Charles Moore’s column in this week’s Spectator features an attack on the rally against Islamophobia at Central Hall, Westminster, on Monday evening. The main object of Moore’s ire is shadow attorney-general Dominic Grieve, who was one of the platform speakers at the meeting.

Moore completely omits to mention that Liberty was a joint organiser of the rally, as that would rather undermine his case that the event was promoted by “Islamist” extremists. The other co-organiser of the rally, the British Muslim Initiative, is laughably described by Moore as “an offshoot of Respect, the party represented in Parliament by George Galloway”. And his characterisations of other Muslim bodies who provided speakers are equally ignorant.

Moore castigates the Tory party for believing that “it has to turn up to anything which calls itself Muslim”. Pursuing the theme common to rabid right-wingers like Melanie Phillips, pseudo-leftists like David T of Harry’s Place and “liberal” supporters of torture like Nick Cohen, that mainstream Muslim organisations represent a variety of fascism, Moore demands: “Would Mr Grieve attend BNP rallies on the grounds that one must hear the voice of white people?”