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==Controversy==
In 2006, while a guest of the TV programme 'This Week' presented by [[Andrew Neil]], and featuring regular guests [[Michael Portillo]] and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[Diane Abbott]], the latter accused Hitchens of "being greatly admired by the [[British National Party|BNP]]". Hitchens, who has condemned the BNP on numerous occasions,<ref>[http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2006/04/labour_panics_a.html For example, see this entry in Hitchens's online blog] in which Hitchens, as well as describing the BNP as 'nasty', 'repugnant', 'disreputable' and 'sinister', goes into some detail in outlining his overall attitude towards them.</ref> responded by dismissively asking "Where did that garbage come from?".<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_week/5412812.stm BBC article detailing Hitchens's appearance] (Hitchens presented a piece on [[David Cameron]] before being interviewed by Portillo, Neil, and Abbott in the studio afterwards)</ref>
On August 16th, 2008, Hitchens published an article about taxpayer-financed state compensation to rape victims in Britain. The article was written after the [[Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority]] (CICA) reversed a decision to reduce compensation to a rape victim by 25% on the grounds that she had been drinking at the time of the offence. The usual compensation payment made in such cases is £11,000 GBP. Such payments do not come from the attacker, and form no part of his punishment. They can be made where no-one has been convicted of an attack, or even when the person accused has been acquitted. The CICA changed its mind after a lawyer acting for a rape victim, identified as 'Helen', successfully complained that this treatment was 'indirect sexual discrimination'. 'Helen' was attacked four years ago. She told the CICA she had been drinking but did not say how much alcohol she consumed. The police submission said it was "possible" her behaviour had contributed to the incident, because she had drunk a "large amount" of alcohol. Helen also said that her drink had been spiked. After the CICA reversed its decision, the Justice Minister, [[Bridget Prentice]], commented that "a victim of rape is not in any way culpable due to alcohol consumption. It is never an individual's fault if he/she gets raped;regardless of how much he/she has drunk." <ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/12/ukcrime.law</ref>. Hitchens said the issue of responsibility for rape was separate from the issue of how much compensation a victim should receive. He wrote "Women who get drunk are more likely to be raped than women who do not get drunk. No, this does not excuse rape. Men who take advantage of women by raping them, drunk or sober, should be severely punished for this wicked, treacherous action, however stupid the victim may have been. But it does mean that a rape victim who was drunk deserves less sympathy.
Simple, isn’t it? You can hate rape and want it punished, while still recognising that a woman who, say, goes back to a man’s home after several Bacardi Breezers was being a bit dim." <ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1045954/PETER-HITCHENS-How-Left-censored-blindingly-obvious-truth-rape.html Hitchens' blog about rape.]</ref>
==Publications==
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