Category Archives: UK

Another far-right Facebook fraud

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Luton Muslims confront Choudary's supporters

This is the latest in our occasional series of misleading far-right Facebook memes (see also here and here). It was posted yesterday on the English Defence League’s Facebook page, with the evident aim of inciting fury among EDL supporters about the supposed Muslim takeover of the UK.

In that regard it was highly successful. Here are the comments the post provoked.

They range from anti-migrant rhetoric (“Enoch Powell was right about immigration. Look what has become of Britain”), through crude racist abuse (“look at the smelly rag head wearing scum bags”, “Disgusting Muzzrats”, “Packie twats”), to open calls for violence (“Crush the Muslim religion! Burn them!”, “Filthy sand monkeys need a bomb placing in the middle of them!!”, “Me+gun+plenty of bullets= problem solved”).

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Franklin Graham: ‘Islam is a religion of war’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Franklin GrahamThe son of Billy Graham who now heads his father’s evangelistic organisation has described Islam as a “religion of war” and urged Christians to attempt to convert Muslims to their own faith.

Franklin Graham, the fourth of Billy Graham’s five children, said he had not softened his stance since he controversially referred to Islam as a “very wicked and evil religion” in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 that brought down the World Trade Centre in New York.

More recently, he criticised The Episcopal Church’s National Cathedral in Washington for permitting its first Muslim prayer service. On his Facebook page he wrote: “It’s sad to see a church open its doors to the worship of anything other than the One True God of the Bible who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth to save us from our sins.”

His views contrast with those of the Pope, who on his recent three-day visit to Turkey was moved to pray alongside Grand Mufti Rahmi Yaran in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Beside working to build better relations with Muslims, Pope Francis is also reaching out to evangelicals, a move which came about because of his friendship with the late Bishop Tony Palmer, a charismatic of the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.

Franklin Graham told Christian Today that his own views on Islam remained the same as in 2001. “I have not changed my opinion at all.” He said he looked at Islamic State, at the Taliban and Boko Haram and thought: “This is Islam. It has not been hijacked by radicals. This is the faith, this is the religion. It is what it is. It speaks for itself.”

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Jail for Leeds thug who threw can of alcohol over Muslim woman

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Kravier FreemanAn Islamophobic thug who threw a can of alcohol over a Muslim woman and her child as they walked along the street has been sent to jail.

Kravier Freeman hurled foul-mouthed racist abuse and threatened the woman with a butcher’s knife during the incident in Leeds.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the victim was a young white woman who had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. Freeman targeted the 21-year-old as she walked past his home on Berkeley View, Harehills, on July 5, this year.

Freeman, 31, was out of prison at the time of the incident and had been drinking heavily throughout the day with others. The victim was walking home with her son after getting food from a takeaway at around 8.30pm.

Nick Addlington, prosecuting, said Freeman approached the woman and said: “Why are you with a p***? Why are you wearing those clothes? You are not a Muslim!” Freeman then followed her down the street and called her a “Muslim bitch” before throwing the can of alcohol over her and her child.

The woman asked Freeman why he was behaving like that and he replied: “Because I hate Muslims.” Freeman then produced a sliver butcher’s knife and began waving it around as children stood close by. He then said: “Watch what I am going to do when your husband comes out.”

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Detective warned reporter not to investigate Ukip politician

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Gerard Batten website

Scotland Yard is investigating claims that a serving police officer perverted the course of justice by warning journalists against writing about the “political affairs” of a Ukip MEP.

Detective Constable Tony Holden sent an unsolicited email to two reporters from The Sunday Times and The Independent after they contacted Gerard Batten over the London MEP’s alleged links to far-right political organisations and proposed anti-Muslim policies, including banning halal meat.

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Zionist Federation cancels Mordechai Kedar lectures … but only at schools

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mordechai Kedar with Geller and Spencer at SION conference
Mordechai Kedar with Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer at a Stop Islamization of Nations conference in 2012

The Zionist Federation this week cancelled appearances at three Jewish schools by an outspoken Israeli academic following concerns about his links to an anti-Islamist activist banned from Britain.

