Category Archives: UK

EDL demonstration in Rochdale leads to 34 arrests

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL in RochdaleAn English Defence League protest in Rochdale on Saturday led to 34 arrests, but the police were delighted it passed off without large-scale disorder.

Almost 500 supporters of the far-right group travelled to the north-west town for the event, while around 100 people gathered for a counter-demonstration organised by Unite Against Fascism.

Greater Manchester Police had a high-profile presence on the ground and, with the help of leaders from the local Asian community, managed to keep the peace.

A metal fence was erected between the EDL and UAF supporters who gathered close to the Cenotaph, and although there were some minor disturbances, there were few signs of the situation degenerating into violence.

Three people were detained for possession of an offensive weapon, but most of the arrests were for minor public order offences, for failing to remove face masks and for being drunk and disorderly.

EDL supporters had carried banners with slogans such as “Patriotism is not a crime” and “Protect all children from Islamists”. The Manchester Evening News reported that they had been addressed by a speaker who talked about allegations of sexual exploitation of children in Rochdale.

Anti-EDL demonstrators, who included representatives of local mosques and trade unions, carried placards reading ‘Smash the English Defence League’ and ‘EDL + BNP = Nazi-racist thugs’.

Metro, 5 March 2011

See also Unite Against Fascism news report, 5 March 2011

Daily Star inspires EDL to discuss launch of political party

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Billed as the homecoming by the English Defence League back to Luton, thousands turned out in support of the Anti-Islamicist cause. The Unite Against Fascism held a counter-demonstration in the town. Luton, UK, 05/02/2011

The leader of the far-right English Defence League last night confirmed that the group would be holding talks with a view to becoming a legitimate political party.

Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said last night: “We’re having a meeting this week with politically minded people and we’re discussing the options. We know the support we’ve got from one end of the country to the other because we talk sense. So we’re having more discussions this week. It’s something we’re seriously looking at.

“We’ve been meeting with top political people for a year about this and now we’re getting close. We’ve been sitting down with a couple of lads who are posh-speaking, public school boys, who have been in politics before, and we’re discussing with them where it can go.”

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EDL activist calls for stand against ‘molitious atacks from muslim extremists’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dover ExpressActivists from the far-right English Defence League (EDL) are using Facebook to recruit members for what they describe as its Dover division. A call to the people of the town has been made online by a man named Jason Heath, who encourages them to “take a stand” against what he describes as Muslim extremists.

In a badly spelt and punctuated posting on Facebook pages relating to Dover, including that of this newspaper, Mr Heath said: “if your sick and tired of your mum, sister, nan, girlfriend, kids or anyone you know not being able to walk through certain parts of hers/his//yours/OUR town at night even during the day, due to risk of molitious atacks from muslim extremists then take a stand, tell your friends and family to unite and take a stand, t…e…ll your neighbours to take a stand!!

“the time to stand up and take our country back is long over-due if you feel the need to make a stand for everything ENGLISH then join the EDL Dover division. we will never surrender and i hope that none of you will either.”

On the EDL Dover division Facebook group’s page, which has so far attracted 36 members, there are discussions about transport to a planned demonstration in Blackburn on April 2, as well as links to stories about Islam.

Dover Express, 3 March 2011

News of the Screws applauds hijab ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Hundreds of thousands of Muslim girls are to be banned from wearing veils at school, the News of the World can reveal. Headteachers will be told they can outlaw the full-face cover-ups under new rules being drawn up by Education Secretary Alan Johnson. Schools can already ban teachers from wearing niqabs, which cover the entire face apart from a slit for the eyes. And now pupils across Britain will be told they can’t wear them either…. Mr Johnson’s move has been welcomed by moderate Muslims. Dr Taj Hargey, of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, said: ‘This is fantastic news. It is wrong for Muslims to be given special treatment’.”

News of the World, 4 March 2007

Daily Star reporter quits in protest at tabloid’s anti-Muslim coverage

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL to become political partyThe Daily Star has been accused of printing fictional stories by a disgruntled reporter who has resigned over its “hatemongering” anti-Muslim propaganda. In a resignation letter, Richard Peppiatt said he was leaving after the Star gave sympathetic coverage to the far-right English Defence League last month.

