According to Brendan O’Neill they are. In a piece on his Telegraph blog headed “A glimpse into the class hatred at the heart of the anti-EDL clique”, the Spiked editor expresses his indignation at a widely publicised YouTube clip in which “anti-EDL campaigners describe a female supporter of the EDL as ‘the most tattooed, horrible scrote of a woman’ they have ever seen and then laugh as they talk about how she was ‘kicked up the arse’ by a left-wing protester”. For O’Neill, the video “confirms what draws many young middle-class liberals towards anti-English Defence League campaigning: it provides them with a semi-legit cover for expressing their fear and loathing of the white working classes”.
Category Archives: Far right racists
EDL clash with locals in Edgware Road
EDL members have descended onto one of London’s most famous streets and have had clashes with locals, this evening. Around 50-100 EDL members are currently on Edgware Road, a part of London dominated by the Arab community.
Chairs and windows have been smashed and police are trying to separate the two groups. The Edgware Road area is completely gridlocked with traffic tailing back all the way to White City and the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush
A London Air Ambulance has arrived in nearby Hyde Park, which is at the top of Edgware Road at the Marble Arch crossing. Some people have said that someone has been seriously injured although this is unconfirmed.
Earlier, EDL members clashed with the group Muslims Against the Crusades outside the 9/11 memorial near the US Embassy. 4 arrests were made.
Update: See also the Evening Standard which reports an eyewitness as saying that the clash took place at the Tyburn pub: “There was a group of EDL guys drinking outside the pub when a large group of Muslims walked past. The EDL started hurling racist abuse at the Muslims who took offence. They got angry and were yelling back. Then the EDL guys picked up pub furniture and started throwing glasses and chairs and tables at the group in the street.”
Edinburgh protests: anti-fascists outnumber Scottish Defence League
Hundreds of police have staged a show of force in central Edinburgh at a rally by the Scottish Defence League. Almost 200 supporters of the far right group were heavily outnumbered by officers drawn from forces across the central belt. They were penned in after the city council refused them permission to march.
A counter demonstration of about 400 Unite Against Fascism protesters was allowed to hold a procession. They marched along Princes Street before attending a rally.
Two more in court over EDL attack on Plymouth kebab shop
Two men have appeared before Plymouth magistrates accused of resisting police officers. Ricky Burley, aged 43, and 33-year-old Michael Rafferty appeared together charged with offences in Exeter Street on August 31.
Burley, of High Street, Stonehouse, denied threatening behaviour and resisting or obstructing a police officer. Rafferty, of Queen Street, Devonport, denied obstructing or resisting a second officer. Plymouth magistrates were told the incident happened outside the Wild Coyote pub, now called the East End bar.
They were released on bail on the same condition until their trial before magistrates on a date to be set in the next few months.
Two in court over EDL attack on Plymouth kebab shop
Two women have appeared in court accused of a racially-aggravated attack at a city kebab shop. Hayley Wells, aged 27, and Kelly Watterson, aged 29, faced Plymouth magistrates charged with racially-aggravated assault during an incident in Exeter St.
Plymouth magistrates were told there was a Kurdish family inside the Istanbul Kebab Shop at the time of the incident on the afternoon of Sunday August 31.
Wells, of Shell Close, Leigham, and Watterson, of St Peter’s Road, Manadon, both denied a joint charge of racially aggravated common assault against a woman in the kebab shop. Watterson also denied a further charge of affray.
Gareth Warden, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said members of a group were drinking in the Wild Coyote pub near the kebab shop. Mr Warden said a group shouted “vile abuse” at a woman in the shop. He added that Wells and Watterson are then alleged to have assaulted the woman. Mr Warden said: “Kelly Watterson is alleged to have then thrown a glass into the shop which shattered. A baby and a 14-year-old were in the shop at the time.”
Jane Wills, for the pair, said the allegations were “strongly contested”.
Magistrates ruled that the charge was so serious the pair must be tried at Plymouth Crown Court. They were released on bail on condition they do not go within 100 metres of the takeaway while papers are prepared for a judge. Watterson and Wells must return to face magistrates on November 1.
NWI threatens ‘Red scum’ with violence at Scottish Defence League protest
Right-wing extremists have threatened to tear their opponents “limb from limb” during protests due to be held in the Capital on Saturday.
The online threat was made by a member of an English group called North West Infidels, whose members are expected to travel to the Capital on Saturday to take part in a rally organised by the Scottish Defence League.
The NWI’s opponents say they are even more radical than the Scottish or English Defence Leagues. On a Facebook page set up by NWI members, a threat has been posted referring to a “coalition” of three groups – themselves, a similar group known as the North East Infidels, and the SDL.
It reads: “With only three days left we are issuing a challenge to any Red scum that are planning to oppose us. The NWI-NEW-Sdl coalition thrive on kicking the s*** out of c**** like you so the more of you that turn out in Edinburgh the better, that’s more of your scruffy little bodies to go round for us to systematically tear limb from limb. See you Saturday.”
Muslim stewards played ‘vital role’ in Tower Hamlets
Hundreds of Muslim youths could be trained to steward volatile events following the good work of a peace-keeping team deployed on Saturday.
About 300 volunteers – most of them aged 18 to 25 – patrolled the streets around Whitechapel dispersing large groups of youths to prevent trouble breaking out over the English Defence League demonstration at Aldgate. Volunteers and youth workers played a “vital role” in keeping young people calm, police said. A Met spokeswoman added: “The stewards who worked on Saturday were well trained and effective.”
Wilders’ PVV will boycott parliamentary debate on xenophobia
Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam party PVV will boycott any eventual parliamentary debate on xenophobia, MP Joram van Klaveren is reported as saying in Trouw. GroenLinks MP Tofik Dibi said this summer he plans to call for such a debate in relation to the Norwegian killings but has not yet done so.
Other parties support the debate, but not in connection to events in Norway. Trouw says they would prefer to discuss the issues as part of the general debate on the queen’s speech and government policy following the presentation of the cabinet’s 2012 spending plans later this month.
Van Klaveren said the PVV sees no merit in any debate and will not attend.
See also “De Pers: Do we really have to talk about this?”, Dutch News, 6 September 2011
EDL members protest outside Bedford prison
Political activists have gathered outside HMP Bedford in a show of support to their leader who is currently remanded in the jail.
Around 30 members of the English Defence League (EDL) were stood near to the entrance of the prison in St Loyes Street with pictures of Tommy Robinson claiming his human rights are being breached.
Mr Robinson is currently on hunger strike in the prison after he allegedly broke his bail condition by attending a demonstration of the EDL in Tower Hamlets over the weekend.
One EDL supporter, Dave Hedges of Dunstable said: “Why shouldn’t he be able to speak? Tommy Robinson is being persecuted and we are all here to show our support to a great bloke.”
Berlin court rules far-right posters can remain
A Berlin court ruled Wednesday that campaign posters for the far-right National Democratic Party with the slogan “step on the gas” may remain on display.
The placard is one of several the far-right party is using in an effort to attract votes for upcoming Berlin state elections. One shows caricatures of Muslim immigrants on a flying carpet with the slogan “have a nice flight home.” Another bears the slogan “step on the gas,” with a picture of the party’s leader on a motorcycle.
Berlin’s Kreuzberg district had ordered the posters taken down, saying they violated German incitement laws. But the Berlin state court ruled Wednesday that the posters were protected under freedom of speech laws. It noted that although the “step on the gas” poster “could well be intended to arouse associations with Nazi atrocities,” it could also have other meanings.