Members of EDL mob who attacked Plymouth takeaway are sentenced

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hayley Wells & Kelly WattersonTwo women joined a racist mob which attacked and abused a terrified Kurdish family in a city centre takeaway, a court heard.

Hayley Wells, aged 28, and 30-year-old Kelly Watterson were part of a group which spilled out of a pub and hurled vile abuse on a Sunday afternoon. Someone threw a glass which smashed next to a baby in a car seat inside the Istanbul kebab shop in Exeter Street, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Wells scratched the boy’s mother on the arm and Watterson admitted she was drunk and aggressive as part of the mob, which had been attending a meeting of the English Defence League. The mother and her partner were so shaken that they have since sold the takeaway.

Recorder Paul Derbyshire said: “This was a shocking and violent incident which left these victims in a distressed state. This has led to the closure of the business and they have moved away.” He handed Wells a suspended prison sentence and Watterson a community order. Both must do hefty periods of unpaid work.

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Derisory turnout for EDL protest in Cambridge, heavily outnumbered by counter-demonstrators

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Cambridge 2013Hundreds of protesters marched through Cambridge to oppose a rally by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) which saw a major police operation launched in the city.

The EDL rally on Christ’s Pieces ended early after only about 40 activists turned up, and they were heavily outnumbered by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) counter-demonstration, which was attended by at least 500 people.

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EDL member boasts about anti-Muslim vandalism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Diane ScrimshawEDL News reports that an English Defence League member named Diane Scrimshaw – one of the few in Essex who has remained loyal to the EDL leadership – one of the few in Essex who has remained loyal to the EDL leadership – has been boasting on Facebook about the damage she caused to a property in Westcliff-on-Sea owned by the Jaafriya Islamic Welfare Centre.

(The building was allegedly used as a mosque without planning permission, and has been the target of protests by the National Front, the British National Party and Britain First.)

First Scrimshaw appealed to her “edl friends” to inbox her as she had “something planned” for later in the week. She followed this up by posting a photograph of a flattened wall outside the Jaafriya Centre’s building and added: “We went down Southend illegal mosque (just a shame the wall fell down PMSL).”

One of her Facebook friends commented “Vandal!”, to which Scrimshaw replied: “I admit it Richard lol.”

Diane Scrimshaw vandalism

City University London removes Muslim Friday prayer room

Posted on by Bob Pitt

City University in London has been accused of discrimination by a group of Muslim students after it closed a dedicated room used for Friday prayers.

A group of students have formed Muslim Voices on Campus, calling on the university to reverse its decision. The group said it was being “unjustly targeted”. City said it acted because students had refused to submit the proposed content of sermons to the university before prayers to check its “appropriateness”.

Wasif Sheikh, who leads the group, said: “We feel we are being unjustly targeted. All of our sermons are open, we welcome all students and all staff. But when you start submitting your sermons to be monitored and scrutinized then there’s a chance for it to be dictated what’s allowed and what’s not allowed. We, as students, don’t accept that.”

BBC News, 22 February 2013

Update:  See also “City University locks Friday prayer room”, ENGAGE, 22 February 2013

Update 2:  See “Muslim students take legal advice after City University shuts down Friday prayer meeting”, Independent, 22 February 2013

And “City University row over ‘closing’ Muslim students’ Friday prayer room”, Huffington Post, 22 February 2013

Also “Vetting Muslim talks at City University”, Inayat’s Corner, 22 February 2013

WSJ offers platform to hatemonger Hedegaard

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Hedegaard at SION conference (2)The Wall Street Journal has seen fit to publish an article by Lars Hedegaard, the notorious Danish Islamophobe, who was recently targeted in an assassination attempt.

Hedegaard states disingenuously: “It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what may have spurred the gunman or those who may have sent him.” Well, we don’t know for certain, but it’s not difficult to work out that Hedegaard’s vile comments about “Muslim rapists” which led to his prosecution on a hate-speech charge is likely to have been a contributory factor.

Hedegaard omits to mention that part of his personal history. Instead, he performs his usual trick of presenting himself as a principled defender of free speech (whose organisation in fact bans Muslim opponents from its meetings). According to Hedegaard, his record is that of “an outspoken critic of Islamic supremacism and of attempts to impose Islamic Shariah law in Denmark and the West”.

Can we perhaps look forward to the WSJ – in the interests of free speech, of course – offering space to Eric Allen Bell to outline his views on “Jewish supremacism” and the attempts of its adherents to seize control of the media and the banking system?

Congressman says Americans need guns to protect the nation from Sharia Law

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Louie GohmertTea Party Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) told a conservative radio show on Thursday that the GOP must oppose gun regulations to protect the country from the threat of “Sharia Law.”

Appearing on The Voice of Freedom, Gohmert said he “hoped and prayed” that Congress rejects gun safety legislation, arguing that Americans may need to use the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to avoid succumbing to Muslims:

[The Second Amendment] is for our protection and the founders’ quotes make that very very clear and including against a government that would run amuck. We’ve got some people who think Sharia Law should be the law of the land, forget the Constitution. But the guns are there… to make sure all of the rest of the Amendments are followed.

Gohmert has a long history of Islamaphobic remarks, most recently joining Rep. Michele Bachmannn’s (R-MN) much maligned effort to investigate the alleged infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood into various departments of the U.S. government.

Think Progress, 21 February 2013

Update:  See also “Interfaith group to GOP Congressman: Stop demonizing Islam”, Think Progress, 22 February 2013

Wilders rails against ‘Islamisation’ of Sydney

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Firebrand Dutch MP Geert Wilders has told supporters in Sydney’s west that the ideology of Islam is dangerous, while claiming Australia is seeing an “Islamisation” of its cities.

The far-right politician addressed the Q Society of Australia on Friday night at a function centre in Liverpool on the third leg of his controversial tour of Australia. Protesters gathered outside the venue to voice their anger at the MP’s controversial tour.

Many members of the media were blocked from entering the event, despite having being told by the ultra-conservative Q Society group that they would be allowed to attend. However, in an extract of the speech obtained by AAP, Mr Wilders labelled Sydney as “the Australian city where Islamisation has progressed the furthest”.

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Gavin Boby loses fight against Islamic centre plan

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lingfield mosque site graffiti

Police watched over a council planning meeting where emotions ran high over a proposal to create a Muslim-run community and welfare centre.

Officers attended plans panel north and east at Leeds City Council where members unanimously voted to give the go-ahead to convert the derelict Lingfield pub in Moortown.

Applicants UKIM, UK Islamic Mission, who bought the site, want to create a public gym, IT suite, library, training facilities and a prayer room for up to 70 worshippers.

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Hundreds to protest against Cambridge EDL rally

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Calls for students to join an anti-English Defence League march through Cambridge this Saturday have heightened following Marine Le Pen’s visit to the Cambridge Union earlier this week.

It was revealed in December that the English Defence League (EDL) would be staging a demonstration against the building of a new mosque on Mill Road. Police confirmed last month that the far-right group would be holding a “static protest”, rather than marching through the city.

The Cambridge branch of Unite Against Fascism (CUAF) responded by calling for a counter-demonstration on the same day. More than 1,000 people have said on the Facebook event page they will be attending the anti-EDL protest.

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