Dr Mordechai Kedar, an expert on Israeli Arabs who regularly appears to defend Israel on Arabic stations such as Al Jazeera, was due to begin a speaking tour on Wednesday night. But ZF chairman Paul Charney said that he had removed the schools from the tour after the intervention of the Board of Deputies.

Dr Kedar, who lectures at Bar-Ilan University, has spoken at events organised by Stop the Islamisation of Nations, founded by the Jewish American Pamela Geller, who was banned from Britain last year in a move supported by the Board of Deputies.

At a 2012 Sion conference, where speakers also included Tommy Robinson, then of the English Defence League, Dr Kedar urged Europeans to have more babies. Muslims, he declared, were “multiplying – somebody said [like] rats”.

The Board had said “their biggest concern would be about him visiting schools”, Mr Charney explained. “To which I replied that I would pull him from the schools so as not to have an argument, to which they replied they were glad to reach accommodation on this.”

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‘Vile bigot’ sent faeces-smeared cards to Cornwall Islamic Community Centre

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Eric King outside Truro Magistrates' Court.Angry about the Islamic State mass murders and beheadings he had seen in the news, a man took out his fury on an Islamic Community Centre at Carnon Downs, sending grossly offensive cards there which he had smeared with his dog’s faeces.

One of the pictures showed Allah having intercourse with a pig, and another, a naked woman sitting on an Islamic State flag, both containing offensive messages.

The sender, 60-year-old Eric King, of Wheal Eliza Close, St Austell, who was said to have a bad heart and needed to walk with a stick, pleaded guilty to sending an indecent or grossly offensive letter to Tipu Choudhury at the Cornwall Islamic Community Centre and sending two indecent or grossly offensive messages on Facebook.

Alison May, for the CPS, said Mr Choudhury was the general secretary at the community centre in Carnon Downs where there was a designated Muslim prayer area. He received an envelope in the post containing two cards with pictures on them and offensive messages, and smelling of excrement.

One of the messages on Facebook claimed it was sacrilege for the centre to have replaced the former Christian church which was there with what he described as the evil of the Muslim religion, saying: “Get out of the country”.

When he was seen by the police, King said: “There will be a war soon”. He said he did not like anything to do with Islam and saw Facebook as a mechanism for him to have a voice. “They can preach against us, why not us against them?” He had a previous conviction for assaulting a police officer and for harassment.

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Former EDL organiser announces protest march in Bristol

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Mickey Bayliss (2)A group calling themselves The Patriots are planning to hold a march in Bristol early in the New Year in the wake of a case which saw a group of Somali men jailed for sexually abusing young women in the city.

As reported in the Bristol Post 13 men were jailed for a variety of offences committed against young women in Bristol and a further nine case of sexual exploitation involving young women are being investigated.

Mickey Bayliss [pictured], who helped organise an English Defence League march through the city centre last year is one of the people behind the next year’s planned event.

Mr Bayliss said: “I would like to make it clear that I am no longer a member of the English Defence League. But we want to hold this march through the city in the New Year.

“The feeling is that not enough is being done to stop cases like this happening. There was a gang of men who were systematically abusing young women and people should be made aware of the issues surrounding these kind of cases.

“We have seen similar cases in different parts of the country and we believe that more should be done to stop these people abusing young women.”

A time and date for the planed march has still not been decided but it is expected to take place some time in January.

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Ukip Leader Nigel Farage: ‘Muslims responsible for rising anti-Semitism in UK’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nigel Farage suggested Muslims were to blame for a disturbing increase in anti-Semitism in Britain. Speaking on LBC radio, the Ukip leader condemned anti-Jewish attacks and claimed a sharp increase was down to Muslims that oppose Israel’s right to exist.

Figures from the Mayor of London’s office this week revealed hate crime against Jews have rocketed by almost 100% over the past year.

