Following on from the One Community advert in Saturday’s Guardian, Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, explains why he supports the call for a ban on the EDL marching through East London on 3 September.
Sign the petition calling on the Home Secretary to ban this march at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk.
A major charity that tackles racism in schools has been forced to expand its work to combat the growing influence of the English Defence League (EDL), its chief executive has warned.
The EDL, which has organised a series of protests which have turned violent, has become a “significant street force”, according to Ged Grebby from Show Racism the Red Card.
“The rise of Islamophobia combined with organisations like the EDL show we have a real problem in society,” Mr Grebby said. “There’s no doubt some young white people do feel disenfranchised. The EDL has given us a kick up the backside. It has been a focus for young people in particular.”
Show Racism the Red Card, which delivers workshops to schools to tackle racist attitudes, has made a series of films to tackle anti-Muslim sentiments. It now also speaks to children about homophobia and prejudice against asylum-seekers.
The expansion of its work follows a report released by the charity last month, which found that racism is still a “very real issue” in English schools. More than eight out of 10 teachers questioned said they had witnessed racist jokes, name-calling and stereotyping by pupils; 31 per cent said they had witnessed racist attitudes among fellow teachers.
Mr Grebby said teachers needed better training to combat racism, especially anti-Muslim abuse. “On traditional racism teachers are quite confident,” he said. “But when it comes to Islamophobia they are terrified. They worry if it’s an issue they don’t know a lot about, it could make things worse if they tackle it.”
Kevin Carroll addresses the rather thin ranks of the UK’s ‘biggest street movement’
The EDL protest in Telford yesterday passed off relatively peacefully. During the rally itself there were only around half a dozen arrests for offences including possession of offensive weapons, and later three people were arrested for assaulting police officers. Police estimates put the attendance at 300-350 but other accounts suggest that the real figure was much lower.
The Home Secretary Theresa May has this morning banned tomorrow’s planned marches in Wellington in a move that has been welcomed by Telford & Wrekin Council.
The Council had written to the Home Secretary Theresa May requesting the EDL march be banned following a recommendation by West Mercia Police. This request was made under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986.
The decision means that all marches including a planned counter Unity march will be banned from taking place in Telford and Wrekin. It is however expected that the English Defence League will still carry out a static demonstration in Wellington tomorrow, which West Mercia Police has decided will take place in Church Street.
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Community Cohesion, said: “We welcome the fact that the Home Secretary has approved our request for the marches to be banned. However, there will still be a significant multi-agency operation in Wellington tomorrow in anticipation of a static protest. Telford & Wrekin Council and West Mercia Police have worked very closely over the past few weeks to develop a comprehensive plan for before, during and after the event.
“People can be reassured that both organisations have the resources available and the experience to deal with any incidents on the day. We have also worked very closely with local residents and the business community in Wellington and we would like to thank them for their support. Telford & Wrekin Council has always said that it does not want this to take place in the borough.”
Chief Inspector Keith Gee of West Mercia Police said: “Even though the Home Secretary has given her consent it does not prevent any static assemblies taking place, which are still lawful provided they remain peaceful, and we have no legal powers to prevent them. We shall do everything possible to ensure that any assembly on Saturday remains peaceful and poses the least amount of disruption possible for those not involved in the assembly.”
Shropshire Live, 12 August 2011
See also Independent, 12 August 2011
The usual objection from anti-fascists to bans on EDL marches is that the police escort them from their assembly point to the place where they are holding their static protest, so the EDL get to have a march anyway. I admit to unfamiliarity with the topography of Telford, and have had to resort to google maps, but it appears that the EDL coaches will park in Ten Tree Croft car park and then the demonstrators will cross over into Church Street where they will hold their rally (in the park, presumably). If so, it won’t be much of a march. And they will be kept north of the railway line, outside the town centre.
A minister at Ely Cathedral has voiced his concerns over people’s attitude towards Muslims.
