Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins, anti-racist activists and faith representatives are calling for a ban on the demonstration planned by the English Defence League (EDL) for Luton.

Evidence from previous EDL events is clear; wherever the EDL mobilises, mosques and other places of worship have been attacked, with Muslim people and police officers being assaulted. The EDL were caught on camera at a demonstration in Preston chanting “Burn down the mosque”.

Kelvin Hopkins MP said: “I have written to the Home Secretary, and asked her to ban this march. Our diverse communities in Luton have always lived peacefully side by side. A march by the EDL will damage community relations in the town when much work has been done to build and sustain them. Freedom of speech is important but when outsiders are determined to come into Luton and incite racial hatred they should not be permitted to do so.”

Farooq Murad, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said, “The Muslim Council of Britain deplores the attempt by the EDL and its spokespeople to stoke up fear and hatred in the heartland of our peaceful communities. The EDL’s latest, cynical and hypocritical attempt to pass itself off as the champion of an inclusive multicultural and interfaith Britishness embracing of Sikh, Jewish and Christian communities imperilled by Islam and Muslims would be risible if it were not so tragic in its consequences.

“The EDL no more represents the interests of minority faith communities than it does the working classes of this country, White, Black or Asian. The EDL’s racism is blatant; so must be our common front in the denunciation of the EDL’s racist targeting of Muslims. The EDL’s ‘marches’ not only wreak havoc in towns and neighbourhoods across the country, they threaten to rent asunder the very fabric of our common society.”

Continue reading →

I am writing to complain about your coverage of the English Defence League’s flash demonstration in the city centre last Saturday (Mercury, January 22).

This report did not represent what actually happened at all. For instance, you made no mention of the fact that the EDL members were shouting “Muslim scum” at the people on the stall, over and over again.

Passing shoppers (some with young children) were visibly upset by their presence.

They were also taking photos and threatening anyone who was standing up to them, including Unite Against Fascism protesters, shoppers and a handful of people who heard what was happening and went there at very short notice.

To my knowledge the people on the Islamic stall are there every weekend – but your article seemed to imply that they had just showed up. I have also never seen them “handing out leaflets” as your article suggested.

I have, however, seen them engaging with people from all backgrounds and faiths in discussions about their religion (which is any religious person’s right).

They are no different to any of the other religious stalls set up in town every weekend, and certainly did not deserve to be treated in the disgusting manner that they were by the so-called English Defence League – and the police, who to my mind should have arrested those EDL demonstrators who were clearly inciting racial hatred (and let’s face it, Islamophobia has now become a smokescreen for bare racism).

Letter in the Leicester Mercury, 2 February 2011