Farage said: “I have detected quite a sharp rise in anti-Semitism in Britain and across the EU. What’s fueling it is there are many more Muslim voices and some of them are deeply critical of Israel and some of them question Israel’s right to exist. We’ve got this counter voice which is deeply critical. This is one of the challenges we face; when you’ve got more groups [to deal with].”

Political correctness may also play in a role in fueling anti-Semitism, claimed the leader of Ukip – which now has MPs following by-election victories in recent months. Farage said public figures and politicians are reluctant to condemn anti-Jewish actions for fear of offending Muslim sensibilities.

“There’s a lot of people in politics who would be nervous about speaking up about anti-Semitism. I feel we’ve not being doing enough in defending the Jewish right to have a homeland because we are worried of offending another group” he said.

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Men fined £600 for threatening to ‘torch’ and ‘blow up’ Astley Bridge mosque on Facebook

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Stop the Astley Bridge Mosque Bolton

Two men have been convicted of making Facebook threats to “torch” and “blow up” a proposed new mosque in Astley Bridge. Police arrested both men for posting offensive messages on the Stop The Astley Bridge Mosque Facebook page, which has since been taken down.

Leon Richmond, aged 18, wrote on the page that he would not be bothered if the mosque was built as he would “blow it up” himself. 23-year-old Darren Hubble posted: “Bolton people say no, Wigan says not a chance, I’ll torch the place if I get half the chance”.

The posts related to the plan to build a large new mosque building in Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge. The plans, submitted by Taiyabah Islamic Centre, include a dome, minaret tower and 19 classrooms. They have prompted protests by objectors in the lead-up to the planning meeting on July 3, and protestors shouted abuse at councillors as the proposals were approved.

Det Insp Charlotte Cadden said: “These messages were not only extremely offensive but made very serious threats to cause damage. It is becoming a regular trend for people to think they can make racially offensive comments online and get away with it – but they can’t, and these convictions show that.

“Everyone has a right to protest lawfully, but these were abusive and caused great upset to the local community. I would warn anyone that making vile comments on social media carries just as much a risk of conviction as sending an abusive letter. We will pursue anyone posting such threats and work to bring them to justice.”

Richmond, of Whalley Avenue, Bolton, and Hubble, of Orrell Hall Close, Wigan, both pleaded guilty to the charges, which related to the period between May 19 and June 19 this year. They admitted making Facebook entries to the Stop The Astley Bridge Mosque page, which were indecent or grossly offensive for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety.

Both men were fined £600 when they appeared before magistrates in Bolton on Wednesday, as well as being ordered to pay £145 costs.

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Drunk who slapped Asda security guard and called him a ‘f****** Muslim’ claims he isn’t racist

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Adrian WestA man who slapped a security guard across the face at Asda and called him a “f****** Muslim” insists he is not racist.

Adrian West was banned from the supermarket in Pegler Way, West Green, in April for shoplifting but returned when he was drunk on September 15. The security guard who had detained him in April recognised West and asked him to leave, at which point West became verbally abusive.

He called Adriano Brito a “mother f*****” and told him: “You shouldn’t be allowed in this country. F*** off to your own country.”

West, 50, from Ditchling Hill, Southgate, appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court for sentencing last Thursday, having pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault at a previous hearing on November 19.

The court heard that, after verbally abusing Mr Brito, West left through one exit but made his way around to the other exit, by McDonald’s, where the guard again confronted him and told him to leave.

West then called him a “f****** Muslim” and again shouted: “F*** off to your own country” before slapping him across the face.

When interviewed by police he said he had no recollection of the incident but accepted it had happened when he was shown CCTV footage from the supermarket. He told police he may have made racist comments but was not racist.

A report from the Probation Service stated that the only possible reason West could think of for making such comments was the amount of alcohol he had drunk coupled with “negative reports in the media” about Muslims, which he claimed may have influenced his thoughts subconsciously.

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