“Some idiots in the Home Office might be fooled by the English Defence League but the racist agenda of the hooligan gang is becoming more obvious by the day.

“At the end of last week the EDL got hold of an email that had been widely circulated by the North West TUC advertising a meeting of trade unions to discuss the planned EDL protest for Manchester City Centre next Saturday. The EDL response was illuminating. The EDL administrator – who publicly claims not to be racist – riled against ‘building mosques’, ‘uncontrolled immigration’ and the ‘multicultural hell hole of a country’ Britain had become.

“The racist sentiments were also evident in the latest EDL posting to their members, where the woman who has been liaising with police, said that many of their followers were planning to wear masks during the protest in opposition to the burka.

“Despite the glaring racist agenda of the EDL the Home Office continue to bury its head in the sand. It refuses to even classify the group as right wing and says that they are not linked to hooligans.”

Nick Lowles at the Hope Not Hate blog, 4 October 2009

“I came to visit my father’s grave today. I was shocked to find the stone has been pushed over. I cannot understand why people would do such a thing. I am very upset,” explained Habib Dar. “Thank you for organising the vigil today,” he said.

Twenty Muslim gravestones at Manchester’s Southern Cemetery were vandalised last week in what the police have called a “race hate crime”, as the gravestones desecrated were all in the Muslim part of the cemetery.

At just a few hours notice eighty people turned out to show solidarity with the Muslim community at a vigil called by local activists from Unite Against Fascism. Many local people came, including a delegation of local Jews, as well as leading trades unionists, families, pensioners and people from the Muslim community.

“Nothing like this has ever happened at this cemetery,” explained Ahmed. “But we know it is not just a coincidence that on Saturday the EDL are in Manchester. They are trying to intimidate us, but we will all be out there on the protest.”

A spokesperson for UAF Mile Killion said, “The election of Nick Griffin of the British Nazi Party has only encouraged the people who committed this outrage at the cemetery. This despicable attack has strengthened our resolve to build the UAF protest against the EDL in Manchester next Saturday.”

Stop the EDL. Assemble 12 noon, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, Saturday 10th October.

An anti-Islamic football group is being investigated by Newcastle United lawyers. The club is taking legal advice after their black and white crest was used by English Defence League Newcastle. The EDL has made its first steps to infiltrate football in the North East by setting up a Facebook group on the internet. It has already attracted more than 600 members.

Magpie bosses are keen for people to know that the club is in no way connected to the extremist body. A spokesman said: “Newcastle United wish to make it clear this has absolutely nothing to do with the football club and are also seeking legal advice over the misuse of its crest.” Following a probe by the Sunday Sun, the EDL removed the NUFC logo from its Facebook web page.

The group claims it is not racist, and says it is campaigning only against extremists and no one else. However, Show Racism the Red Card says the EDL is known to have links with fascist organisations. The charity, which has strong support from NUFC, has warned fans they should not become involved with the EDL.

Chief executive Ged Grebby said: “We know that the EDL are a racist organisation and since they have been set up they have caused mayhem. Wherever they have set up bases, such as in Birmingham and London, they have targeted the Asian community in a blatantly racist way.”

He is concerned that the Facebook group is the first step for the EDL to set up a base in the North East. Show Racism the Red Card is determined to stamp the group out before it even gets started. Mr Grebby said: “We don’t want them in the North East, they are not welcome here. This is a desperate attempt to get some kind of base here, using what they know is a fantastic symbol.”

Sunday Sun, 4 October 2009

A far right-wing group is attempting to recruit Saints fans to its ranks.

The English Defence League (EDL) last month launched a recruitment drive in Southampton to enlist football fans to march against “Islamic extremism”. The league, whose demonstrations in London, Luton and Birmingham led to violence, has infiltrated supporter’s online forums and the terraces of St Mary’s Stadium.

Concerned Saints bosses have condemned the group and brought it to the attention of Hampshire police, Southampton City Council, Hampshire FA and football’s antiracism campaign Kick it Out.

Southampton Itchen MP John Denham, who is in charge of promoting inter-faith harmony for the Government, last night branded the group “troublemakers” and said he was confident most fans would have nothing to do with them.

The Echo can reveal Saints this week ordered Facebook to remove the club’s crest from an EDL campaign group founded on the social networking website.

By yesterday 175 people had signed up to the “Southampton FC branch of the EDL”, which claims it wants to peacefully protest against “militant Islam within our shores”.

Desperate to disassociate itself from the fringe group, Saints were last night seeking legal advice to have the name Southampton FC removed from the website page.

A Saints spokesman said: “Southampton Football Club wholeheartedly condemns this type of racist activity. We were made aware of this group, and immediately took the relevant steps to ensure that any implied affiliation was eradicated.

“Further to this, we have notified members of the club’s Racism Just Ain’t Saintly committee of our concerns, and asked that these are passed on to the Premier League and Football League to make other clubs aware of these activities.

“This is something the club will be monitoring in the future as it clearly conflicts with our principles of a united, cohesive and integrated community.”

Southern Daily Echo, 3 October 2009

Anti-EDL demo in Manchester: Sat 10 October, 12 noon, Piccadilly Gardens

The racist hooligans of the English Defence League are planning a series of anti-Muslim demonstrations at towns and cities across the country in coming weeks. Previous EDL demonstrations have seen their thugs attack Asian people, chant “Muslims out” and worse at passers-by and make “seig heil” Nazi salutes.

It is vital that we do not sit back and allow a small minority of racist thugs with links to the fascist BNP to terrorise and intimidate Muslims in Britain. All communities need to stand up and link arms with Muslims against the EDL. That’s why Unite Against Fascism called a counter demonstration against the EDL in Birmingham in August. That’s why we helped mobilise thousands of people in Harrow last month to defend the local mosque against the EDL and its affiliates.

We need to turn out and tell the EDL that they are not wanted at all the following dates. We must not let these thugs turn the clock back to the 1970s when they ran round the streets terrorising black and Asian people – or back to the 1930s when Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts targeted Jews in the East End of London.

Saturday 10 October: say no to the racist EDL in Manchester

Manchester UAF has called a demonstration against the EDL at 12 noon in Piccadilly Gardens. It is supported by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Mancheseter and the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester. Email mancuaf@gmail.com for more details.

Forthcoming EDL demonstrations include:

17 October: Swansea
24 October: Newport
31 October: Leeds
7 November: Nottingham
14 November: Glasgow

Local UAF groups have called protests counter demonstrations at all these places – full details to follow.

Nick Lowles of Searchlight reports that he has been inundated with indignant emails from English Defence League supporters objecting to his description of them as “hooligans”. Perhaps Nick should be grateful they’re not threatening to take him to court for libel. But his reply to the EDL’s complaints is spot on:

“Nearly all their key people are football hooligans – many with related convictions and banning orders. Most of the people they are mobilising around the country are from the football hooligan networks. I do not call the EDL a fascist organisation because it is not (though this doesn’t make any less dangerous and of course there are many active fascists within it and at a senior level) but organically linked and driven by football hooligans it is. I should also add racist and Islamophobic as well.”

Hope Not Hate blog, 30 September 2009

Certainly a more accurate understanding of the character of the EDL than that shown by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.