EDL member who made death threats against Muslims gets community order

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A South Tyneside ex-soldier used his Facebook page to make racist comments about Muslims.

Kenneth Holden wrote the anti-Islamic messages after he started supporting the far-right English Defence League (EDL). The 30-year-old was arrested after police were alerted to the abusive comments that were written on his personal page.

Holden, of Winskell Road, South Shields, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending an offensive message by a public communication network at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court last week.

Magistrates adjourned the case until yesterday for the probation service to write a report about him. The report recommended that Holden be placed under the supervision of probation so his attitudes towards Muslims could be looked at.

Kevin Smallcombe, defending, asked the magistrates to go along with the report’s recommendation. Holden was given a 12-month community order with supervision.

Shields Gazette, 2 October 2012

Nazi graffiti sprayed on French halal butchers

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Saint-Germain nazi graffiti

The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports that last night vandals sprayed Nazi graffiti on a halal butcher’s shop in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in north-central France. The CCIF notes that last year the municipal council broke off negotiations over the sale of public land to an association that planned to build an Islamic cultural centre there, following an Islamophobic campaign.

EDL Walsall protest arrests rise to 30 as police say they are powerless

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Police who made 30 arrests at an English Defence League protest in the Midlands have insisted they are powerless to stop the far-right group returning.

As traders in Walsall tried to return to normal after Saturday’s gathering, officers said their hands were tied in the eyes of the law. A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: “Even if we get intelligence to suggest a future protest isn’t going to be peaceful, the law states a static protest is a human right and needs to be facilitated. A march can be banned, but not a static protest.”

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Gun-toting EDL racists arrested

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Shane BrianA far right gang which allegedly posted racist abuse online, alongside pictures of them posing with guns, have been targeted by police raids.

Officers arrested a 30-year-old man yesterday in a series of raids in Shadsworth and Whitebirk in Blackburn. Two guns have also been seized.

The police operation came after a series of photos were published on Facebook. The investigation also centres on extremely offensive racist postings on the website.

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