Category Archives: UK

EDL and UAF stage rival protests in Luton

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Luton May 2012Protests by the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in Luton have ended without major incident amid a huge police presence.

About 1,500 EDL supporters and 1,000 UAF protesters were involved in the protests. There were seven arrests. Officers said the arrests were for weapons offences and assault.

Both groups took part in a one-mile (1.6km) march earlier. The EDL supporters marched from High Town Road to St Georges Square, while the UAF group marched between Bury Park Road and Market Hill. Speeches were given in both squares, which are about half a mile apart, from about 1345 GMT.

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Dudley: Labour condemns Tories’ anti-mosque leaflet

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A contentious leaflet, distributed by the Conservative Party, has been slammed by Labour councillors.

The leaflet, which was sent out by the Tory party this week, in a last ditch attempt for votes, highlighted the controversial issue of the Dudley Mosque, which was rejected by High Court last month and suggested the Labour Party would be in favour of it if elected.

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Leading vet criticises ritual slaughter of animals

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A leading vet has criticised the “unacceptable” rise in the number of animals killed in ritual slaughter.

Ritual slaughter is lawful in the UK and the EU to satisfy the dietary requirements of Jews and Muslims.

Prof Bill Reilly, former president of the British Veterinary Association, said estimates suggested more animals were slaughtered than was necessary.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said its own figures showed most animals were stunned before being killed. The FSA conducted a survey into animal welfare in slaughterhouses in September.

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Posted in UK

Ex-BNP Islamophobe elected to Scottish council

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Colin Wyper

Spin Watch draws our attention to the fact that former British National Party member Colin Wyper has been elected as an independent to Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Wyper has written: “I was and still am terrified of Islam, of their gradual and steady takeover of the western world.”

There are reportedly 200 Muslims living in the region, out of a total population of 148,200. So anxieties about the Islamification of Dumfries and Galloway are perhaps slightly overstated.

Derby: workshops to tackle hatred and fear of Islam

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Free training is being offered for Derby’s voluntary and public-sector workers on how to tackle Islamophobia.

The University of Derby’s multi-faith centre, in Kedleston Road, will be holding three workshops. They are each designed to identify and tackle Islamophobia, defined as prejudice against Muslims or the hatred or irrational fear of Islam.

Sessions will be held on Wednesday, May 23, for Derby’s voluntary sector; Wednesday, June 20, for the East Midlands voluntary sector; and Thursday, July 26, for Derby’s public sector. Each session will run from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

For a booking form, contact Yessenia Aguilera by e-mailing mfc@derby.ac.uk or visit the centre’s website at www.multifaithcentre.org.

Derby Telegraph, 3 May 2012

UKIP candidate: ‘Koran is worse than Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Julia Gasper

A candidate for UKIP has compared Islam’s holiest book to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, Political Scrapbook can reveal. Academic Julia Gasper – a former Westminster hopeful and current council candidate in Oxford – said the Koran was “fascist” and compared those who defend Islam to holocaust deniers.

In emails seen by Scrapbook, Gasper ranted:

Why is it any more wrong to assert that the Koran is a fascist book than to assert that Mein Kampf is a fascist book? The Koran is a lot more explicit in advocating hate and murder than Mein Kampf is.

Having dismissed comparisons between sections of the Koran and the Old Testament as “not valid”, Gasper responded to suggestions that her hateful bile was demonising Muslims:

Words like “demonization” are just self-deception. They are being used to persuade you to keep your eyes shut. In fact, the apologists for Islam are really very similiar to Holocaust deniers.

To compound matters, the rant comes to light as another UKIP candidate is suspended for expressing sympathies with Norwegian mass-murder Anders Breivik – and just days after Julia Gasper herself was slammed for saying gays should stop “complaining about persecution” and start thanking straight people for giving birth to them.

Looks like they’ll be making that a double suspension then.

Political Scrapbook, 1 May 2012

Via Loonwatch

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Sheffield UKIP candidate removed over Breivik blog post

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A man who was due to stand in Sheffield’s local elections for UKIP has been stripped of the candidacy over comments made on his blog.

Steve Moxon, a former government whistle-blower, is standing in the Dore and Totley ward. On his blog he said Norwegian killer Anders Breivik’s thesis on Islam and political correctness was accurate. Mr Moxon said he “resolutely does not agree with” his crimes. UKIP said his comments were at odds with its policy.

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King’s Lynn community centre given go-ahead by council planning committee

Posted on by Bob Pitt

King's Lynn graffiti
Anti-Muslim graffiti being removed from the wall of the Queen’s Arms

The president of West Norfolk Islamic Association is hoping to build bridges after community centre plans were passed. Azam Gabbair said he was “overwhelmed” with West Norfolk Council’s decision to approve a change of use application for the former Queen’s Arms in London Road.

During today’s planning committee meeting, right-wing activist Stephen Tweed was stopped from speaking after he strayed into religious and cultural issues. An earlier motion to refuse permission due to traffic congestion and the loss of a pub was lost before approval was finally granted.

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