Category Archives: English Defence League

Worldwide counter-jihad alliance to launch with Stockholm demonstration on August 4

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SION logoThis is the typically bombastic headline to a press release from Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer’s Stop Islamization of Nations (SION) announcing a forthcoming protest in Sweden.

The Stockholm demonstration was originally an initiative by British Freedom, the political ally of the English Defence League. At a recent BF/EDL strategy meeting it was reported that “party leaders are planning to go to Stockholm to deliver a public apology on behalf of Luton for the fact that the Stockholm bomber was radicalised in the town”.

Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who died in a failed suicide attack in the Swedish capital in December 2010, did indeed live in Luton for a number of years, but there is no evidence that the town or its Muslim community had any influence on his turn to violent extremism. In 2007, when Abdaly tried to use the Luton Islamic Centre as a platform to win support for his (at that stage still non-violent) extremist views, he was challenged by the centre’s leadership and forced to leave.

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Campaigners accuse police over handling of EDL march in Leicester

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Leicester 2012 banner
English Defence League protestors in Leicester, February 2012

Police have defended their handling of the English Defence League’s march in Leicester earlier this year.

A national campaign group, the Network for Police Monitoring – Netpol – yesterday criticised officers’ conduct toward people opposed to the EDL’s presence in the city centre on Saturday, February 4.

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NAMP complained to home office that EDL targeted Muslim police officers but Met took no action

Posted on by Bob Pitt

NAMP_logoLast July the Independent on Sunday reported that the National Association of Muslim Police had delivered a letter to the home secretary, Theresa May, expressing their concerns about the targeting of their members by the English Defence League, and in particular about the case of an EDL member who had been arrested in 2010 in possession of explosive devices and a list of Muslim police officers’ names.

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Bournemouth councillor ordered to make apology after EDL Twitter comments

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Sue AndersonA Bournemouth councillor has been ordered to make a public apology for her controversial online comments about the English Defence League.

Conservative Cllr Sue Anderson has been told she needs to apologise at next Tuesday’s full council meeting, send a written apology to the complainant and undertake equality and diversity training.

Those were the recommendations of Bournemouth’s standards committee, who discussed the issue at a private meeting last month. They concluded that Cllr Anderson had potentially breached the council’s code of conduct with her comments on Twitter late at night on Saturday, May 5.

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Eleven arrested during EDL rally in Rochdale

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Rochdale June 2012

Eleven men were arrested by police today during a rally by the English Defence League in Rochdale.

More than 400 members of the far-right organisation gathered for around two hours outside the town hall. The majority were brought into the town centre on buses and coaches from a nearby retail park at 1pm.

Many gathered outside pubs on Packer Street amid a heavy police presence before they were escorted by officers to a pen on the car park outside the town hall. Officers dealt with a handful of minor skirmishes as the group marched the short distance to the car park from Packer Street.

Two fireworks, believed to be bangers, later exploded at the feet of crowds stood outside the pen near to the Post Office on The Esplanade. No one was injured.

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EDL get ready to descend on Rochdale

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL paedophile sex gangs placardRochdale shop owners are preparing ahead of tomorrow’s English Defence League march. The far-right movement will descend on the town at 1.30pm to demonstrate against what they see as an expansion of Muslim extremism.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk urged the town to continue as usual. He said: “Tomorrow’s ‘protest’ is nothing more than an attempt to stir up racial tensions and incite violence. The police are fully prepared to deal with this and the protest will be outside of the town centre, which will be open for business as usual. I would urge everyone to continue to support local shops and businesses.”

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EDL supporter fined for racist rant at Asian police officer in Huddersfield

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Bradley man has admitted racially assaulting an Asian police officer. And a court heard he then made an English Defence League salute after he was arrested.

Laszlo Michael Lankovits, of Elder Road, Bradley, pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence on May 21.

Kirklees Magistrates were told yesterday that the remarks were made when Lankovits was arrested at his mother’s address for breaching bail conditions.

Prosecutor Astin Bill told the court Lankovits said to the female officer: “I am British. I’ve served in the army. Where are you from? Go back to your own country.”

He told the court that once in custody Lankovits then shouted out EDL before putting his hand to his chest and making a salute.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Slawinski told the court that his client deeply regretted his actions and was not a member of the English Defence League.

Huddersfield Examiner, 7 June 2012

Via ENGAGE

Police called to ‘large scale disorder of EDL’, court told

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Michael Rafferty and Ricky Burley (2)A court heard how police called to a “large scale disorder” were forced to use pepper spray and brandish Tasers to tackle a “very aggressive” crowd.

Two men, Ricky Burley, aged 43 [on right of picture] and 34-year-old Michael Rafferty [on left] both appeared at Plymouth Magistrates Court to face trial on charges of resisting police officers in Exeter Street on August 31 last year. Burley, of High Street, Stonehouse, also faces a charge of threatening behaviour. Rafferty, of Woolwich, London, but formerly from Devonport denies the charges, as does Burley.

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‘Mosque’s terror links’ investigated by Charity Commission

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Masjid-al-TawhidAn east London mosque is being investigated by the Charity Commission over potential links to terrorist and extremist groups.

In a letter seen by BBC London, the commission says it is beginning a statutory inquiry into the Masjid-al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton. It comes as liberal Imam Dr Usama Hasan resigned from the mosque following death threats for teaching about evolution and women’s rights.

In the letter, the Charity Commission states the investigation will look at whether the Masjid-al-Tawhid Trust “allowed individuals with potential links to terrorist organisations to use the charity to promote and/or express extremist views; and/or the trustees have taken appropriate steps to safeguard the reputation of the charity.”

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Sikhs, Muslims and the EDL – an account from Luton

Posted on by Bob Pitt

In an update on last week’s protest by Luton’s Sikh community, the Turban Campaign has reproduced an account by Peter Adams from St Mary’s Church in Luton. As they point out: “The account confirms the opportunistic actions of the EDL leadership and the very public disapproval by the local Sikh leadership as previously reported.”

Adams was at Luton Magistrates’ Court the day after the main protest and reports:

“Soon after 10.30 when I arrived it was confirmed that the Muslim lad had been charged and hearing would be in the afternoon. Kevin Carrol turned up soon after and not long afterwards community leader Jaswinder Singh Nagra. He told Carrol EDL were not welcome. When asked who had invited him to be there he could name no names. He withdrew and called Lennon. He hung around and then left.”

Which possibly explains why this EDL appeal was followed shortly after by this one.