Ryan Erfani-Ghettani exposes the double-talk of the English Defence League.
Category Archives: English Defence League
Stoke-on-Trent mosque arsonists jailed
Two men have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of deliberately setting fire to a Stoke-on-Trent mosque.
Ex-soldier Simon Beech, 23, and Garreth Foster, 29, both from Stoke, were found guilty of setting fire to Hanley’s Regent Road mosque on 3 December. The pair both denied running a pipe into the building from a nearby gas meter in a bid to spark an explosion at the mosque, which suffered about £50,000 damage as a result of the fire.
Speaking after the verdicts were delivered, Rana Tufail, a member of the mosque committee, said it was “difficult” to describe the arson attack. He said: “It is a community project. They have put their soul into it. They have put their earnings into it and they [Beech and Foster] tried to destroy it. We are happy that it’s still standing.”
Ch Supt Bernie O’Rielly, from Staffordshire Police, added that he had no doubts that the pair’s intention was to “blow the mosque up”. “Without doubt that would have caused hate in the community, division in the community and broken down all the cohesion and good work we do,” he said. “The community around this area have been an absolute credit. They’ve acted with such restraint and so dignified in the face of such provocation.”
See also “EDL soldier and crony jailed for 10 years for Stoke mosque arson”, UAF news report, 8 December 2011
The IRR’s recent study The new geographies of racism: Stoke-on-Trent provides some useful context to the case. It can be downloaded here.
Hanley mosque arson accused’s links to far right parties
One of the men accused of setting fire to a Stoke-on-Trent mosque was a member of the British National Party (BNP) and English Defence League (EDL).
Simon Beech was a serving soldier with the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, based at Weeton Barracks near Preston, Lancashire, when he is alleged to have set fire to the City Central Mosque in Regent Road, Hanley, in the early hours of December 3 last year.
He is accused of entering the mosque, which was still under construction, with his co-accused Garreth Foster. The Crown Prosecution Service allege the pair were responsible for starting a blaze on the ground floor and feeding a gas pipe upstairs, from a neighbouring property.
Europe’s far right focuses on fighting Islam
The Associated Press reports.
Another member of the ‘non-racist’ EDL exposed
Portsmouth Nazi Watch provided useful details of two English Defence League members who recently appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court (see here and here). It has now posted a revealing report on another local EDL member, a self-confessed petty crook named James Bateman, whose Facebook page lists his religious beliefs as “see a muslim kill a muslim”.
Police appeal for help in identifying EDL thugs
Last week at Newcastle Crown Court nine EDL supporters were sentenced for their part in an attack on an Irish centre where a Socialist Workers Party meeting had been scheduled to take place. After the SWP called off the meeting for fear of violence, the EDL attacked staff at the centre instead. Six of the gang were given prison sentences and three others received suspended jail terms.
Police have now released CCTV pictures of a further six suspects who are wanted in connection with the attack.
Two on trial for trying to burn down mosque in Stoke
Two men are due to go on trial today after denying trying to burn down a £1.6 million mosque.
Simon Beech, aged 23, and Gareth Foster, aged 28, are accused of starting a fire at the new mosque, in Regent Road, Hanley, on December 3 last year.
EDL’s North East boss Spence jailed for attack on left meeting
The English Defence League’s North East regional organiser Alan Spence has been jailed for his part in an attack on a socialist meeting, along with several of his racist and fascist cohorts.
Spence is a leading figure in the EDL – and a key link between the EDL and the British National Party: he stood as a parliamentary candidate for the BNP at the general election.
He was sent down for seven months today, following the attack at the Tyneside Irish Centre, where the Socialist Workers Party was holding a meeting last September.
Man arrested over trouble at EDL protest
Police investigating offences committed during an English Defence League demonstration in Halifax have arrested a 50-year-old man. The suspect, from Bolton, has since been bailed, pending further inquiries.
The arrest was made after officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage from earlier this year when the EDL protested in the town. As a result of their work, nine men were identified as wanted over public order offences, with officers believing they could be living in West and South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
BNP leader applauds rejection of Blackpool mosque planning application, boasts that he advised mosque opponents on their campaign
Yesterday the Blackpool Gazette reported that there had been “relief and delight” when the council’s planning committee rejected an application by the Noor-A-Madina Mosque.
As is usual in such cases, formal objections had centred on supposed parking problems, and opponents claimed that their campaign against the mosque had “nothing to do with race or religion”. But there was evidence to suggest otherwise. It was also clear that the English Defence League was involved in whipping up fear and hatred over the issue (see here and here).
The British National Party MEP for North West England, Nick Griffin, has now posted a statement on his website hailing the planning committee’s decision as “a victory for the people”. The statement claims:
Nick Griffin MEP was contacted earlier by a number of concerned residents following a meeting of over 100 people opposed to the mosque. Responding to their appeal for assistance Nick advised: “I believe that it is imperative that the building of new mosques is halted in order to prevent Britain being further colonised by Islamists. It is in the power of the residents of South Shore to stop this one by lobbying Blackpool Council to refuse this planning application.”
In a letter to residents in October, Nick’s Constituency Office explained to the public how to voice their opposition. His office urged people to contact the council and present their concerns, “It is highly likely that the Council will approve the mosque’s planning application unless the opposition campaign is of sufficient strength to ensure that they have no choice but to listen to the will of local residents. It is important, therefore, that as many people as possible make their objections known to Blackpool Council. Anyone can send in their views about a current planning application via Blackpool Council’s on-line planning application pages.”
See also Griffin’s earlier report “New mosque will change the face of Blackpool”.
Update: See “‘It can be done’ – Local opposition blocks Blackpool mosque”, BNP news report, 1 December 2011
Update 2: The EDL are also claiming credit for the planning committee’s decision:
