EDL thugs Bernard Holmes, David Wilson, Jason Smith, David Garratt and Leonard Hawley
An English Defence League mob which descended on an East Lancashire town for a flash mob protest have been branded “a pack of wild animals”. Five of the gang have today been jailed for their parts in the brawl.
One Asian teenager was punched and kicked during the disturbance last July and another Asian man was run over as around 25 EDL supporters rolled into Brierfield last July.
Sunday’s Observer had a piece about a forthcoming book by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, entitled Faith in the Public Square. The main subject of the article is Williams’ criticisms of David Cameron’s “big society” policy. However, the authors also attribute to Williams some highly controversial views about the Muslim community:
Photo: Edinburgh Eye
A mum was turned away from a college parents’ evening – because she was wearing a veil.
Maroon Rafique was refused entry to Manchester College by senior staff who told her there was a ban on face coverings. The mum-of-two, from Whalley Range, said she was left stunned and dismayed. She had to phone husband Abdul, who attended the meeting with their 18-year-old son Awais, while she sat in the lobby of the college’s Northenden campus.
The British National Party has found a new heroine in the battle to defend free speech. Her name is Margaret Walker, and she was up in front of Fareham magistrates last week following complaints about a homemade leaflet she had circulated based on the cases of missing Blackpool teenagers Charlene Downes and Paige Chivers (who the far right claim were murdered by Muslims). Walker was given an interim ASBO preventing her from distributing any further copies of her leaflet before she returns to court on 20 July.
Despite the fact that she is clearly a crank of questionable mental stability (as can be seen from her leaflet here and here), the BNP organised a demonstration in solidarity with Walker outside Fareham Magistrates Court on Friday. Evidently it wasn’t very well attended. A BNP report carrying the rather plaintive headline “Were you in Fareham today?” stated that that Charlene’s mother, BNP supporter Karen Downes, came all the way from Blackpool for the protest “but many locals couldn’t be troubled”. However, the case does shed some light on current developments in the BNP.
Four people have been cautioned over their response to Facebook comments about the Yorkshire Regiment soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Azhar Ahmed, 19, of Fir Avenue, Ravensthorpe, denies making the initial offensive comments on the social networking site. Ahmed was charged under the Communications Act 2003 for remarks posted just two days after six British soldiers – including three from Huddersfield – died in Lashkar Gar in March this year.
The comments provoked outrage and many Facebook users posted angry replies. Some were subsequently investigated by police.
Two Gwent men escaped a jail sentence yesterday after they admitted writing offensive comments on Facebook.
Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard labourer James Rogers, of Deepweir, Caldicot, wrote on his Facebook account on March 25: “What the ****? Just at Magor Services and there was a Muslim rag head praying on a mat. Makes me sick.”
His friend Richard Orzel, a plasterer of Kensington Gardens, Newport, replied to the post writing: “Spit on the ****” to which Rogers replied saying he would have “kicked the **** out of him” if there hadn’t been any CCTV around.
A man who used Facebook to try to incite violence and urged others to attack the police and Muslims during the height of last summer’s riots was jailed for three years today.
A jury took less than two hours to find Mitchell Stancombe, 21, guilty of encouraging and assisting people to commit violent disorder.
A member of the British National Party and former Stoke-on-Trent councillor has denied charges of racism.
Michael Coleman, 45, of Caverswall Road, Weston Coyney, denied two counts of racially aggravated harassment. The charge relates to allegedly racist language used in two articles on his website between 8 August 2011 and 8 March 2012.
He appeared at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court and will go on trial later this year at a date to be set.
Meetings of the controversial English Defence League have been banned at a Norwich pub after a string of complaints.
About 45 members of the group, which is associated with violent demonstrations, have met at the Marlpit pub in Hellesdon Road. No trouble was reported and another meeting was booked for last weekend. But after complaints about the meetings from an anti-EDL group, the pub’s owners, Enterprise Inns, banned the EDL and the meeting was cancelled.
A spokesman for Enterprise said the licensee had been “reminded of their obligations”. She said: “We have spoken to the publican, who we understand has instructed pub staff to ensure no further meetings of the English Defence League are hosted at the Marlpit pub.”