Category Archives: UK

Man arrested over trouble at EDL protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Police investigating offences committed during an English Defence League demonstration in Halifax have arrested a 50-year-old man. The suspect, from Bolton, has since been bailed, pending further inquiries.

The arrest was made after officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage from earlier this year when the EDL protested in the town. As a result of their work, nine men were identified as wanted over public order offences, with officers believing they could be living in West and South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

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The Breivik diagnosis: ideology wrapped in a straitjacket

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tad Tietze, co-editor of the recently-published collection of essays On Utøya: Anders Breivik, Right Terror, Racism and Europe, has posted an excellent piece in response to the news that two court-appointed psychiatrists have found Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik to be legally insane and unfit to stand trial.

The Drum, 2 December 2011

See also Simon Baron-Cohen, “Anders Breivik: cold and calculating, yes – but insane?”, Guardian, 2 December 2011

Cf. Bob Lambert, “Was Anders Breivik a psychotic spree killer or a calculating terrorist?”, RUSI, 29 July 2011

Another far-right organisation claims credit for victory over Blackpool mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Law and Freedom Foundation logoWe have already reported that Nick Griffin has been boasting about his role in assisting the successful campaign against a planning application by the Noor-A-Madina Mosque in Blackpool. It seems that the BNP is not alone in claiming credit for the council planning committee’s decision.

Another far-right organisation, the Law and Freedom Foundation (aka “Mosquebusters”), says that the “professional help” it gave to those objecting to the mosque was decisive in securing the rejection of the application. Not that this necessarily contradicts the BNP’s claim to have been centrally involved, as the Law and Freedom Foundation is enthusiastically supported by Nick Griffin himself.

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Extradition law debate in Commons next Monday

Posted on by Bob Pitt

ENGAGE draws our attention to the welcome news that the Backbench Business Committee has now reversed its earlier decision and scheduled a full debate with a vote on the current extradition laws, to be held in the main chamber of the House of Commons on Monday 5 December.

The shocking case of Babar Ahmad has received some media attention, and it is thanks to the campaign organised by his supporters that next week’s parliamentary debate is taking place. But Babar Ahmad is not the only London Muslim to have fallen foul of the Extradition Act 2003. A less publicised case, which hopefully will feature in the House of Commons debate, is that of Talha Ahsan, who also faces the prospect of extradition to the United States.

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BNP leader applauds rejection of Blackpool mosque planning application, boasts that he advised mosque opponents on their campaign

Posted on by Bob Pitt

BNP Islam Out of BritainYesterday the Blackpool Gazette reported that there had been “relief and delight” when the council’s planning committee rejected an application by the Noor-A-Madina Mosque.

As is usual in such cases, formal objections had centred on supposed parking problems, and opponents claimed that their campaign against the mosque had “nothing to do with race or religion”. But there was evidence to suggest otherwise. It was also clear that the English Defence League was involved in whipping up fear and hatred over the issue (see here and here).

The British National Party MEP for North West England, Nick Griffin, has now posted a statement on his website hailing the planning committee’s decision as “a victory for the people”. The statement claims:

Nick Griffin MEP was contacted earlier by a number of concerned residents following a meeting of over 100 people opposed to the mosque. Responding to their appeal for assistance Nick advised: “I believe that it is imperative that the building of new mosques is halted in order to prevent Britain being further colonised by Islamists. It is in the power of the residents of South Shore to stop this one by lobbying Blackpool Council to refuse this planning application.”

In a letter to residents in October, Nick’s Constituency Office explained to the public how to voice their opposition. His office urged people to contact the council and present their concerns, “It is highly likely that the Council will approve the mosque’s planning application unless the opposition campaign is of sufficient strength to ensure that they have no choice but to listen to the will of local residents. It is important, therefore, that as many people as possible make their objections known to Blackpool Council. Anyone can send in their views about a current planning application via Blackpool Council’s on-line planning application pages.”

See also Griffin’s earlier report “New mosque will change the face of Blackpool”.

Update:  See “‘It can be done’ – Local opposition blocks Blackpool mosque”, BNP news report, 1 December 2011

Update 2:  The EDL are also claiming credit for the planning committee’s decision:

EDL LGBT Blackpool mosque

BFP links up with Australian far-right racists

Posted on by Bob Pitt

British FreedomHaving formalised its alliance with the English Defence League, the British Freedom Party is now keen to reinforce its international links. The BFP has posted an extended interview with Andrew J. Philips, chairman of the Australian Protectionist Party, who claims that the APP is a “sensible, moderate but uncompromising nationalist party”. It is in fact a far-right group specialising in anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim propaganda.

The APP’s politics can be judged by the fact that their website has reproduced material by the British National Party and featured a video of a speech by South African white supremacist Arthur Kemp, author of March of the Titans: a History of the White Race, at a time when Kemp was a leading figure in the BNP (“Another one of Arthur Kemp’s excellent speeches…not to be missed”).

You can understand why the BFP and APP might enjoy a warm relationship, because the two organisations certainly have a lot in common. The BFP’s new chairman Paul Weston has written an article entitled “The ethnic cleansing of the English”, which warns that due to “mass immigration” the “indigenous race” will be reduced to “ethnic minority status in their homeland within twenty years”.

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Richard Peppiatt exposes Daily Star’s anti-Muslim agenda at Leveson Inquiry

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Airports facing turban warfare Daily StarRichard Peppiatt, the Daily Star reporter who resigned in protest at the paper’s methods, notably its boosting of the English Defence League and its incitement of racism and Islamophobia, gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry today.

You can read his witness statement here. It describes a culture at the Star where “a top down pressure to unearth stories which fitted within a certain narrative (immigrants are taking over, Muslims are a threat to security) led to casual and systemic distortions”.

Peppiatt told the inquiry how he made up a story about a non-existent Muslim bomb plot. He said the inspiration for the story was “a line” from a Sunday Telegraph article which suggested that Muslim terrorists might be thinking of disguising themselves as Sikhs and hiding bombs in their turbans. From the Star‘s standpoint, Peppiatt explained, “having a story that lashed out at both Muslims and Sikhs at once was far too good to pass over”.

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Muslim group’s plan for Hainault centre sparks angry exchanges

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Hainault and Chigwell Muslim Association is due to sign a 25-year lease to take over Jacques Hall in New North Road, Hainault.

But more than 100 residents who in January lost a bid made to Redbridge Council to re-open to building as a community centre crammed into Hainault Forest Community Hall in Manford Way, Hainault last week to protest at plans for the future of the building.

As tempers boiled over, Sgt Richard Egan reminded residents he would take action under the Public Order Act over any “racist” comments.

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