Category Archives: Far right racists

Lennon’s lie exposed (but not by Jeremy Paxman)

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Daryl Hobson with Lennon and Carroll

One of the claims made by EDL leader Stephen Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) in that appalling softball interview by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight was that he knew nothing of Daryl Hobson, the EDL member who had revealed links between the EDL and Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik. Lennon dismissed Hobson as just some “random” member of the EDL’s Facebook page.

Unsurprisingly, given Lennon’s record of lying, it turns out that relations between Daryl Hobson and the EDL leadership were rather closer than that. Here, courtesy of Hope not hate and Expose, are photos of Hobson with both Lennon and EDL co-leader Kevin Carroll.

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EDL supporter: Breivik’s a ‘hero in the war on Islam’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL supporters on Facebook were confused over how to respond to the Norway atrocity.

“How sick are these animals to randomly shoot kids at a summer camp for christ sake,” said the EDL’s Facebook account. But this was before the real killer was known. Before long, there was a reappraisal of the slaughter.

The EDL Jewish Division, on learning that the summer camp had discussed Palestine before the attack, posted “Ah, that explains the man’s actions.” It added, “This exposes the scum for what they are!”

Another supporter, “Michelle Miley”, wrote: “gimme a break. anders is a hero in the war against islam”.

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Advice to the Norwegian government following the Oslo terrorist attacks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Richard Jackson, professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University and an expert on terrorism and political violence, offers some advice to the prime minister of Norway.

Your security forces should start by immediately profiling young, white Christian men, especially if they have blonde hair (the Oslo bomber, Anders Behring Breivik, was blond; it could be a factor). Call them in to their local police stations for in-depth questioning, and stop them randomly at airports and train stations. They should be quizzed on how often they go to church, what websites they visit, what books they read, whether they are members of nationalist groups, and what beliefs they hold. They should be carefully monitored for signs of increasing religiosity and any and all political involvement in demonstrations, protests or letter writing. They should also be made to state their religion before boarding an international flight.

In some cases, where there is insufficient evidence to prosecute, it may be necessary to indefinitely detain individual Christians who are deemed to pose a threat to national security, until such a time as they can be safely released back into the community. Control orders may then be necessary to keep tabs on their activities.

You should also put churches under surveillance and monitor the sermons preached and the views expressed by parishioners, as well as any nationalist political parties or groups like the so-called Viking swimmers (they clearly have nationalist tendencies and the ice-swimming may be a kind of paramilitary training). Universities should be encouraged to report the expression of any extreme nationalist or Christian viewpoints, and should discourage Christian fundamentalist speakers from visiting their campuses. Right-wing and Christian fundamentalist websites should be blocked, and new laws should be passed which ban glorifying or promoting extreme nationalism and Christian fundamentalism.

It is also clear that you will need to set up a government-funded counter-radicalisation programme with moderate nationalists and liberal Christian leaders to try and deflect young white men in the Christian and nationalist communities from turning to extremism. Preachers should be encouraged to speak out against fundamentalism and nationalism, and to demonstrate their loyalty to Western values. It is clear that nationalism and Christianity are the conveyor belts of violent extremism; non-violent Christian fundamentalism leads directly to violent fundamentalism and terrorism.

richardjacksononterrorismblog, 23 July 2011

Norway gunman Anders Breivik’s chilling message to Britain’s far-right

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL anti-Islam placards

Mass killer Anders Breivik told Right-wing extremists in Britain to “keep up the good work” as he plotted his double atrocity in Norway. He was in contact with supporters of the English Defence League days before Friday’s bombing and shooting spree in which 76 people, most of them teenagers, were killed.

Breivik was told he would be welcome at their UK demonstrations, to which he replied: “I hoped so: it’s our common struggle against the islamofascists.” Breivik used an internet pseudonym to communicate with supporters of the EDL and told them: “You’re a blessing to all in Europe.”

His contacts with the EDL, in which he spoke of going to football matches in Bradford, were revealed today by anti-fascist organisation Searchlight. Pressure grew on David Cameron to announce a clampdown on far-Right groups.

Today Searchlight told how Breivik, who posted his messages as “Sigurd Jorsalfare”, a 12th century King of Norway who led one of the Crusades, wrote a series of chilling posts. Only a few days before Friday’s attacks the messages to EDL supporters stopped as he began the final countdown to his massacre.

Searchlight’s editor Nick Lowles: “This proves conclusively Breivik was in contact with the EDL, shared their aims and objectives and expressed a desire to join them on their demonstration. It is quite clear that the Home Office now need to classify the EDL as an extremist Right-wing organisation and to devote similar resources to monitoring their activities as they would other extremist groups.” The EDL has previously said that it has no official contact with Breivik.

