Here we go again.
John Cleese — the comedian and national treasure — has been reported to the Government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent, over his social media posts about Islam.
The ability to criticise, debate, challenge and mock a religion is a fundamental right in Britain. Parliament voted to abolish our blasphemy laws in 2008 — 18 years ago. Yet it appears we now have one for Islam alone.
The official Islamophobia definition — repackaged as “anti-Muslim hostility” — has emboldened those who wish to silence criticism of Islam.
One of John’s posts in question reads: “I personally prefer a culture that does not approve of FGM, child marriage and killing infidels.”
The Islamic website 5Pillars reports that the complainant described John’s posts as “dehumanising and collectively attributing violence and criminality to Muslims”, and assessed the risk as “moderate to high”.
Enough is enough. This madness must stop. We cannot allow an Islam-specific blasphemy law to take root.
We stand with @JohnCleese and are ready to help him should he need it.
Once a culture is gone, it doesn't come back.
The pubs, the dialect, the village traditions, the slower pace of life, none of it exists by accident, and none of it is guaranteed to still be here in another generation.
It survives because people choose to keep it alive.
Worth remembering, before it's too late 🥰
Remember everyone deployed.
Home is quieter because they’re not in it. I say this so I don’t forget the empty chairs, the missed calls, and the families holding it together until they walk back through the door. 🙏🏻🇺🇸
In September of 1944, Easy Company paratrooper Pfc. David Webster poses for the camera with the local population in Eindhoven, Netherlands. 🪂
@PieceJake on the colorization 🎨
The Æthelwulf Ring - one of the finest surviving pieces of 9th-century Anglo-Saxon goldwork 🏴
Made during the lifetime of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, father of Alfred the Great, it is decorated in gold and niello and bears the inscription “Æthelwulf Rex” - Æthelwulf the King. Its central design shows two peacocks facing the Tree of Life, a Christian symbol of immortality.
The ring was discovered at Laverstock in Wiltshire in the late 18th century and is now held by the British Museum. Whether Æthelwulf personally wore it is uncertain; the Museum suggests rings like this may instead have been royal gifts or symbols of office given to loyal followers.
A remarkable survivor from the royal house of Wessex, made more than 1,100 years ago 🏴
Walks in the Yorkshire Dales don't have to be complicated.
From Kettlewell to Starbotton, or further on to Buckden.
Simply follow the river for stunning views.
No climbs, no maps, no skills needed, just a sense of adventure 🥰
God’s ‘mercies are new every morning,’ — as fresh as if never tired with former acts of grace, nor wearied with former offences.
—Thomas Manton, Works 6:158
Edward of Woodstock - the Black Prince - was born on 15th June 1330, the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. Created Prince of Wales in 1343, he became one of the outstanding English commanders of the Hundred Years’ War.
At just sixteen, Edward fought at the Battle of Crécy in 1346, where the outnumbered English army inflicted a devastating defeat upon the French. Ten years later, at Poitiers, he commanded another heavily outnumbered English force and won one of England’s greatest medieval victories, capturing King John II of France and much of the French nobility.
Edward later governed the English principality of Aquitaine and campaigned in Spain, winning another major victory at Nájera in 1367. However, the enormous expense of his wars, worsening illness and growing unrest in Aquitaine overshadowed his final years.
He married Joan of Kent and fathered the future Richard II. Edward died on 8 June 1376, one year before his father, and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral beneath one of England’s finest surviving medieval military effigies.
A brilliant battlefield commander, Edward the Black Prince remains one of the most formidable warrior princes in English history 🏴