Derisory turnout for German Defence League’s ‘march of the patriots’ in Cologne

Marsch der Patrioten advertUnder the slogan “march of the patriots” the EDL’s sister organisation, the German Defence League, organised a procession and rally in Cologne yesterday.

Sebastian Nobile, leader of the GDL’s Cologne Division, had issued a call to “representatives of all liberal, conservative, patriotic parties and organisations” to join the GDL’s demonstration, appealing to right-wingers to put aside their differences “for the sake of our country and our future”. In the event, according to a report in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, only 50 marchers rallied to the GDL’s cause, while an anti-fascist counter-demonstration drew 150 participants.

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Bedfordshire Police refuse to take action over BNP leaflet that incites hatred against Muslims

Linda Jack with BNP leaflet

A former MP candidate has said that she is shocked that no action is being taken against a British National Party leaflet that she believes is “racist”.

Linda Jack, of Furze Close, Luton, said she was disgusted when the leaflet came through the door early last Sunday morning, and branded its literature “nasty” and “offensive”.

Under the title “Racist Muslim Paedophilia”, the content read: “The facts of the matter are that the “Pedostani” gangs could not have got away with their sick and evil crimes for so long had the establishment not turned a blind eye.”

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Protests staged over faith group plan for building in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester

Thurnby Lodge protest
Last night’s protest on Thurnby Lodge estate – spot the fascist

A series of late-night protests have been staged against a faith group’s plan to convert a disused Scout hut in Leicester into a community centre.

Dozens of police have been stationed in Thurnby Lodge estate for the past few nights to oversee the peaceful demonstrations, which at their height have attracted up to 150 people.

Residents said they were angry the former Scout hut in Nursery Road looked likely to become a community centre operated by Islamic charity the As-Salaam Trust. They would like the building, which has been empty for several years, to be developed for the wider community. They are also concerned about extra traffic the centre might create.

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Muslim chess players victims of Islamophobia, racism and hate crime

A Muslim family representing England in the European Chess Championships taking place in Austria allege to have been the victim of Islamophobia, racism and even physical hate crime. 13-year-old Yusuf Bin-Suhayl was attacked and left bleeding by the mother of a fellow English competitor.

The family have had a police escort to their hotel and tournament.  Father Sohale Rahman has made numerous complaints to the English Chess Federation who is overseeing the competition but to no avail.  Throughout the competition the Rahman family who have three children representing England have been subjected to bullying and hate crime.  Mother, Tomasina Contu, was spat on when she asked the father of one English competitor not to bully her son! It is of no coincidence that Tomasina wears a hijab.

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Geller’s ‘support Israel, defeat jihad’ message allowed on San Francisco buses – despite ban on political advertising

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency has a policy against political ads on its buses, but an ad being displayed now comes pretty close. The ad says, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad.”

The pro-Israel ad was purchased by the American Freedom Defense Initiative run by Pamela Geller.

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Tennessee mosque opens after fight, with message of forgiveness

Murfreesboro Islamic Center opens

The imam and worshipers at a new Tennessee mosque that hosted its first prayers on Friday after fighting for two years to open said they forgive those who have been enemies of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.

“Love your neighbor is a concept in every religion,” Imam Ossama Bahloul told more than 200 men and women in attendance during his sermon in the mosque that replaces one where the congregation worshiped for 30 years.

To those who opposed the mosque, Bahloul said, “We forgive you all and we welcome you to our facility.”

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Obama defends Huma Abedin at White House iftar dinner

President Obama on Friday voiced strong support for Huma Abedin, saying the top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been “nothing less than extraordinary in representing our country and the democratic values that we hold dear.”

Obama praised Abedin during remarks at a White House iftar dinner to mark the end of the fasting during the Ramadan holiday observed by Muslims. Abedin has been subject to unproven accusations by some House Republicans, including Michelle Bachmann (Minn.), that she is part of a conspiracy by the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate the top reaches of the U.S. government.

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Pigs’ feet dumped at California mosque site

AAl-Nur Islamic Center vandalism civil rights advocacy group has urged the federal Justice Department to investigate who is responsible for leaving pig feet at the site of a planned mosque in Ontario.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, the Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the government to probe the incident as a hate crime.

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Posted in USA

Kotka mulls mosque ban

Officials in the south-eastern city will later this month take a stand on a local council proposal to ban mosques.

In 2009, Finns Party councillor Freddy van Wonterghem made the proposal, which seeks to ban buildings “harmful to the cultural identity of the city.”

The proposal will come before the city planning board on August 21. Kotka city zoning chief Lars Olsson says current laws don’t provide for a ban on building mosques and says public debate is instead needed on Finns’ attitudes toward newcomers and representatives of different faiths.

Yle, 10 August 2012

Former soldier guilty of pig’s head mosque vandalism in Cheltenham

Simon ParkesFormer soldier Simon Parkes stuck a pig’s head to the gates of a Cheltenham mosque in an act of revenge.

Wearing a balaclava, the 45-year-old also sprayed an insult aimed at Muslims along Masjidul Falah Mosque in the High Street. He claimed he was angry after seeing extremists burning poppies in London during a Remembrance Sunday service.

Parkes, of Crown Close, Bishop’s Cleeve, admitted causing religiously aggravated criminal damage and causing religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress when he appeared before Cheltenham magistrates. The crime was committed on November 13, 2010.

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Posted in UK