Category Archives: UK

Stop the EDL in Bolton on 20 March

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The racist hooligans of the English Defence League have rescheduled their plans to descend on Bolton for Saturday 20 March. Unite Against Fascism has called a national counter demonstration for all those who want to defend our multiracial society against the EDL’s thuggery and violence.

North West UAF has launched a Bolton Unity Statement condemning the EDL and calling on people to support and attend the demonstration against the racists in Bolton on 20 March. Signatories include MPs, trade unionists and campaigners such as Bolton MP Ruth Kelly and Manchester MPs John Leech, Tony Lloyd and Gerald Kaufman (click here to read statement).

The EDL had threatened to come to Bolton on 6 March this year. An EDL spokesperson interviewed in the Lancashire Telegraph refused to rule out violence and confirmed that the openly Nazi thugs from Combat 18 were regulars on EDL demos. But this demo was cancelled when the EDL realised its thugs would go on the rampage against a Hindu festival in Bolton planned that day.

Unite Against Fascism believes the EDL should not be allowed to terrorise ethnic minorities in Bolton or anywhere else. Join our demonstration to show these racists and fascists that they are not welcome in the town. Meet 11am on Saturday 20 March at Victoria Square in Bolton.

For more information see the Manchester UAF website

UAF press release, 6 March 2010

More sharia hysteria from mad Maryam Namazie

Posted on by Bob Pitt

namazie and racist placards 2A Scottish law firm has become the first in the country to offer clients “conventional” legal representation alongside advice on sharia law.

Hamilton Burns, based in Glasgow’s south side, has teamed up with an eminent Muslim scholar who will counsel clients on the Islamic aspect of civil law cases, while solicitors give advice under Scots law. Clients will be able to see a Muslim lawyer who is fully trained in Scots law at the same time as they consult a sharia scholar who is an expert in Islamic law. It will be the first time such a service has been offered in Scotland.

Despite public fears over what is deemed “creeping” sharia law, the firm stressed that the sharia advice was not legally binding and would mainly focus on giving Islamic guidelines on divorce or child custody based on rigorous readings of the Koran. Shaykh Amer Jamil, the Islamic scholar who will provide sharia advice, wants to make sure that Muslims have access to the correct religious ruling on matters such as divorce.

However, critics and opponents accuse sharia of being a discriminatory and sexist legal system and an “extension” of the fundamentalist laws that allow hand amputations and stonings in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Maryam Namazie, an ex-Muslim and spokesperson for One Law for All warned that Islamic law was not as innocuous as the firm claimed. She said:

“Sharia law is discriminatory. It is antithetical to laws that have been fought for and hard won by progressive social movements, particularly in areas of family matters. Laws related to family matters are the result of wrestling control from the church – now it is being handed back to sharia law to violate rights. The civil matters sharia law decides on here is an extension of the criminal matters it decides on in Islamic states, such as stoning, amputations and so on.”

Herald, 8 March 2010

‘Charity is linked to Islamic terrorists’ claims Torygraph

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A charity praised by Gordon Brown has paid hundreds of thousands of pounds supposedly raised for “disaster relief” to two organisations allegedly linked to terrorist groups.

Muslim Aid, which has been given at least £830,000 of public money, diverted substantial sums to Islamist organisations, possibly in contravention of its charitable status. It has received grants from the Department for International Development, the EU and London councils.

The charity, based at the hardline East London mosque, has close links to the Islamic Forum of Europe, a fundamentalist group accused by a Labour minister of infiltrating his party.

Muslim Aid raised more than £24 million last year. It says its charitable objectives, which it is legally required to follow, are “to relieve … all those who are in need … as a result of natural disasters” and “to relieve those who are refugees fleeing from war.”

Andrew Gilligan (who else?) in the Daily Telegraph, 2 March 2010

See also ENGAGE, who point out that Muslim Aid would appear to have good grounds for taking legal action against the Telegraph over this piece of libellous nonsense.

More anti-IFE witch-hunting from Gilligan

Posted on by Bob Pitt

This latest piece, in the Sunday Telegraph, is a particularly garbled contribution to Gilligan’s ongoing campaign against the Islamic Forum Europe, ranging from an “exposé” of Muslims 4 Ken’s support for Ken Livingstone in the 2008 London mayoral election – this is supposed to be news? – to a repetition of insinuations that the IFE was responsible for dodgy signatures in the referendum over an elected mayor for Tower Hamlets.

Ken’s succinct response to Gilligan gets it exactly right: “You are a liar who is stirring up racism.”