In the online messages Breivik wrote: “To you all good English men and women, just wanted to say that you’re a blessing to all in Europe, in these dark times all of Europe are looking to you in search of inspiration, courage and even hope that we might turn this evil trend with Islamisation all across our continent. Well, just wanted to say keep up the good work it’s good to see others that care about their country and heritage.”

In another posting Breivik claims he visited Bradford with a friend “some years ago”. He wrote: “I’ve seen with my own eyes what has happened to england, i was in bradford some years ago, me and a friend walked down to the football stadium of bradford, real ‘nice’ neighborhood, same thing in the suburbs of London.”

One EDL supporter then wrote to Breivik: “Bravo, admire your views and courage. no surrender and welcome.”

Searchlight also said that a millionaire computer engineer living in north London is a backer of the EDL. Alan Lake, 45, has admitted providing funds to the organisation and is alleged to have referred to the Norwegian massacre on a far-Right forum earlier this week saying: “The chickens have actually come home to roost.” Mr Lake could not be reached for comment today.

MPs today called on the Government to investigate Breivik’s links to the EDL. Breivik is reported to have met leaders of the EDL in March last year when he apparently came to London for the visit of Geert Wilders, the Dutch Right-wing politician.

Daryl Hobson, who organises EDL demonstrations, said Breivik had met members of the group. There are also reports that he attended two EDL marches in the UK last year, one in Newcastle and one in London.

Evening Standard, 26 July 2011

Paul Ray, meanwhile, has been suggesting that the Englishman who Breivik described as his “mentor” is none other than the EDL’s Alan Lake. It is true that Lake does have a penchant for calling for his political opponents to be killed (see here and here), though he appears to be advocating state executions rather than acts of individual terrorism. Whether that subtle distinction is clear to the people he inspires, however, is another question.

Update:  See also “Anders Behring Breivik had links to far-right EDL, says anti-racism group”, Guardian, 26 July 2011

Update 2:  And “EDL supporter: Breivik’s a ‘hero in the war on Islam'”, Socialist Worker, 26 July 2011

Berlusconi ally praises Norway killer’s ideas

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mario Borghezio
Mario Borghezio at a rally organised by the German far-right organisation Pro-Köln

An ally of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has triggered a storm of protest after he described as “excellent” some of Norwegian terrorism suspect Anders Behring Breivik’s ideas.

Mario Borghezio, a European Parliament member for the anti-immigration Northern League, said he agreed with Breivik’s “opposition to Islam and his explicit accusation that Europe has surrendered before putting up a fight against its Islamisation.”

Borghezio told the host of talk radio programme La Zanzara that he did not agree with Breivik’s use of violence, nor with the “Protestant” Norwegian’s “anti-Papist” stance. But he said that “some of the ideas (of Breivik’s) are good, in certain cases even excellent.”

The Northern League is the junior partner in Berlusconi’s conservative government.

The centre-left opposition called for Borghezio to resign from the European Parliament. “It is a matter of shame for all of us that a representative of the ruling coalition made apologetic remarks about one of the cruelest acts of terrorism,” said the Democratic Party’s David Sassoli and the Italy of Values party’s Niccolo Rinaldi, both European parliamentarians.

Times Live, 26 July 2011

Update:  See also “Ex-Berlusconi minister defends Anders Behring Breivik”, Guardian, 28 July 2011

Northern League MP and former minister Francesco Speroni is quoted as saying: “I’m with Borghezio. I don’t think he should resign. If [Breivik’s] ideas are that we are going towards Eurabia and those sorts of things, that western Christian civilisation needs to be defended, yes, I’m in agreement.”

UN human rights expert criticises media for linking Norway attacks to Islamist terrrorism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Media reports that initially linked the killing spree in Norway to possible Islamist terrorism were “revealing” and “embarrassing” examples of prejudice, a UN human rights expert said Tuesday.

“The way in which some public commentators immediately associated the horrifying mass murder in Norway last Friday with Islamist terrorism is revealing and indeed an embarrassing example of the powerful impact of prejudices and their capacity to enshrine stereotypes,” said Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

“Proper respect for the victims and their families should have precluded the drawing of conclusions based on pure conjecture,” said Bielefeldt, who is an independent and non-paid rapporteur based in Geneva.

dpa, 26 July 2011

Mad Mel and the Norway terrorist attacks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Melanie Phillips Jihad in BritainThe Guardian reports that Melanie Phillips is outraged at the post by Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy which noted that her writings were cited by the Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik in his now notorious 2083 manifesto. “There are only two references to me or my work in its 1500 pages”, an indignant Phillips complains.

