Category Archives: UK

Scottish Defence League march banned

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A far right group will not be allowed to march in Edinburgh on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist atrocity.

The Scottish Defence League wanted to rally in the capital’s east end. However, Edinburgh City Council backed opponents who said the gathering would be a threat to public safety.

The Scottish Defence League (SDL) is an offshoot of the English Defence League which has been associated with trouble at gatherings south of the border. That group was cited by Norwegian gunman Anders Breivik as an organisation he admired.

About 50 SDL supporters held a rally in Edinburgh last year. They were outnumbered by 2,000 counter protesters marching under the banner of Scotland United.

The SDL notified the council they intended to march from near the American Embassy to the east end of Princes Street on 10 September.

The decision to turn down the proposal was made by members of the council’s licensing committee on Friday over fears of public disorder.

BBC News, 19 August 2011

Update:  See also the Scotsman, 20 August 2011

Maryam Namazie and her allies

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Enemies Not AlliesThis week Maryam Namazie of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran announced the publication of a new book, Enemies Not Allies: The Far-Right. Co-authored by Namazie and Adam Barnett, it is issued under the imprint of One Law For All, an organisation launched by the WPI and its friends to campaign against the supposed threat posed by Sharia law in the UK.

The authors claim that the far right have “attempted to hijack legitimate criticism of Islamism” and the stated aim of their book is to establish the differences between the position of OLFA and that of “racist campaigns and organisations”. So we are given a summary of the ideology and political practice of the British National Party and the English Defence League, and of Stop Islamisation of Europe and its US franchise headed by Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, all of whom the authors roundly denounce.

Now it is certainly true that the WPI have major differences with the BNP, the EDL, SIOE and SIOA. Obviously Maryam Namazie and her comrades do not have a long history of activity on the neo-Nazi right like Nick Griffin, they do not head a violent anti-Muslim street movement like the leaders of the EDL, nor are they rabid ultra-Zionists like Pamela Geller. However, when it comes to Islam, the common ground that exists between the WPI and sections of the Islamophobic right, including some of its most extreme elements, is quite clear. And that is something Enemies Not Allies completely ignores.

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Police give green light to Scottish Defence League protest in Edinburgh

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Stop the Fascist SDLA controversial far-right group is set to win permission to stage a demo in Edinburgh after police chiefs said they had no objections to the Scottish Defence League being allowed to stage a parade – despite protests from politicians, trade unions and anti-racism organisations.

Critics believe the group has deliberately chosen the date to inflame racial hatred and capitalise on recent publicity linking its sister group, the English Defence League, with Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik.

The SDL has given Edinburgh City Council, which will rule on the application tomorrow, “freedom of speech” as the main reason for holding the event, which it expects to attract around 200 supporters.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill wants the protest banned, claiming the group is known to espouse “both racist and homophobic views” and expressing concern the march could pose a threat to public safety. Local MSPS are also among those against the application.

Lothian and Borders Police has warned the local authority to consider the group’s proposed demo “in the context” of the recent riots that flared across several English cities.

But it has effectively given the green light to the march, which will include a rally beside the statue of the Duke of Wellington, despite admitting the group’s views are “controversial” and that a sizeable “opposition rally” is likely to be held.

Superintendent David Carradice has told the council he is confident the force can handle a demo by the SDL and any planned counter-demonstration, insisting it is used to catering for groups that want to “exercise their right to protest”.

He said: “Whilst there can be no guarantees there will be no disruption to the daily business of the community, we are confident that, with the assistance of the council, an operation can be put into place to minimise such and thereby allow the SDL rally to go ahead and cater for an opposition rally too.”

Scotsman, 19 August 2011

Update:  See “Council to decide whether far-right group march through Edinburgh”, STV, 19 August 2011

Ken Livingstone explains why he supports a ban on the EDL march in Tower Hamlets

Posted on by Bob Pitt

We need calm on the streets of London, not this EDL march

By Ken Livingstone

The far-right English Defence League proposes to march in Tower Hamlets on September 3rd.

I want to set out here why I am supporting a ban on this march.

The EDL use religious hatred in a way that stirs up racial hatred. Their activities have often led to violence and physical intimidation.

There are many who have put forward civil liberties arguments for allowing the far right to demonstrate, however unpalatable their views may be. The context of this EDL march is now radically different following the riots and disturbances we have seen on our streets. We need to put good community relations and peace on the streets before division and extremism.

