A planned march to Woolwich tomorrow (June 29) by far-right group the EDL has been banned by police – but its leader has vowed to visit anyway.
The group had planned to end an Armed Forces Day march – billed as a charity walk – in Woolwich where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in May. But the police have announced new conditions imposed on the event.
Two of the people behind a campaign against the building of the “Ground Zero Mosque” in New York have been barred from entering Britain to speak at an English Defence League rally in London this weekend, it has been announced.
The Home Secretary Theresa May has told Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, both of the anti-Islamic group Stop Islamization of America, that their presence in the UK would “not be conducive to the public good”. The decision, which they cannot appeal, will stand for between three and five years.
According to the Home Office, Mr Spencer and Ms Geller set up organisations “described as anti-Muslim hate groups” and, consequently, they have been told not to travel to Britain.
The decision follows pressure from anti-racist groups and chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz, who wrote to Ms May earlier this week asking her to consider a ban.
A mosque being built in Worcestershire has been broken into and graffiti including swastikas sprayed on to the walls and windows.
The damage at the mosque in Jinnah Road, Redditch, was caused between 02:00 BST and 04:30. Graffiti was sprayed over at least six windows. The intruders forced their way through a gate and broke into the main building.
Police believe the motive for the attack was to steal building equipment. A spokesperson said about £1,000 worth of equipment was taken and the paint used to daub the swastikas was stolen from the building.
Officers had increased patrols in the area and were guarding the site. Supt Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia Police, said because of incidents “happening nationally”, targeted patrols had been put in place at the mosque, which has been under construction for several years. He said they would now be “further increased” and police would not “tolerate mindless attacks of this nature”.
More than 3,500 people have signed a petition against a mosque being built in Worcester Park.
An Islamic association wants to convert the disused Bank Chambers building in Green Lane into a car-free mosque. But campaigners who do not believe the group’s claims that no-one will travel to the proposed mosque by car have organised a petition and collected more 3,737 signatures.
Plans to turn the derelict building into a mosque were rejected by Sutton Council in December on the grounds it would bring too much traffic to the area. But the new plans, from Cunnane Town Planning LLP, claim “extensive travel planning procedures” will mean people do not drive to the building.
The leader of Croydon Council has called for a planned rally by right-wing extremists to be banned.
The English Volunteer Force (EVF) plans to protest outside the headquarters of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), in Wellesley Road, on July 27. The EVF, which claims to fight “the Islamification of Great Britain”, has said “all patriots are welcome” and has admitted it is likely to spark counter-protests from anti-fascists.
The move has angered many, with council leader Mike Fisher calling for the rally to be banned, stating: “We do not need this additional tension in Croydon.”
Originally it was reported members of the EVF were planning a march from Lunar House to the Croydon Mosque in London Road, Thornton Heath, but the group’s leader Jason Lock said the idea had been dropped in favour of a demonstration.
Over at Exposing the English Defence League, Julie Blackadder draws our attention to a recent post at Pamela Geller’s Atlas Shrugs blog, headlined “UK teen brutally beaten by 15 Muslims”.
A week ago Geller reproduced a report from the Dewsbury newspaper The Press, detailing an alleged attack by a group of youth of Asian heritage on a 14-year-old white boy, Joseph Haigh, in the West Yorkshire village of Thornhill, which was said to have taken place “on Friday night”. She told her readers: “The police did not classify this savage attack as ‘racially’ (Islamically) motivated, but the police arrested an 85-year-old woman after she yelled ‘go back to your own country’ outside Gillingham mosque in the wake of the Woolwich beheading.”
From which we can only conclude that Geller believes that yelling “go back to your own country” at Muslims is acceptable behaviour and that her co-thinkers in the UK should be free to shout such racist abuse without fear of arrest.
The man who posted a message on Facebook urging people to “burn the mosque” to “put Grimsby on the map big time” has urged people to think twice before using social networking sites. Steven Ballard apologised for the offensive remark he left on the forum which resulted in him ending up in court.
A man seen by hundreds of people doing a Nazi salute during a three-hour stand-off at Colchester war memorial has been jailed for two months.
Kevin Reed attended an English Defence League demonstration at the Cowdray Crescent memorial on June 1, when about 60 members were met by anti-fascist demonstrators. The protestors were opposed to the group’s plans to lay a wreath to mark the death of soldier Drummer Lee Rigby, who was killed in Woolwich three weeks ago. Unemployed Reed responded to anti-EDL chants, using the offensive salute and racist language outside the Castle pub.
A Merseyside footballer who allegedly encouraged people to riot and “bomb and gas every mosque in England” following the terrorist beheading of Drummer Lee Rigby has been charged by police. Witton Albion striker Shaun Tuck is to face magistrates in Liverpool next month accused of an offence under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.
Tuck, 26, of of Mollington Avenue, Norris Green, is alleged to have used his Twitter account to rage: “All the mosque’s in England now should be bombed or gassed out!!!… Or stormed by 50 lads machetes, swords the lot. An make a statement. Am raging in me loft here yno… Got the balaclava out, dusted down an ready for the meet. I’d be going through there door mate an taking there kids head off an killing whoever was in site!!”