Category Archives: Far right racists

Council fails to ban EDL provocation in Manchester

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL in BirminghamCouncil chiefs have failed to get the government to ban a demonstration in Manchester by a right-wing group which claims to oppose Islamic extremism.

The English Defence League (EDL) plans to host a protest in the city next month. Manchester City Council, religious leaders and city traders asked the Home Office to stop the event after a similar recent protest turned violent. But the Home Office said it had no power to ban “static demonstrations”.

The council said it was concerned that shoppers and residents could become caught up in possible trouble caused by the EDL event. Councillor Jim Battle, deputy council leader, said: “Wherever the so-called English Defence League have gone there has been violence and disruption to ordinary people who just want to go about their business. It certainly is not welcome in Manchester.”

The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, Reverend Roger Govender, and Cityco, which represents city traders, backed the council’s opposition to the event.

According to the Home Office, police must make a decision locally on how to patrol peaceful protests. A Home Office spokesman added:

“They must take into consideration responsibilities such as public safety, public order, the prevention of crime and the protection of the rights of others to go about their lawful business. Violent activity and incitement to religious and racial hatred are totally unacceptable and the police have powers to deal robustly with any such activities.”

BBC news, 16 September 2009

See also Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 16 September 2009

Update:  And see “The tabloids and right wing extremism” at Five Chinese Crackers, which analyses the use made in the EDL video of anti-Muslim articles in the mainstream right-wing press.

Fascists advertise new Islamophobic T-shirt

Posted on by Bob Pitt

bnp-stop-islamic-colonisation“In response to popular demand, Excalibur has developed a brand new range of dramatic political slogan T-shirts, headlined by one which reads ‘Stop Islamic Colonisation: No More Mosques’.

“The new T-shirts, available in short and long sleeve styles, also feature themes covering the EU, the asylum swindle, political correctness, regional BNP designs and a new Celtic pride range.

“The launch of the new collection coincides with renewed squawking from extremist leftist politicians and newspapers in Wales today over the use of Welsh folk hero Owain Glyndwr in Excalibur’s ‘Welsh by the Grace of God T-Shirt’ design.

“The addition of the 29 new designs to Excalibur’s range pushes the total number of available designs on offer to 44, making Excalibur the single largest supplier of patriotic wear in the country.”

BNP website, 14 September 2009

Chaotic alliance of far right groups stirs up trouble on streets

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL fascist salute BirminghamThe rise of the English Defence League, whose protests against Islamism have sparked violent city centre clashes, has been chaotic but rapid.

Three months ago, no one had heard of the EDL. But the organisation has risen to prominence in a spate of civil unrest in which far-right activists, football hooligans and known racists have fought running battles with Asian youths. The leadership insists they are not racist and just want to “peacefully protest against militant Islam”.

Yet at EDL events, skinheads have raised Nazi salutes and other EDL supporters have chanted racist slogans such as “I hate Pakis more than you”. One protest in Luton in May ended with scores of people attacking Asian businesses, smashing cars and threatening passersby.

Insiders have talked of plans to enlist football fans to march for the cause on the basis that “you need an army for a war”.

Guardian, 12 September 2009

See also “Minister warns of 1930s-style fascists on Britain’s streets”, Guardian, 12 September 2009

English Defence League humiliated in Harrow

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Harrow anti-EDL protest“This is the story that the news should be telling you, but probably isn’t. I was there, so I will tell you. I have rarely been so heartened in my political life.

“The English Defence League, whose marches have been wreaking chaos in Luton and Birmingham, attempted to target a mosque in Harrow today. Their official aim was to demonstrate outside the mosque in opposition to ‘Islamic extremism’.

“That this mosque has no connection with Islamic extremism tells you that any mosque would have sufficed for their purposes. As their organisers have explained, they believe that Islam itself is inherently extreme.

“I believe only few dozen of their activists actually made it to Harrow, but I can’t say for certain, because I never laid eyes on a single one. Where these fascist provocateurs intended to ‘protest’ were thousands of antifascists attending the UAF’s counter-demonstration.”

Lenin’s Tomb, 11 September 2009

See also “SIOE demo called off!”, SIOE website, 11 September 2009

Update:  See UAF statement, 12 September 2009

And pictures of the Harrow events here.

Anti-mosque protesters chased out of Wealdstone

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hordes of rampaging young Asian men chased a small group of men through the civic centre car park after they apparently came to protest against Harrow Central Mosque.

Hundreds of people had gathered in Station Road, united against any protest against the mosque, and determined to protect their religion.

When the small group of men arrived, chanting from the crowd turned to anger and groups of protesters, some armed with sticks, broke ranks and began to chase the men.

The men, who had arrived at Harrow and Wealdstone station to head down to the mosque, quickly turned and ran through the car park when faced by the hostile crowd, hotly pursued by the protesters.

Police tackled the protesters on the edge of the civic centre car park, stopping them catching up with the group of men, and a short stand-off ensued between officers and the marauding protesters.

They were eventually coaxed into returning to the mosque, as hundreds spilled into Station Road, forcing police to shut it down.

Harrow Times, 11 September 2009

Danish Rightists in anti-mosque campaign

Posted on by Bob Pitt

DPP advertThe extreme-right Danish People’s Party (DPP), a key government ally, launched on Wednesday, September 9, a massive ad campaign against the building of mosques, reported the EuropeNews website.