As Mayor my case to the Home Secretary would be this: the last thing we need in the uneasy aftermath of the riots is a march through one of London’s most diverse areas by far right provocateurs intent on stirring up division. We need calm and peace on our streets, not the threat of further street violence. It should be obvious that an EDL march in East London could be extremely dangerous.

We should be putting Londoners first, not the rights of the EDL to intimidate people.

It is right to be tough on those who have broken the law in the past few weeks. Equally, we cannot allow the extreme right to march with impunity into an area with the express intent of stirring up division. Not least because so many EDL actions have led to violent confrontation.

The EDL’s aim is to divide people, incite religious hatred as a means to create racial division, and turn people against each other.

In the past few weeks I have joined with politicians and community leaders from a range of backgrounds to call on the Home Secretary that this march to be banned. It is a welcome step to see such unity. Unity across party labels, faiths and backgrounds is essential opposing the dangerous threat of far-right violence.

In the aftermath of the massacre in Norway there was a clear case for halting the EDL demonstration in East London. Alleged links subsequently emerged between the EDL and Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian who murdered scores of people in Norway.

Now, in the context of the riots and disorder on our street, there is a compelling case that such a march should not be permitted to go ahead. For the sake of order and peace on our streets and preserving calm it would be irresponsible to let it happen.

The Home Secretary must act to ensure that the EDL is not able to bring its tour of hate to the streets of East London on September 3rd.

Show Racism the Red Card defies budget cuts to fight Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Islamophobia FilmA Tyneside charity is widening efforts to rid North East schools of racism, despite suffering budget cuts of more than £80,000.

Show Racism the Red Card chief executive Ged Grebby criticised the “growing influence” of the English Defence League in the region’s schools and claimed a “rise in Islamophobia” and the increased support for far right organisations threatened to exploit youngsters and spread through classrooms.

Last night he said that his charity – which was originally formed in Newcastle in 1996 with the aim of booting racism out of professional and grassroots football – had plans to grow its operations and tackle the issue.

But deep Government cuts and a reduction in local council spending has meant the charity has seen more than £80,000 disappear from its spending purse. Mr Grebby said the charity had been forced to draw on reserves in an effort to maintain its fight against racism.

He said: “The issues have become much more complex than 15 years ago, especially with the rise of Islamophobia and the EDL. The EDL have latched on to this and have exploited the issue and it is a huge issue.” He added: “Public sector cuts have had an impact on all charities and although we have made a loss this year, the success of previous years has meant we were able to use some of our reserve funds.”

Journal Live, 16 August 2011

See also “Anti-racism charity ups efforts to combat EDL”, TES, 12 August 2012

Complaint to Charity Commission over Barnabas Fund’s ‘Islamisation’ booklet

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Barnabas Fund Slippery SlopeThe Charity Commission has received a complaint about a charity that is campaigning against the “Islamisation of the UK”.

The commission said concerns had been raised about the Barnabas Fund, which is selling a booklet it has produced called Slippery Slope: the Islamisation of the UK.

The Barnabas Fund offers financial support to projects around the world that help Christians suffering oppression and persecution “as a consequence of their faith”.

The booklet claims that DVDs featuring radical preachers are “widely disseminated” in mosques and says that on one such DVD a speaker argues that “if a girl refuses to wear the hijab, she should be hit”. It also claims that radical Muslim preachers say “women are created with deficient intellect”.

A commission spokeswoman said: “Concerns have been raised with us regarding the Barnabas Fund after recent media coverage of a booklet produced by the charity. We are currently considering the issues raised to determine what, if any, regulatory interest there is for the commission.”

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Dewsbury: £172,000 bill for 40 minute EDL protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Taxpayers were left with a £172,000 bill for policing a 40-minute demonstration by the English Defence League, the YEP can reveal.

Concerns have been raised about the strain on the public purse following the rally in Dewsbury in June. It was the fifth demonstration in West Yorkshire since the EDL’s formation in 2009. A protest in Leeds in October 2009 cost £131,000 to police.

Kirklees Council leader Mehboob Khan said: “Forty minutes – that’s £4,300 a minute for policing. Every citizen has the right for their voice to be heard, but the EDL need to be aware that their demonstrations are taking money from essential frontline services at a time when the country is struggling. With £172,000 we could have kept two libraries open for a year.”

Yorkshire Evening Post, 15 August 2011