Far-right groups tried and failed to exploit the Woolwich murder. But why are police arresting protesters trying to stop them? Daniel Trilling poses the question.
Category Archives: Far right racists
Sunderland mosque protest a damp squib
A demonstration against the building of a mosque in Sunderland turned out to be a damp squib. Just 10 people, saying they were from the Northern Patriotic Front, stood opposite the site – a former council vehicle depot in St Mark’s Road, Millfield – on Saturday.
Britain unites to warn racist thugs ‘you can’t cash in on Lee Rigby’s murder’
A far right bid to exploit soldier Lee Rigby’s murder failed today as people across Britain turned their backs on racism, the Sunday People reports.
Demos by the British National Party and English Defence League flopped – and a march in London was even outnumbered by a nearby protest against badger culling.
The scenes took place as suspect Michael Adebolajo, 28, was charged with Drummer Rigby’s murder. Michael Adebowale, 22, has already been charged.
Bigots using the atrocity to push a right-wing agenda faced a united front from people shouting slogans like “Fascist scum off our streets” and “we’re black and white and Asian and we’re Jews.”
At one rally not a single EDL supporter turned up.
BNP met by hundreds of anti-fascists at Westminster
Hundreds of anti-fascist campaigners have descended on Westminster today in protest at a planned march by the British National Party following the death of Lee Rigby.
Around 50 BNP members and supporters turned out for a march and motorcade outside the Houses of Parliament at 1pm after police stepped in to halt initial plans for a demonstration in Woolwich amid fears of it igniting community tensions.
Marine Le Pen loses immunity, faces charges of inciting hatred against Muslims
French far right leader, Marine Le Pen, could face criminal charges for inciting racism, the BBC has learnt.
The French authorities opened a case against Mrs Le Pen in 2011 after she likened the sight of Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation of France. As a European Parliament member (MEP), she enjoyed immunity from prosecution. However, this protection was removed by a European parliamentary committee in a secret vote this week.
BBC chief political correspondent Gary O’Donoghue says he has been told that the vote to remove her immunity was “overwhelming”. It will need to be ratified by the full parliament, but that’s expected to be a formality, our correspondent says.
Local opposition to Lincoln mosque protest
Local residents are opposing a planned protest against the mosque set to be built in Lincoln on the former site of the Boultham dairy, along with a supermarket and housing development.
As previously reported, the demo is organised via Facebook by a group called East Anglian Patriots, possibly an off-shoot of the English Defence League (EDL). The event is planned for 1pm on June 8 at the site of the former Boultham Dairy, where the new mosque and a supermarket were approved back in November 2012.
EDL graffiti on Muslim prayer hall in Blackburn cemetery
Police are investigating after graffiti was painted on to the wall of a Muslim prayer hall at a cemetery in Lancashire. The writing was discovered in the Pleasington cemetery on Tower Road, Blackburn earlier.
Ch Supt Bob Eastwood said: “It is unacceptable for anyone to commit crimes like this, especially at places of worship.” He appealed for anyone with information to contact Lancashire Police.
See also Asian Image, 31 May 2013
Lewisham Muslims welcome BNP march restrictions
Lewisham’s Islamic Centre has expressed its relief at the “welcome news” that far-right group, the British National Party, will be barred from marching in the southeast London’s borough’s streets.
BNP leader Nick Griffin had planned out a route from Woolwich Barracks, near to the scene where soldier Lee Rigby was murdered, to the centre only a few miles away, which was scheduled to go ahead tomorrow (June 1).
However, police intervened in the BNP’s plans, citing potential for serious violence and damage to neighbourhoods.
Conservative MP denounces anti-Muslim bigots as ‘bloody fools’
One of Hampshire’s top politicians has criticised the “crazy fools” insulting Muslims following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby. New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne has condemned the current wave of anti-Muslim incidents, including attacks on mosques, which began shortly after the young soldier was killed in Woolwich.
Writing in his weekly blog Mr Swayne says: “I have regular correspondents on the subject of Islam. Some are Internet ‘trolls’ who send me e-mails filled with complete drivel that they have picked up from nasty right-wing websites…. Then there are a few ‘churchy’ folk who send me considered but equally misguided stuff peppered with quotes taken out of context from the Koran and enclosing articles from evangelical publications.”
National campaign: Don’t let the racists divide us
Unite Against Fascism is launching a campaign – Don’t let the racists divide us – to organise a nationwide response to the attempts by the racist and fascist English Defence League and British National Party to exploit the tragic death of Lee Rigby to whip up racism and hatred.
This campaign will be launched at its ‘United communities – Don’t let the racists divide us’ event, taking place at 12 Noon, tomorrow Saturday 1 June, opposite Downing St.
The campaign is being launched in response to the stepped up activities of racist and far right groups in the aftermath of the murder, which have cynically attempted to exploit this tragedy to pursue their own agenda directed against Black, Asian and especially Muslim communities.
This has already led to a spike in Islamophobic attacks and a wave of assaults on Mosques. Muslim communities are experiencing verbal abuse, women’s headscarves have been torn off as well as more serious threats and violent attacks. Racists are simply stepping up their campaign.
This Saturday the English Defence League are organising 55 protests in different towns and cities across the country over the weekend. The far right British National Party is trying to re-launch itself after its recent splits by holding a national protest in Whitehall, Central London at 1pm – the first time they have done so since 1998.
UAF is organising local community responses around the country and the event in Whitehall to counter the BNP’s mobilisation.