The reporter, who was once made to dress up in a burqa, now accuses the paper of inciting racial tensions and Islamaphobia. “You may have heard the phrase ‘the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil sets off a tornado in Texas’,” Peppiatt wrote to the proprietor, Richard Desmond, in a letter seen by the Guardian. “Well, try this: ‘The lies of a newspaper in London can get a bloke’s head caved-in down an alley in Bradford.’ If you can’t see that words matter, you should go back to running porn magazines.”

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Nick Clegg sets out vision of multiculturalism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nick CleggDeputy PM Nick Clegg has set out his vision of what multiculturalism means in a speech in Luton.

He backed David Cameron over the need to end “segregation” of communities. But, in contrast to the prime minister, Mr Clegg stressed in his speech the importance of multiculturalism to “an open, confident, society”.

Mr Cameron grabbed headlines around the world with his call last month for an end to “state multiculturalism”. In a speech in Luton, Mr Clegg said the prime minister was “absolutely right to make his argument for ‘muscular liberalism'”, and “to assert confidently our liberal values”. But he also attempted to strike a different tone to the prime minister on the issue of multiculturalism.

He said: “Where multiculturalism is held to mean more segregation, other communities leading parallel lives, it is clearly wrong. For me, multiculturalism has to seen as a process by which people respect and communicate with each other, rather than build walls between each other. Welcoming diversity but resisting division: that’s the kind of multiculturalism of an open, confident society.”

BBC News, 3 March 2011

See also the Economist, which points to Clegg’s defence of participation by Lib Dem MPs Simon Hughes and Andrew Stunell at last year’s Global Peace and Unity event. Cameron, it will be recalled, banned Sayeeda Warsi from speaking at the GPU.

Fox’s favourite ‘Muslim radical’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hannity and Choudary (1)

On Thursday, the radical Muslim and veteran provocateur Anjem Choudary plans to hold a demonstration in front of the White House calling for an extreme form of sharia to reign in America.

Whether the protest actually goes forward – there’s a real chance it won’t, if Choudary’s past stunts are any guide – doesn’t really matter. Choudary, who is known for applauding terrorism and calling for stonings of gay people and the overthrow of democratic governments, has already logged several appearances on Fox and CNN, generated a bunch of articles in the right-wing press, and even prompted a member of Congress to demand that he be banned from the country. All that in the last month.

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Scottish Defence League protest flops

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Paisley was on alert on Saturday when a far-right political group arrived in town to demonstrate – but the protesters were outnumbered by cops.

Scores of riot cops lined the streets of the town centre to keep watch on the Scottish Defence League after speculation that their supporters were coming en masse. But the rally caused little more than a stir when only around 50 turned up and the protest petered out after a few wayward shouts to passing shoppers.

The controversial group, an offshoot of the English Defence League, spread their message against Muslim “extremists and jihadists”, with organisers claiming that ministers are making a stand against the “Islamist assault” which they claim is threatening British culture.

As well as being outnumbered by police, the SDL rally was also dwarfed by a counter rally by the Paisley and District Trades Union Council. Duncan Macintosh, spokesman for the trades union council, said:

“The Scottish Defence League’s small meeting in Paisley was met by our larger counter demonstration. News of their visit to the town leaked out only days beforehand, but local people responded quickly to calls to gather from Unite Against Fascism and Paisley and District Trades Union Council.

“The visitors were told clearly that they were not welcome in Renfrewshire by leaders of the SNP, Labour and Lib Dem groups of Renfrewshire Council, and spokespersons for the SSP and Solidarity. Derek Mackay, speaking as leader of the council, affirmed that ours is a tolerance and inclusive society in which the SDL’s divisive race hatred had no place.

“The large contingent of police brought in for the morning easily contained the aggressive behaviour of the visitors, and they soon left the town on a hired coach.”

Paisley Daily Express, 1 March 2011