Alan Hargrave, Canon Missioner at the cathedral, is urging people of all religions to be more open-minded when it comes to Muslims wanting to build a small mosque in the city. Speaking in this month’s Ely Cathedral Newsletter, Canon Hargrave says people should be willing for Ely to be a multi-faith society.
His views come just weeks after the English Defence League (EDL) threatened to stage a protest in the city to fight plans to build the Muslim prayer centre.
Canon Hargrave said: “The reports about a possible EDL march in Ely are deeply disturbing. Muslims, along with Christians and Jews, have always been one of the great Abrahamic faiths, who share much in common. Over the centuries, for the most part, the three faiths have lived together relatively peacefully.
“If we oppose their building a place of worship, they will not go away and we will merely build the sort of tensions, fears and hatred that have fuelled the extremism we have witnessed in recent years – among Christians as well as Muslims. Freedom of worship is something we enjoy in our democracy – indeed it is central to it and something we ought to defend at all costs.”
Members of the Ely Muslims group announced they wanted to build a “miniature mosque” in Ely in February. The management committee of the Paradise Centre had told them they would lease them part of its land, along New Barns Road, if they gained planning permission to build the prayer centre.
The group currently has around 50 members who gather inside the Paradise Centre on Fridays.
Members of the English Defence League (EDL) have claimed that they patrolled the streets of Cambridge to prevent “rioting”. They say they “cleared” Mill Road of up to 100 people – but traders say the group was unwelcome and there was no sign of any violent disorder erupting.
About a dozen members of the Cambridge division of the EDL marched down the road on Tuesday night chanting: “These are our streets; you are not going to wreck them” and “EDL, EDL”.
A member of the EDL, who did not wish to be named, said: “We cleared 100 people from Mill Road without any violence. We don’t want rioters on our streets and we went to Mill Road to stop them. We chanted and patrolled the road and moved on one group of about 50 and another about the same number. We have the right to protect the community. We were there from about 9.30pm to 11.30pm to stop any rioters.”
Foudil Rerizani, owner of Algerian restaurant Al Casbah in Mill Road, was confronted by the group. He said: “There was a group of about 10 or so people who were very loud and aggressive shouting ‘EDL, EDL’. They looked at me and said ‘You are open tonight, you won’t be tomorrow’. They weren’t stopping anyone from rioting. There was no-one on the street who was rioting. It’s total rubbish.”
West Mercia Police this morning made a recommendation to Telford & Wrekin Council to make an application to the Home Secretary Theresa May to ban the EDL march that is planned for Saturday. The march could be banned under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986. A decision – which would prevent any marches taking place – is expected later today.
Speaking about the latest developments, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, from West Mercia Police, said: “Although a ban may now be imposed, we would ask people to remember that this ban does not prevent an assembly taking place on Saturday in Wellington.
“With that being the case, West Mercia Police continue to plan for a major operation at the weekend and we would like to reassure local people that a significant police presence will be on duty all day. We will have the resources available to deal with every likely eventuality.”
Council leader Kuldip Sahota said: “We have now begun the formal legal process to apply to the Home Secretary for a ban on all marches in the borough of Telford and Wrekin. This includes the planned English Defence League march and any counter demonstrations.
“The Council’s position has always been that we do not want the EDL march to take place in our borough and I said that publicly at the Full Meeting of Council on July 28. We have now received new advice from West Mercia Police and are writing to the Home Secretary formally requesting all marches be banned and that West Mercia Police are provided with the necessary additional resources in order to keep the peace.
“We believe the march could pose a threat to public safety, given the riots elsewhere in England and are calling on the Home Secretary to use her powers to ban the march. We have also been working extremely closely with the local community in Wellington and Telford at large and the vast majority do not want this march to go ahead.”
Shropshire Live, 11 March 2011
No doubt reports like this and this helped to convince West Mercia Police to change their position on the EDL march.
If the EDL do go ahead with a static protest, the police should be urged to use their powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act to contain and restrict it, as was done in Dewsbury recently.
