A radical Islamic group has cancelled plans to hold an anti-war march through a town famous for honouring the UK’s servicemen and women killed abroad.
Members of Islam4UK had planned to march through Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, to honour Muslims killed in the Afghanistan conflict. On Sunday, a statement from Islam4UK’s leader, Anjem Choudary, said it had “successfully highlighted the plight of Muslims in Afghanistan”.
“We at Islam4UK have decided, after consultation with others including our Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, that no more could be achieved even if a procession were to take place in Wootton Bassett,” he said.
As we pointed out a week ago: “As with his ‘march for sharia’ in October, Choudary’s method is to announce some provocation, predict that hundreds or even thousands of Muslims will turn up to support it and then, having milked it for all the publicity he can, announce that the event won’t be going ahead after all.”
And the media happily play along with Choudary’s con trick, treating his idiotic fantasies about organising mass demonstrations as if they were serious plans.
Update: See also “Right wing extremists descend on Wootton Bassett”, Daily Telegraph, 11 January 2010