Mark Steel poses the question, in the Independent.
Category Archives: English Defence League
Council fails to ban EDL provocation in Manchester
Council chiefs have failed to get the government to ban a demonstration in Manchester by a right-wing group which claims to oppose Islamic extremism.
The English Defence League (EDL) plans to host a protest in the city next month. Manchester City Council, religious leaders and city traders asked the Home Office to stop the event after a similar recent protest turned violent. But the Home Office said it had no power to ban “static demonstrations”.
The council said it was concerned that shoppers and residents could become caught up in possible trouble caused by the EDL event. Councillor Jim Battle, deputy council leader, said: “Wherever the so-called English Defence League have gone there has been violence and disruption to ordinary people who just want to go about their business. It certainly is not welcome in Manchester.”
The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, Reverend Roger Govender, and Cityco, which represents city traders, backed the council’s opposition to the event.
According to the Home Office, police must make a decision locally on how to patrol peaceful protests. A Home Office spokesman added:
“They must take into consideration responsibilities such as public safety, public order, the prevention of crime and the protection of the rights of others to go about their lawful business. Violent activity and incitement to religious and racial hatred are totally unacceptable and the police have powers to deal robustly with any such activities.”
See also Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 16 September 2009
Update: And see “The tabloids and right wing extremism” at Five Chinese Crackers, which analyses the use made in the EDL video of anti-Muslim articles in the mainstream right-wing press.
Chaotic alliance of far right groups stirs up trouble on streets
The rise of the English Defence League, whose protests against Islamism have sparked violent city centre clashes, has been chaotic but rapid.
Three months ago, no one had heard of the EDL. But the organisation has risen to prominence in a spate of civil unrest in which far-right activists, football hooligans and known racists have fought running battles with Asian youths. The leadership insists they are not racist and just want to “peacefully protest against militant Islam”.
Yet at EDL events, skinheads have raised Nazi salutes and other EDL supporters have chanted racist slogans such as “I hate Pakis more than you”. One protest in Luton in May ended with scores of people attacking Asian businesses, smashing cars and threatening passersby.
Insiders have talked of plans to enlist football fans to march for the cause on the basis that “you need an army for a war”.
See also “Minister warns of 1930s-style fascists on Britain’s streets”, Guardian, 12 September 2009
English Defence League humiliated in Harrow
“This is the story that the news should be telling you, but probably isn’t. I was there, so I will tell you. I have rarely been so heartened in my political life.
“The English Defence League, whose marches have been wreaking chaos in Luton and Birmingham, attempted to target a mosque in Harrow today. Their official aim was to demonstrate outside the mosque in opposition to ‘Islamic extremism’.
“That this mosque has no connection with Islamic extremism tells you that any mosque would have sufficed for their purposes. As their organisers have explained, they believe that Islam itself is inherently extreme.
“I believe only few dozen of their activists actually made it to Harrow, but I can’t say for certain, because I never laid eyes on a single one. Where these fascist provocateurs intended to ‘protest’ were thousands of antifascists attending the UAF’s counter-demonstration.”
Lenin’s Tomb, 11 September 2009
See also “SIOE demo called off!”, SIOE website, 11 September 2009
Update: See UAF statement, 12 September 2009
And pictures of the Harrow events here.
Anti-mosque protesters chased out of Wealdstone
Hordes of rampaging young Asian men chased a small group of men through the civic centre car park after they apparently came to protest against Harrow Central Mosque.
Hundreds of people had gathered in Station Road, united against any protest against the mosque, and determined to protect their religion.
When the small group of men arrived, chanting from the crowd turned to anger and groups of protesters, some armed with sticks, broke ranks and began to chase the men.
The men, who had arrived at Harrow and Wealdstone station to head down to the mosque, quickly turned and ran through the car park when faced by the hostile crowd, hotly pursued by the protesters.
Police tackled the protesters on the edge of the civic centre car park, stopping them catching up with the group of men, and a short stand-off ensued between officers and the marauding protesters.
They were eventually coaxed into returning to the mosque, as hundreds spilled into Station Road, forcing police to shut it down.
Richard Bartholomew uncovers Axis of Evil
Ken Livingstone condemns anti-Muslim protest in Harrow and warns of ‘return to the 1930s’
Ken Livingstone, chair of Unite Against Fascism and former mayor of London, spoke out today against the anti-Muslim rally called by far right organisations outside Harrow Central Mosque this Friday. Livingstone said:
“If anyone were to call a demonstration outside a synagogue or church, this would rightly provoke a national outcry. There should be exactly the same response from the government, politicians, all religious faiths and the media to the call for a demonstration outside a mosque. The only possible meaning of this event is a protest against Muslims and Islam – a religion followed by more than a billion people in the world.
“People should wake up to the fact the protests outside mosques are taking us back to the fascism of the 1930s when fascist thugs marched against Jews and their places of worship. This demonstration should be condemned and banned on the grounds of blatant religious discrimination and a threat to public order.”
The anti-Muslim protest has been called by groups such as the BNP-linked “English Defence League” – which ran riot in Birmingham last weekend, throwing bottles at Asians and making Nazi ‘sieg heil’ salutes – and “Stop the Islamisation of Europe”, which declares that it is against all Muslims and all forms of Islam. They are calling their protest on the anniversary of the 9/11 in an attempt to whip up hatred against all Muslims by falsely branding them as terrorist sympathisers.
