Category Archives: English Defence League

Chelmsford: English Defence League heavily outnumbered by anti-racists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Chelmsford protest August 2012
The ever-shrinking forces of the English Defence League in Chelmsford

It was a victory for the police as a potentially explosive double-march involving an anti-Islamic group and their anti-fascist opponents passed through Chelmsford almost trouble free on Saturday.

A ring of police officers surrounded more than 50 members of the anti-Islamic group, the English Defence League, as they walked slowly from the Wheatsheaf pub in New Street to Chelmsford Library.

Fearing a repeat of the trouble that broke out during last month’s EDL protest, in which three men were arrested, more than 100 police officers from eight different forces, swamped the city centre, creating blockades with riot vans, to ensure the two groups did not cross paths.

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Dundee: councillors refuse to allow Scottish Defence League to enter City Square

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scottish Defence LeagueDundee City Square could be turned into a scene of conflict if members of a far-right group are allowed to demonstrate there.

That was the claim made on Thursday during the city council’s licensing committee as councillors considered a request by Dundee Trades Union Council, on behalf of Dundee Together, to allow their demonstration against racism and fascism to go ahead on September 1.

On the same day, around 150 members of the Scottish Defence League (SDL) are expected to gather in the city despite having been refused permission to hold a static demonstration in City Square earlier this year. The right-wing group is using the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to exercise its freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

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Chelmsford: MP backs demonstration against EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Chelmsford TUC

A far right demonstration is set to be opposed by members of unions, faith groups and political parties. A second English Defence League march is planned in Chelmsford for Saturday, but the group is set to come up against opposition.

The EDL will be in the city centre to make its feelings known on a planning application to rebuild the Muslim Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Essex, which is behind the Royal Mail office, in Victoria Road.

But Chelmsford TUC has rallied supporters to march on the same day. Andrew Coburn, chairman of the Chelmsford branch, said: “We are pleased so many people and organisations from across the community have come out in support of this initiative.”

Simon Burns, Chelmsford MP, has sent a letter backing the action of the group marching against the EDL. His letter is expected to praise the anti-EDL movement and say he is appalled at any attempt to inflame race relations in Chelmsford.

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Thurnby Lodge Islamic community centre plan ‘alternatives’ sought

Posted on by Bob Pitt

An Islamic charity which plans to turn a former scout hut into a community centre has been told the city council is looking at “alternative premises”.

Leicester City Council said if no site could be found for the As-salaam Trust then negotiations on the sale of the lease would resume.

About 200 people attended a demonstration at Thurnby Lodge last week to oppose the group’s plans.

The As-salaam Trust said it was sad the community could not work together. It said its community centre aimed to provide food sharing services, drug and alcohol advice and education to make community life better for everyone.

Mohammed Lockhat, from the As-salaam Trust, said: “We are in discussions with the council. We are sad that we cannot work together as a community. We would love to, we’ve been trying to, and we are continuing to do so within our limits at the moment.

“The protests are supposed to be directed at the council, but on many occasions they haven’t been. It has been quite intimidating for many of our members.”

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Leicester: protests over Islamic community centre plans for disused scout hut continue

Posted on by Bob Pitt

It’s an unlikely setting for an ongoing night-after-night street protest.

However, hundreds of people have been gathering in Thurncourt Road, on Leicester’s Thurnby Lodge estate, for some weeks now to protest against an Islamic charity’s plan to turn a disused Scout hut into a community centre and prayer room.

On Friday, the number of people taking part swelled towards the 400 mark – with about 50 police officers there to oversee it.

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Chelmsford unites against EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A group of church leaders, community groups and political partiesare preparing to unite against the English Defence League (EDL) this weekend.

EDL members are expected to descend upon Chelmsford town centre on Saturday, 18 August and United Chelmsford is preparing to march. The protest coincides with the first day of V Festival at Hylands Park.

United Chelmsford’s Celebration of Unity will be starting from Tindal Square at 11.30am and marching through the city at 1pm, the group expects their numbers to swell to 200 as they take a stand against the EDL.

Malcolm Wallace, Secretary of Chelmsford TUC, speaking on behalf of United Chelmsford, said: “This will be a magnificent demonstration of our City’s opposition to racism and islamophobia. The divisive policies of the EDL stand in sharp contrast to our multi-cultural Team GB and the spirit of the Olympics.”

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Home Office rejects far-right campaign against Azad Ali and UAF

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Anti-EDL march Tower Hamlets 2010
Demonstration against the English Defence League, Tower Hamlets June 2010

In March this year the English Defence League’s political wing, the British Freedom party, launched a letter campaign aimed at persuading MPs who had signed Unite Against Fascism’s founding statement to withdraw their support from the organisation. The hook for this campaign was provided by a witch-hunting article by Andrew Gilligan (a journalist greatly admired by right-wing Islamophobes) who had accused UAF vice chair Azad Ali of being a fascist. The model letter provided by the BFP also included the claim that Azad Ali had been “exposed at the web site Harry’s Place” (which has been another source of inspiration for far-right racists).

It appears that the only positive response the BFP received was from Brian Donohoe, Labour MP for Central Ayrshire, who took up the issue after being contacted by George Whale, editor of the British Freedom website. To the delight of the BFP, Donohoe replied to Whale with a friendly assurance that he was pursuing the question of UAF on his behalf: “I have written to both the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary asking for an update on this website as I am sure the majority of these ‘signatories’ are unaware their names are listed there.” Donohoe also relayed to the Home and Foreign offices Whale’s accusation that UAF is an extremist group.

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British Freedom party spokesman explains why foul-mouthed racist abuse is not racist

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tony SutcliffeIf there were Olympic medals being handed out for political spin then the man who had just introduced himself to me as “Tony Smith” was clearly going for gold.

I was interviewing him against a back drop of largely drunken men waving banners and chanting foul-mouthed racist abuse at a rally organised by the far-right English Defence League in the West Yorkshire town of Keighley.

“Tony”, who admitted he was giving me a false name, had a ready answer when I asked if their language and behaviour was acceptable for a Saturday afternoon political rally in a town where many British Asians live. “That is really unfair,” he told me. “It’s not about race. It’s not about colour. It’s about culture.”

BBC News, 14 August 2012

EDL’s Alan Lake loses his job at development bank

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The man known as Alan Lake, a key strategist and funder behind the racist English Defence League (EDL) is out of his job at a major international development bank.

The news comes the week after another shadowy EDL strategist, Chris Knowles, was sacked by Leeds council.

Lake, whose real name is Alan Ayling, masterminded the EDL’s strategy of bringing together football hooligan firms into an anti-Muslim army of racist street thugs.

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Racist yob jailed for revenge attack on Carlisle takeaway

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A man who took revenge on a kebab shop after his girlfriend was jailed for being part of a racist mob which launched a drunken attack on it has himself now been sent to prison.

Gavin Mossop, 27, spent one night in prison for contempt of court after shouting at the judge as he jailed the 11 racists in February. And he was back at the city’s Crown Court yesterday for his own drunken racist attack on the takeaway in Carlisle.

Mossop, who lives with his mother in Highmoor Park, Wigton, was jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to charges of taking revenge and racially aggravated public disorder.

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