The anti-EDL unity demonstration will also be restricted to a static assembly if Theresa May agrees to impose a ban, but that seems a small price to pay if the EDL can be prevented from holding an intimidatory march through Wellington.
Telford & Wrekin Council has called for the planned English Defence League march in Wellington on Saturday to be cancelled.
Council leader Kuldip Sahota said: “The overwhelming voice from the community in Telford – and in particular in Wellington – is that people do not want this march in our town. The council believes the march should not go ahead. We are in an environment now where there has been widespread violence elsewhere and we simply feel they should cancel the march.
“We do understand and appreciate the very difficult position that the police are in but as community leaders we have a duty to listen to our residents and protect their properties and businesses. It is therefore our belief that the march should be cancelled.”
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, of West Mercia Police, said:
“The police overall strategic intention is ‘To work with Telford & Wrekin Council, other agencies, protest organisers and communities to ensure public safety including the safety of those people attending any protest and the football match’. The police have a duty to protect life and property and facilitate peaceful protest.
“Legal powers to seek a banning order are set out in the Public Order Act and any application for a ban would have to be within the confines of the legislation. There are insufficient grounds upon which to seek a banning order at this time.”
A number of business in Wellington are set to close at lunchtime on Saturday before the start of the march. Several have also taken the decision to board up their shop fronts. Frozen food retailer Iceland said their Wellington store would stop selling alcohol on Friday until after the march.
Shropshire Live, 10 August 2011
West Mercia Police have stated that they will impose restrictions on the EDL march under Section 12 of the Public Order Act. But Section 13 allows for the police to apply for a complete ban if “the powers under section 12 will not be sufficient to prevent the holding of public processions … resulting in serious public disorder”.
Presumably the police are arguing that there is no threat of serious public disorder. Yet the fact that shops are boarding up their windows and closing down in advance of the EDL march is surely a good indication that it does pose such a threat.
According to Nick Lowles of Searchlight, the police are even unwilling to apply for a ban on the EDL march in Tower Hamlets on 3 September.
Bryan Kelso with Kevin Carroll
English Defence League (EDL) members who kicked over Korans and traded punches with Muslims in Speakers’ Corner have been sentenced to a fortnight’s curfew.
Three men admitted public order offences at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, August 3. Full-time carer Christopher Long, who lived in Kent Way, Surbiton, at the time of his arrest, held his head in his hands as prosecutor Eleanor Mawrey described the fight on October 24 last year.
Long, Brian Bristow and Bryan Kelso had attended a rally outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, which ended in a confrontation between EDL members and anti-fascist campaigners in Hyde Park.
Antiracists, trade unionists, football fans and people from across Telford’s diverse community will march agaisnt the racist English Defence League in the town on Saturday 13 August.
The EDL, an organisation of racist and fascist thugs, is coming to Telford as part of a “summer of hate”, aimed at stirring up racism against Muslims.
People from across Telford’s diverse community are determined to show their unity and make their opposition to the EDL clear. The anti-EDL unity demo – called by the local UAF branch and the trades council – assembles at Nailers Row car park at 1.15pm on Saturday 13 August for a rally before the march moves off at 2.15pm.
An inspiring public meeting of more than 200 people in the Wellington area on Monday showed the strength of feeling against the EDL.
Trade unionists, pensioners, people from different faith groups and others came together to discuss building the demo against the EDL. Representatives from the PCS, CWU, Unison and Unite unions were present, along with a number of football fans and the chair of AFC Telford United.
Then around 50 local taxi drivers turned up at the meeting. The drivers, many of them Asian, said they were discussing the possibilty of going on strike on the day of the demo. ‘The Edl is not welcome here’ said one.
They were soon joined by around 100 local young people from Wellington, lifting the atmosphere as everyone was buoyed up by a feeling of unity and determination against the EDL.
Organisers hope the size, breadth and feeling of solidarity at the meeting will translate into a great unity demo against the EDL on Saturday 13 August.