Unite Against Fascism has called a vigil and rally to defend the mosque from these anti-Muslim bigots. Speakers at the rally include Tony McNulty, MP for Harrow East, and Navin Shah, the London Assembly member for Brent & Harrow. The anti-racist vigil is backed by a variety of local community organisations and trade unions.
Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: “Nobody should be fooled by the bigots when they claim that they are ‘not racist’ or ‘peaceful’. They are here for one simple purpose: to intimidate and abuse the Muslim community. Back in the 1970s the National Front would march through black areas on the pretext of opposing ‘mugging’. Today the racists and fascists use opposition to ‘Islamic extremism’ in the same way.
“We all have a duty to show solidarity with Muslims in the face of these racist provocations. We will bring together people from all of Harrow’s different communities to send a clear message to the racists: we will defend our multiracial and multicultural society – and anti-Muslim bigots are not welcome here.”
Unite Against Fascism press release, 10 September 2009
UAF appeal: ‘Defend Harrow Central Mosque from anti-Muslim racists’
Defend Harrow Central Mosque from anti-Muslim racists
assemble 4pm, Friday 11 September, Harrow Civic Centre
Speakers include: Tony McNulty MP, London assembly memberNavin Shah, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear, Jo Langfrom Harrow Teachers Association, Unite convenor and bus workerAbdul Omer Mohsin, Weyman Bennett from Unite Against Fascism
>>> download the leaflet HERE
>>> download the poster HERE
Racist bigots including the BNP-linked English Defence League and “Stop the Islamisation of Europe” are planning on holding an anti-Muslim protest outside Harrow Central Mosque on the evening of Friday 11 September. Unite Against Fascism has called a solidarity vigil in response to defend the mosque from racists and fascists.
We are calling on everyone in London who opposes the racists and wants to stand up for Harrow’s multicultural and multiracial society to assemble on Friday at 4pm outside Harrow Civic Centre on Station Road, just north of the junction with Rosslyn Crescent (postcode HA1 2UA, nearest tube Harrow & Wealdstone). Please bring union banners.
The vigil starts at 1.30pm, so please get there earlier if you can. We want a dignified but determined demonstration that will show the racists that they are not welcome in Harrow. There will be a public rally with speakers starting at around 6pm.
Harrow Mosque calls for 9/11 protest to be banned
Harrow Mosque has called for a 9/11 protest to be banned just days after fresh violence in Birmingham saw 90 arrests.
Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) is holding a rally outside the building, in Station Road, on Friday and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) supporters will hold their own counter-demonstration alongside it. The English Defence League (EDL), which clashed with anti-fascists in Birmingham on Saturday, at one point advertised the event on its website. The rally is promoted on EDL’s group on social networking website Facebook and there are fears the weekend’s violence could be repeated in Harrow.
Haroon Sheikh, chairman of Harrow Central Mosque, said: “We would request that the local authority and the police try to put a stop to it. The concern we have is with a large congregation. It’s very difficult to control what people would want to do on the day. We would have 200 to 300 people coming here for prayers on a Friday. Emotions will be high if it’s provoked, but we will have the police and we will have stewards here.”
SIOE say they are not racist and will not tolerate racism at the rally, but describe themselves as Islamaphobic, saying it is “the height of common sense”. The Harrow Times has asked the English Defence League (EDL) for clarification about whether their members will attend the protest and is awaiting a response. The Harrow Times has requested a response from Harrow Police and Harrow Council and is awaiting a reply.
Harrow Times, 8 September 2009
See also the Times, 8 September 2009 and Islam Online, 8 September 2009
Update: See also “Harrow Police: 9/11 mosque protest cannot be banned”, Harrow Times, 8 September 2009
The police do in fact have a point. Under Section 13 of the Public Order Act they can apply to the Home Secretary for an order banning “public processions”, but they have no power to ban static demonstrations.
However, under Section 14 of the POA the police have the authority to “give directions imposing on the persons organising or taking part in the assembly such conditions as to the place at which the assembly may be (or continue to be) held, its maximum duration, or the maximum number of persons who may constitute it”, if this is necessary to prevent “serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community”.
So the police do have the power to prevent this provocative protest taking place outside Harrow Mosque.
Further update: Regarding Harrow Central Mosque, which it calls “the house of hate”, SIOE states: “This will be the largest mosque in England with minarets 40 metres high. That is not integration that is triumphalism. It is Harrow now, the next place could be your community.”
EDL’s anti-Muslim provocation results in violent clashes in Birmingham
Officers were trying today to identify more people involved in violent scenes at a right-wing protest which resulted in dozens of arrests.
More than 30 people were arrested in Birmingham city centre yesterday when anti-fascist campaigners fought with supporters of a rally against Islamic fundamentalism by The English Defence League (EDL).
The disorder involved around 200 people and spilled on to the adjoining Bennetts Hill, a street lined with a number of pubs popular with shoppers. West Midlands Police said a group of more than 20 men were arrested on a bus in Digbeth High Street. Later a “significant” number of people were also detained from buses that left the Bennetts Hill area. They were taken into custody at stations across the city.
Earlier this week the force, along with Birmingham City Council, obtained an order from the Home Secretary banning protesters from the Bullring area of the city, under section 14a of the Public Order Act. Under the same legislation, Chief Constable Chris Sims passed an order restricting the protests to two locations – Lancaster Circus and Old Square.
But after meeting on Broad Street in the city’s entertainment district, demonstrators proceeded to New Street, around half a mile away, and trouble ensued.