“As a bolt from the blue and peaceful Danish summer sky, the politicians of the Copenhagen municipality decided the other day to erect a grand mosque in the middle of the city,” the party said in a full-page ad published in several dailies. The money will, among other sources, come from the terrorist regime of Iran, but none of the other parties in the local government had any concern about that.”

Copenhagen city council agreed on Thursday, August 27, to prepare a draft for a local plan for a mosque in the capital’s northwest neighborhood. The DPP was the only party that voted against the mosque, to be built by Shiites through private donations, will cost between 40 million and 50 million kroners (5.4 million and 6.7 million euros).

The DPP vowed to seek a referendum on the construction of mosques in the Scandinavian country. Playing politics, the party linked the anti-mosque campaign to the upcoming municipal polls. “The more representatives from the Danish Peoples Party elected at the local elections on November 17th, the greater the resistance against the Islamist strongholds, also in your city.”

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Man accused of calling BNP activists ‘Nazis’ is cleared

Posted on by Bob Pitt

BNP Islam Out of BritainA Heaton Moor man who was accused of threatening and abusing two BNP members after he challenged them in the street was acquitted after magistrates dismissed their evidence.

Mohammed Latif, 38, was cleared of any wrong doing after he confronted the BNP members on Broadstone Road, Reddish, on April 9 after they placed a pamphlet through his door during the run-up to the European elections.

Duncan Warner, 44, the former head of the BNP Stockport branch and ordinary BNP member Gerard Williams, 54, had claimed Mr Latif had used abusive language, threatened them and tried to steal a bag of pamphlets they were handing out.

In court, chief magistrate Kenneth Bailey, who found Mr Latif not guilty of an offence under section five of the public order act, said: “The facts are that an incident took place and some words were exchanged. The dispute arise over the nature of the language and whether it was abusive and threatening.

“I find a difference in evidence given by Mr Williams and Mr Warner. Mr Williams evidence was short and vague, while Mr Warner’s failed to convince that strong and abusive langauage was used. Mr Latif gave a more credible account of events.”

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Ken Livingstone condemns anti-Muslim protest in Harrow and warns of ‘return to the 1930s’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ken Livingstone, chair of Unite Against Fascism and former mayor of London, spoke out today against the anti-Muslim rally called by far right organisations outside Harrow Central Mosque this Friday. Livingstone said:

“If anyone were to call a demonstration outside a synagogue or church, this would rightly provoke a national outcry. There should be exactly the same response from the government, politicians, all religious faiths and the media to the call for a demonstration outside a mosque. The only possible meaning of this event is a protest against Muslims and Islam – a religion followed by more than a billion people in the world.

“People should wake up to the fact the protests outside mosques are taking us back to the fascism of the 1930s when fascist thugs marched against Jews and their places of worship. This demonstration should be condemned and banned on the grounds of blatant religious discrimination and a threat to public order.”

The anti-Muslim protest has been called by groups such as the BNP-linked “English Defence League” – which ran riot in Birmingham last weekend, throwing bottles at Asians and making Nazi ‘sieg heil’ salutes – and “Stop the Islamisation of Europe”, which declares that it is against all Muslims and all forms of Islam. They are calling their protest on the anniversary of the 9/11 in an attempt to whip up hatred against all Muslims by falsely branding them as terrorist sympathisers.

Unite Against Fascism has called a vigil and rally to defend the mosque from these anti-Muslim bigots. Speakers at the rally include Tony McNulty, MP for Harrow East, and Navin Shah, the London Assembly member for Brent & Harrow. The anti-racist vigil is backed by a variety of local community organisations and trade unions.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: “Nobody should be fooled by the bigots when they claim that they are ‘not racist’ or ‘peaceful’. They are here for one simple purpose: to intimidate and abuse the Muslim community. Back in the 1970s the National Front would march through black areas on the pretext of opposing ‘mugging’. Today the racists and fascists use opposition to ‘Islamic extremism’ in the same way.

“We all have a duty to show solidarity with Muslims in the face of these racist provocations. We will bring together people from all of Harrow’s different communities to send a clear message to the racists: we will defend our multiracial and multicultural society – and anti-Muslim bigots are not welcome here.”

Unite Against Fascism press release, 10 September 2009

UAF appeal: ‘Defend Harrow Central Mosque from anti-Muslim racists’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Defend Harrow Central Mosque from anti-Muslim racists
assemble 4pm, Friday 11 September, Harrow Civic Centre

Speakers include: Tony McNulty MP, London assembly memberNavin Shah, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear, Jo Langfrom Harrow Teachers Association, Unite convenor and bus workerAbdul Omer Mohsin, Weyman Bennett from Unite Against Fascism

>>> download the leaflet HERE
>>> download the poster HERE

Racist bigots including the BNP-linked English Defence League and “Stop the Islamisation of Europe” are planning on holding an anti-Muslim protest outside Harrow Central Mosque on the evening of Friday 11 September. Unite Against Fascism has called a solidarity vigil in response to defend the mosque from racists and fascists.

We are calling on everyone in London who opposes the racists and wants to stand up for Harrow’s multicultural and multiracial society to assemble on Friday at 4pm outside Harrow Civic Centre on Station Road, just north of the junction with Rosslyn Crescent (postcode HA1 2UA, nearest tube Harrow & Wealdstone). Please bring union banners.

The vigil starts at 1.30pm, so please get there earlier if you can. We want a dignified but determined demonstration that will show the racists that they are not welcome in Harrow. There will be a public rally with speakers starting at around 6pm.

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