Category Archives: UK

Former Stoke city councillor holds mosque protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Stoke mosque protestA former city councillor staged a lone protest outside a mosque yesterday.

Jennifer Holdcroft, an Independent between 2000 and 2002, was asked to join opposition to a new mosque in Regent Road, Shelton, several years ago, but could not at the time. But after finding out about recent progress on the building, the pensioner arrived outside it at 8.30am yesterday with flags and a placard which read: “This is a Christian country not a Muslim country. The building of mosques on British soil is offensive.”

The 60-year-old, from Biddulph, who served Burslem Grange ward, said: “I found it to be quite overwhelming. I feel sorry for people nearby. How many mosques do we have to have?”

The Sentinel, 20 October 2000

Posted in UK

Far-right protesters in Swansea burn anti-Nazi flag

Posted on by Bob Pitt

WDL burn anti-Nazi flag

Far-right activists gathered in the centre of Swansea over the weekend to protest against Islamist extremism. Members of the Welsh Defence League performed Nazi salutes and jeered at the hundreds of people who gathered in opposition to the rally. One man scaled a building to take down an anti-Nazi flag, which was then set on fire. South Wales police said a 25-year-old man was arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence and was detained.

Guardian, 18 October 2009

MPs investigate anti-extremism programme after spying claims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A powerful committee of MPs is likely to hold a formal hearing into allegations that a government anti-extremism programme is being used to gather information on innocent Muslims.

The home affairs select committee meets on Tuesday and will discuss widening its inquiry into the £140m Preventing Violent Extremism scheme, also known as Prevent.

The hearing follows a Guardian investigation that revealed allegations that the programme, whose public aim is to prevent Muslims from being lured into violent extremism, is being used to gather intelligence about innocent people not suspected of involvement in terrorism.

Guardian, 19 October 2009

Quilliam on Prevent: the wrong diagnosis

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Not only is it morally reprehensible to treat responsible and law-abiding Muslim citizens as a subversive threat, it is also hugely counter-productive. If ministers continue to follow Ed Husain’s advice they will begin to jeopardise social cohesion as well as effective and legitimate counter-terrorism in the UK.”

Jonathan Githens-Mazer and Robert Lambert at Comment is Free, 19 October 2009

Welsh Defence League cancels protest in Newport

Posted on by Bob Pitt

WDL SwanseaA protest planned by the Welsh Defence League in Newport this weekend has been cancelled, police said today.

The demonstration, which was supposed to voice objections to the conversion of a church in Victoria Road into a mosque and multi-faith community centre, had been due to take place on Saturday. But Gwent police confirmed today they had been informed it will no longer go ahead. A counter-protest is still thought to be taking place.

South Wales Argus, 19 October 2009

BBC reporters highlight racism on Bristol estate

Posted on by Bob Pitt

PanoramaTwo BBC reporters of South Asian origin who lived for eight weeks on a housing estate in Bristol, posing as a married Muslim couple with limited English, were racially abused more than 50 times, a documentary will show tonight. The edition of Panorama, titled Hate on the Doorstep, also features the pair suffering physical assault.

Reporter Amil Khan, who was pretending to be a part-time painter and decorator, was punched in the head by a local man. Tamanna Rahman, who wore a hijab headscarf and acted as if she spoke very little English, was pelted with stones and glass and on one occasion an 11-year-old boy tried to steal her purse, threatening to kill her.

Using secret cameras, Rahman and Khan filmed themselves being abused regularly, both for their race – “Paki” was a common term of abuse – and over their religion, with a number of jibes used related to terrorism, including “Taliban” and “jihad”. A good deal of the abuse on the estate is shown to come from children and teenagers, although adults are also involved.

BBC News, 19 October 2009

Watch programme here

‘Spying on Muslims’ – discussion on the Islam Channel

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The topic for this evening’s Politics and Media slot on the Islam Channel (Sky 813) at 7pm is ‘Spying on Muslims’. The programme is presented by Salma Yaqoob and the studio guests are:

Arun Kundnani – author of Spooked: how not to prevent violent extremism, published by the Institute of Race Relations; Vikram Dodd – Crime Reporter, Guardian; and Dr Daud Abdullah – Deputy Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain and Chair, Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

Dr Jonathan Githens-Mazer – Senior lecturer in politics, University of Exeter, currently researching political mobilisation amongst British Muslims – will join the discussion by phone.

The Home Office has been invited to send a spokesperson.

Nazi-saluting Islamophobes take to the streets of Swansea

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Welsh Defence League Nazi salute

They denied being fascists ahead of their first Welsh march – but at yesterday’s Welsh Defence League protest against Islamic extremism onlookers were confronted with scenes of jeering men giving Nazi salutes. It was the first time the newly-formed group have been out on the streets in Wales.

The controversial march had sparked a counter-demonstration, with about 200 protesters occupying the city centre. A heavy police cordon on either side of Castle Street in Swansea city centre kept the two groups apart.

Speaking before its demonstration, the Welsh Defence League (WDL) said the event would be peaceful, and consistently denied allegations of fascist tendencies. But the ugly scenes, in which grown men among the group of around 60 were seen making Nazi salutes in front of small children, seemed to prove otherwise.

Keith Ross, one of the organisers of the counter demonstration by groups including Swansea City of Sanctuary and Searchlight Cymru, said: “My first reaction to the WDL is who are they defending us against? I don’t need to be defended against Muslims and I’m sad that the WDL has made a public call for no more mosques, which is a breach of human rights. Yet they have been given the right of freedom of speech.”

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Leanne Woods was among those who had turned out to oppose the Welsh Defence League. She said: “This is the first time they have come to Wales and a lot of people from different organisations have come out to say far-right extremism isn’t acceptable on the streets of Swansea. We are happy to live together with the Muslim community and we are not prepared to accept divisive and hate-based politics on our streets.”

Dr Mohammed Rahman, who attends Swansea Mosque, said Muslims in Swansea were very much an accepted part of the community.

Wales Online, 18 October 2009

See also “WDL humiliated in Swansea”, Hope not Hate blog, 18 October 2009

All in all, a total disaster for the few dozen WDL supporters, who were heavily outumbered by anti-fascists.

Anti-WDL protest