Category Archives: Far right racists

Thurnby Lodge: Pig’s head left outside community centre

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Thurnby Lodge pig's head

After facing months of harassment the Muslims of Thurnby Lodge faced a new horror in the campaign of hatred against the proposed prayer centre at the abandoned scout hut in Thurnby Lodge when a pig’s head was left for them on Wednesday morning.

Muslims have faced nightly protests at the community centre they use for prayers at the moment, sometimes attended by the BNP and EDL. These are racist, anti-Muslim organizations known for their extreme views and violence at which 9 people so far have been arrested.

Though local Muslims have every sympathy for the feelings of non-Muslims in our community who feel neglected by the authorities and powerless to stop things getting worse on our streets, we do feel they are being manipulated by far right groups active in Thurnby Lodge recently.

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Justin Trudeau defies critics in speech at Islamic Spirit conference

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Justin Trudeau (2)Liberal leadership contender Justin Trudeau told an Islamic conference Saturday that groups who attacked his decision to attend the gathering only work to divide Canadians.

Trudeau told a crowd of thousands at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Toronto that his critics attempted to tap into “fears and prejudices” that sap the acceptance of others.

“It is short-sighted to pit groups of Canadians against one another. It may make some feel good for a little while, or even work politically in the short term, but it is no way to build a country,” Trudeau said in a keynote address. “It is not who we are.”

Trudeau was criticized earlier this month by some Jewish groups and media outlets for agreeing to address the conference because of allegations of a link between one of its sponsors, IRFAN-Canada, and the militant group Hamas.

Canadian Press, 22 December 2012

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Another French mosque desecrated with fascist graffiti

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tomblaine mosque graffiti

The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports that on Thursday-Friday night four swastikas along with racist slogans riddled with misspellings were sprayed on the wall of the As-Salam de Tomblaine mosque in the Lorraine region of north-east France. (The slogan “Bougnoulle de mourt” would appear to mean something like “death to wogs”.)

The CCIF notes that only a few months ago the mosque at Vandoeuvre, five kilometres from Tomblaine, was also the target of a graffiti attack, although in that case the graffiti were of Kahanist rather than Nazi inspiration.

See also ICI-C-NANCY, 21 December 2012

Newsnight report on Spanish far right

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Espana2000 protest

Yesterday’s edition of Newsnight had a report by Paul Mason on how the economic crisis in Spain has assisted the growth of the far-right group España 2000.

He visited the town of Onda in eastern Spain where España 2000 organised an anti-mosque demonstration in November 2011 and the Islamic centre was the victim of an arson attack in September this year.

See also Paul Mason, “Amid scars of past conflict Spanish far right grows”, BBC News, 18 December 2012

España 2000 Onda protest

The end of the British Freedom party?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL BFP press conference

It was only last May that the tiny British Freedom party announced with a loud fanfare that English Defence League leaders Stephen Lennon and Kevin Carroll had become its joint vice-chairmen. The BFP declared that this was a “historic development” which established the party as “a new force in British politics”.

Since then things haven’t been going too well for the BFP. In October, Lennon tweeted that he had resigned from the organisation in order to concentrate on building the EDL, and he told the Independent that he was intending to stand for election under the banner of the EDL rather than the BFP. Even Carroll’s 10.6% of the poll as the British Freedom candidate for Bedfordshire police commissioner in November failed to provide a boost for the party. Although this was in fact a worryingly high vote for such a notorious figure on the far right, the result inevitably had a demoralising effect after the BFP led its supporters to believe that Carroll had a serious chance of winning, only for him to finish a distant fourth behind the successful Labour candidate.

Hope Not Hate now reports that on 11 December the electoral commission de-registered British Freedom because the BFP leaders failed to complete the necessary paperwork or pay the fee required to renew its registration as a political party, despite repeated reminders. Acording to HNH, this development “spells the end for the short-lived religious and racial extremists”. Well, maybe.

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EDL to stage Newcastle demo against Islamic school

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The English Defence League (EDL) is to stage a demo in Newcastle after the city council approved plans to turn the Byker Grove building into an Islamic school.

The protest has been criticised by interfaith and anti-fascist groups, with plans already under way for a counter-demonstration.

The rally, the first to be organised in Newcastle by the organisation since 2010, has been approved on a national level and will take place in May next year, according to an EDL regional spokesman.

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Swastika graffiti on French mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Quimper mosque graffiti

On Tuesday 11 December six swastikas were found on the walls of the mosque in the Penhars neighbourhood of Quimper, in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-west France, the Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports.

The CCIF points out that this is not the first time that the mosque has suffered such acts of vandalism. In September 2006 similar graffiti were found, and the mosque was the victim of an attempted arson attack.

See also Ouest-France, 13 December 2012

Norwegian Defence League holds anti-Islam rally in Oslo

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Norwegian Defence League protest Oslo December 2012About 40 people gathered for an anti-Islam demonstration in Oslo, and were met with jeers and chants of “no Nazis on our streets” from a larger group of counterdemonstrators.

The protest was staged by the Norwegian Defence League, a group inspired by the larger English Defence League, which has carried out rowdy anti-Islam protests in Britain. The defence leagues say they’re not racists but “patriots” opposing a perceived Islamization of Europe.

Police spokesman Finn Belle said Saturday’s demonstration was peaceful and police successfully kept the two sides apart. He said three counterdemonstrators were detained for disturbing the peace and were fined before being released.

Associated Press, 15 December 2012

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