Update:  For responses to Gilligan on the IFE blog Between the Lines, see here, here and here.

EDL leader banned from football grounds for five years

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jeff MarshFootball hooligan Jeff Marsh has been banned from football grounds for five years after admitting affray. The 44-year-old Cardiff City supporter was found in possession of a knuckleduster when he was arrested for affray outside the Ninian Park pub in Canton, Cardiff, last June.

The self-proclaimed hooligan, who has written two books about his exploits with the city’s infamous Soul Crew and is one of the organisers of the Welsh Defence League, was fighting with Celtic fans after the inaugural match between the teams at Cardiff’s new stadium.

Marsh, from Barry, admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court in January and was sentenced yesterday. He was given a four-month suspended jail term, 150 hours’ community service and ordered to pay £600 costs.

It is Marsh’s first football banning order as his previous convictions for football violence came before the 1990 Football Disorder Act which introduced the banning orders. In 1989 he was convicted of grievous bodily harm for stabbing two Manchester United supporters in Cardiff and was jailed for two years. In 1986 he was also convicted of a football-related assault in Halifax.

Marsh is an organiser of the English and Welsh Defence Leagues which describe themselves as “a ready-made army” against Muslim fundamentalists. There have been riots and arrests in English cities, including Birmingham and Luton, which have led to scores of arrests after the group has clashed with anti-fascist campaigners. There have also been marches in Wrexham and Swansea.

The groups have been described as “divisive” and “hate-based” by Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood.

Wales Online, 5 February 2010

Via Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion

Anti-racists confront fascist’s supporters

Posted on by Bob Pitt

UAF Wilders demo

Anti-fascist demonstrators blockaded the road outside Parliament yesterday in an attempt to prevent a march in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

The Freedom Party leader, who attempted to enter the country last February but was detained on landing at Heathrow airport, was in Parliament yesterday at the invitation of UK Independence Party leader Lord Pearson and cross-bencher Baroness Cox to show his anti-Islamic film Fitna at the House of Lords.

Police arrested several protesters from a group who gathered in Millbank in a bid to stop the far-right English Defence League marching past Parliament in support of Mr Wilders.

Eyewitnesses claimed that police had used illegal headlock techniques to break the human chain of protesters in the road, including on a disabled member of the crowd. One young woman who was dragged away complained of high blood pressure as officers continued to lock her arms over her head – despite being horizontal on the ground.

Originally, Unite Against Fascism had announced an emergency assembly of activists opposite Parliament to protest against the EDL march. But a large group of anti-racists spontaneously took to the road and began marching towards the EDL, chanting: “These streets are our streets.” With police “kettling” their progress, a stand-off ensued with at least 150 anti-fascists blockading the road for three hours.

Morning Star, 6 February 2010

See also Socialist Worker, 5 March 2010

Andrew Gilligan – not a harmless democrat

Posted on by Bob Pitt

What is going on at the Guardian? Following on from the paper’s full-page splash on the “hijab gates” myth, it now gives space to Andrew Gilligan at Comment is Free to continue his witch-hunt of the Islamic Forum Europe.

And speaking of the “hijab gates”, over on his Telegraph blog Gilligan reports that Tower Hamlets Council has temporarily suspended plans for the Brick Lane arches, described by Gilligan as “a £1.85 million exercise in ‘religious triumphalism'”, pending further consultation. Gilligan interprets this as a sign that “cracks have started to appear” among the “Islamic fundamentalists” who have supposedly seized control of the council.

MCB brings experts and parliamentarians together to discuss Islamophobia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

MCB meeting

The Muslim Council of Britain hosted a special closed-meeting to discuss the growing spate of attacks in all its forms against British Muslims on March 3rd at the House of Commons.

The event entitled “Tackling Islamophobia: Reducing Street Violence Against British Muslims” brought together distinguished Parliamentarians, academics, journalists, police, public servants, and community representatives who all endorsed calls for the establishment of an All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Islamophobia with a view to holding a parliamentary inquiry on Islamophobia in the UK.

The meeting took contributions from experts and responses from parliamentarians and was concluded with a Q&A session with the audience who comprised of individuals from over 80 organisations.

MCB news release, 5 February 2010

Geert Wilders anti-Islam film gets House of Lords screening

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL England Needs a Gert

The controversial far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders appeared at the House of Lords today to screen an anti-Islam film and denounce the religion as “totalitarian” and incompatible with democracy.

The visit, which was originally planned for last year, sparked demonstrations from anti-fascists and a show of support from the far-right English Defence League.

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