for a second weekend of demonstrations - which passed off peacefully - the YouGov poll for the Sunday Times found little sympathy.
And it also suggested the country was pessimistic about community relations with British Muslims - with 67% expecting tensions to worsen.
The decision to publish the cartoons - and the reprint of them elsewhere - was backed by more than two to one, 56% to 29%.
A huge majority - 88% - agreed that the violent protests have been a "gross overreaction" and 58% said they were angered by placards seen in London last week.
Some carried slogans threatening a repeat of the September 11 and July 7 bombings and 76% of those polled said the police should have arrested those carrying them.
Scotland Yard chiefs have insisted their immediate priority was public safety and that the evidence would be examined subsequently to see if charges could be brought.
However, the poll found that 80% of people thought police and politicians showed too much tolerance of such extremism, with 67% blaming political correctness by senior officers.
The survey also suggested that more than four in five people (81%) believe foreigners who stir up racial and religious hatred should be deported no matter what the consequences.
Only 17% believed there was a future of peaceful co-existence between Muslims and other Britons and 87% of people expected a repeat of the July 7 bombings.

1 comment:

J said...

good find EK, i heard about this from someone today but thought it was too good to be true