Category Archives: UK

National Front targets another mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Richard Edmonds at Baitul Futuh Mosque
Richard Edmonds in front of the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden

No doubt flushed with the “success” of its recent protest at the site of a proposed mosque in Sunderland, the National Front has belatedly latched on to the plan to convert a vacant building in Worcester Park in South London into an Islamic centre, which has already been the subject of local opposition.

The NF reports that fully seven of its supporters (probably almost the entire London membership) leafleted the area on Saturday in order to warn the non-Muslim population of Sutton of the fate that awaits them if the conversion goes ahead. The NF contingent was headed by veteran neo-Nazi Richard Edmonds (who, you may recall, has served as an inspiration to English Defence League leader Stephen Lennon).

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Chelmsford: English Defence League heavily outnumbered by anti-racists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Chelmsford protest August 2012
The ever-shrinking forces of the English Defence League in Chelmsford

It was a victory for the police as a potentially explosive double-march involving an anti-Islamic group and their anti-fascist opponents passed through Chelmsford almost trouble free on Saturday.

A ring of police officers surrounded more than 50 members of the anti-Islamic group, the English Defence League, as they walked slowly from the Wheatsheaf pub in New Street to Chelmsford Library.

Fearing a repeat of the trouble that broke out during last month’s EDL protest, in which three men were arrested, more than 100 police officers from eight different forces, swamped the city centre, creating blockades with riot vans, to ensure the two groups did not cross paths.

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Dundee: councillors refuse to allow Scottish Defence League to enter City Square

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Scottish Defence LeagueDundee City Square could be turned into a scene of conflict if members of a far-right group are allowed to demonstrate there.

That was the claim made on Thursday during the city council’s licensing committee as councillors considered a request by Dundee Trades Union Council, on behalf of Dundee Together, to allow their demonstration against racism and fascism to go ahead on September 1.

On the same day, around 150 members of the Scottish Defence League (SDL) are expected to gather in the city despite having been refused permission to hold a static demonstration in City Square earlier this year. The right-wing group is using the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to exercise its freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

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Chelmsford: MP backs demonstration against EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Chelmsford TUC

A far right demonstration is set to be opposed by members of unions, faith groups and political parties. A second English Defence League march is planned in Chelmsford for Saturday, but the group is set to come up against opposition.

The EDL will be in the city centre to make its feelings known on a planning application to rebuild the Muslim Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Essex, which is behind the Royal Mail office, in Victoria Road.

But Chelmsford TUC has rallied supporters to march on the same day. Andrew Coburn, chairman of the Chelmsford branch, said: “We are pleased so many people and organisations from across the community have come out in support of this initiative.”

Simon Burns, Chelmsford MP, has sent a letter backing the action of the group marching against the EDL. His letter is expected to praise the anti-EDL movement and say he is appalled at any attempt to inflame race relations in Chelmsford.

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Thurnby Lodge Islamic community centre plan ‘alternatives’ sought

Posted on by Bob Pitt

An Islamic charity which plans to turn a former scout hut into a community centre has been told the city council is looking at “alternative premises”.

Leicester City Council said if no site could be found for the As-salaam Trust then negotiations on the sale of the lease would resume.

About 200 people attended a demonstration at Thurnby Lodge last week to oppose the group’s plans.

The As-salaam Trust said it was sad the community could not work together. It said its community centre aimed to provide food sharing services, drug and alcohol advice and education to make community life better for everyone.

Mohammed Lockhat, from the As-salaam Trust, said: “We are in discussions with the council. We are sad that we cannot work together as a community. We would love to, we’ve been trying to, and we are continuing to do so within our limits at the moment.

“The protests are supposed to be directed at the council, but on many occasions they haven’t been. It has been quite intimidating for many of our members.”

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Daily Mail can’t even condemn a racist attack on Muslims without employing anti-migrant rhetoric

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Daily Mail reports that a drunken couple of Polish origin, Beata Jopek and her partner Maciej Matysniak, racially abused two hijab-wearing Muslim women, Hana Farah and Ithil Ibrahim, on a Leeds-Sheffield train.

It was Matysniak who first approached the two women and told them: “Shut the f*** up”, why are you so “f****** loud, aren’t you embarrassed about how loud you are? You can’t even speak English.”

Jopek then told the women to “go back to your own country”, screaming “no-one wants you here, you are f****** disgusting”. She shouted at one of them: “Take that f****** thing off, a white person wouldn’t do what you are doing.” She ripped the headscarf from one of the women and when restrained by a guard said: “If I lose the baby I’m going to kill the black b****.”

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Leicester: protests over Islamic community centre plans for disused scout hut continue

Posted on by Bob Pitt

It’s an unlikely setting for an ongoing night-after-night street protest.

However, hundreds of people have been gathering in Thurncourt Road, on Leicester’s Thurnby Lodge estate, for some weeks now to protest against an Islamic charity’s plan to turn a disused Scout hut into a community centre and prayer room.

On Friday, the number of people taking part swelled towards the 400 mark – with about 50 police officers there to oversee it.

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CAIR: Republican ‘Islamophobia machine’ encouraging violent attacks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Following an acid bomb being hurled at a Muslim school in the Chicago suburb of Lombard, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told Raw Story that the number of attacks on American Muslims has escalated recently due in part to the Republican Party’s “Islamophobia machine” encouraging a tiny minority of extremists toward increasingly violent behaviors.

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Chelmsford unites against EDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A group of church leaders, community groups and political partiesare preparing to unite against the English Defence League (EDL) this weekend.

EDL members are expected to descend upon Chelmsford town centre on Saturday, 18 August and United Chelmsford is preparing to march. The protest coincides with the first day of V Festival at Hylands Park.

United Chelmsford’s Celebration of Unity will be starting from Tindal Square at 11.30am and marching through the city at 1pm, the group expects their numbers to swell to 200 as they take a stand against the EDL.

Malcolm Wallace, Secretary of Chelmsford TUC, speaking on behalf of United Chelmsford, said: “This will be a magnificent demonstration of our City’s opposition to racism and islamophobia. The divisive policies of the EDL stand in sharp contrast to our multi-cultural Team GB and the spirit of the Olympics.”

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