In reality, an entire article by Phillips is reproduced by Breivik. It takes up nearly three pages of his document. Now, bearing in mind that Breivik justified his massacre of young Labour Party members on the grounds that their party’s immigration policies and support for multiculturalism had opened the door to the “Islamisation” of Norway, what do you suppose was the subject of the article by Phillips that so impressed Breivik?

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Toronto: protesters oppose Muslim prayer in state schools

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Toronto District School Board protest

They waved signs that warned of “creeping jihad” and proclaimed “Islam must be reformed or banned”. They chanted – “No Islam in our schools”; “No Mohamed in our schools”; “No Sharia law in our country”.

About 100 protesters, many from groups such as the Jewish Defense League, the Christian Heritage Party and Canadian Hindu Advocacy, came to the Toronto District School Board Monday evening to protest its approval of formal Friday prayer services for Muslim students at Valley Park Middle School.

Standing at the back of the crowds, far from the megaphone-wielding speakers, York University students Mariam Hamaoui and Sarah Zubaira had their own signs espousing their right to pray in school. They came to thank the school board for providing a place for the Valley Park students to pray. Previously those students had left their school to attend prayers at a nearby mosque on Fridays.

Bringing an imam into the school was a means of preventing some of the approximately 300 Muslim students from failing to return to classes after those prayers, said school board director Chris Spence. It also meant they don’t have to cross a busy street. Valley Park has been holding the prayers in the cafeteria for three years and there have been no complaints within the school community of about 1,200, he said.

Hamaoui, 18, said she had to go to the basement to pray when she attended Etobicoke Collegiate Institute because “there was no other place”. “I think people should be open minded. I don’t see the problem to go pray. Praying is helping everybody,” she told reporters and the protesters who aggressively confronted her. “Universities let anybody pray. I don’t see the problem with having middle schools,” she told one woman.

“It’s our constitutional right,” said Zubaira, who wore a hijab for the first time on Monday.

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‘Peacefully protesting against Newport County’ – Stephen Lennon convicted of leading street brawl

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Stephen Lennon arrestedThe founder of the English Defence League has been convicted of leading a street brawl with 100 football fans.

Stephen Lennon, 28, shouted “EDL till I die” and encouraged fellow Luton Town supporters when they clashed in the town with Newport County fans on 24 August last year.

Lennon, a father of three from Luton, was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order, 150 hours of unpaid work and given a three-year football banning order. He was also ordered to pay £650 in costs. He was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour and accused of leading Luton’s hooligans into a fight.

He denied the charge but was convicted after a trial at Luton and South Bedfordshire magistrates court. Outside court he said he was being persecuted for his rightwing beliefs. “I am being done for what I am saying rather than what I am doing,” he said. “In the last 12 months I’ve been banned from protesting, going to the football and my assets have been frozen. It is a police state.”

Lennon was at the front of a large group of fans and was seen provoking opposition fans by gesturing and swearing at them. A terrifying scene unfolded with masked fans fighting, launching bottles and other missiles including a car roof rack.

A car windscreen was smashed during the battle as only seven police officers struggled to separate the sides. PC Robert Field described the scene as “incredibly intimidating” to members of the public and said it was “clearly going to get out of control”.

Lennon, who has previous convictions for assault, possession of cocaine and disorderly behaviour, shook his head upon hearing the verdict.

Guardian, 25 July 2011

More on Breivik’s links with the EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Anders Behring Breivik had extensive links to the far-Right English Defence League, senior members of the group have admitted.

Breivik was understood to have met leaders of the EDL in March last year when he came to London for the visit of Geert Wilders, the Dutch Right-wing politician. Daryl Hobson, who organises EDL demonstrations, said Breivik had met members of the group. Another senior member of the EDL said Breivik had been in regular contact with its members via Facebook, and had a “hypnotic” effect on them.

Breivik wrote of having strong links with the EDL, saying he had met its leaders and had 600 EDL members as Facebook friends.

Mr Hobson said in an online posting that: “He had about 150 EDL on his list … bar one or two doubt the rest of us ever met him, altho [sic] he did come over for one of our demo [sic] in 2010 … but what he did was wrong. RIP to all who died as a result of his actions.”

Another senior member of the EDL, who spoke to The Daily Telegraph on condition of anonymity, said he understood Breivik had met EDL leaders when he came to Britain to hear Wilders speak in London last year.

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