A protest by the English Defence League in Farnworth passed off without major incident, police said.
There were 12 arrests, 11 from the EDL and one from Unite Against Fascism following the demonstration in Farnworth Park yesterday.
Category Archives: English Defence League
100 turn out for EDL protest in Luton
The planned protest by the English Defence League in Stopsley, Luton, has passed without incident.
Supporters of the group started to gather at the Sportsman pub on St Thomas’ Road this morning at 10am. At around 3pm, the group of around 100 made their way down St Thomas’ Road towards PlayFootball.net before heading back.
Stephen Lennon, the leader of the Luton-based EDL, had claimed that the management at PlayFootball.net had called off a planned charity event, after receiving complaints from members of the community. He said it had been replaced by a ‘Goals for Gaza’ tournament which is raising money for the Ummah Welfare Trust’s Palestine Appeal and that he was calling for a ‘level playing field where the whole community should be treated the same’.
Throughout the day there was a considerable police presence in Stopsley, which has now been reduced.
Norwegian Defence League’s anti-Islam protest flops
The EDL’s sister organisation the Norwegian Defence League held a demonstration at Marinen park in Trondheim yesterday, the purpose of which was (yes, you guessed) “to protest against the Islamisation of Norway”.
Arve Mauseth of the NDL had told Adresseavisen that they were expecting between 30 and 50 participants, including representatives from the Swedish and Polish Defence Leagues.
Alas, it would appear that the struggle against the Muslim hordes is not going well in Norway. Adresseavisen reports that only six people turned up to the NDL protest. They were confronted by 60-70 counter-demonstrators.
Men fascinated by mass killer Anders Breivik targeted mosques
A young fascist with a fascination for Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik has admitted plotting to damage mosques. John Roddy and his friend Tobias Ruth daubed racist graffiti on an Islamic Centre in Torbay and sent threatening messages. They were both warned they faced jail after Roddy admitted having a terror manual on his computer.
The pair were arrested in January after an area of Torquay was sealed off by armed police who feared they may be dealing with a terrorist cell. Roddy’s laptop contained an “al-Qaeda training manual” and Breivik’s “2083 A European Declaration of Independence”. Breivik was the inspiration of the plotters, who daubed the letters KT 2083, standing for Knights Templar, and referring to the mass killer’s manifesto.
Roddy, 20, of Lymington Road, Torquay, and Ruth, 19, of Morgan Avenue, Torquay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause criminal damage and to send articles containing threats which were intended to cause distress. Roddy also admitted an offence under the Terrorism Act of possessing information likely to be useful to a terrorist.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, bailed the men at Exeter Crown Court but warned them they faced jail when they return for sentence next month. He said: “These are serious offences for which they must expect immediate custody. I warn them that all options including custody are open.”
Drunken supporters of ‘non-racist’ EDL forgot they’re only supposed to be against Islam
A drunken woman angrily hurled racist abuse at staff in a takeaway shop – including chanting references to the far-right English Defence League. She and a man, who was in a foul-mouthed group of troublemakers, turned on a Brazilian man who tried to intervene and they both assaulted him during an “ugly” confrontation, Grimsby magistrates heard.
Rebecca Swan, 38, of Beacon Avenue, Cleethorpes, and Christopher Drury, 23, of Corporation Road, Grimsby, admitted a racially aggravated assault on Carlos Defreiates, on July 4. Swan also admitted using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour.
Nick Wyman, prosecuting, said Swan and Drury were among a group outside the Topkapi takeaway in High Street, Cleethorpes, in the early hours. Swan and some men were repeatedly chanting “EDL” and pointing towards people inside the shop.
Swan shouted racist abuse and was pointing her finger towards the takeaway. The chanting and abuse continued for a couple of minutes. Racist language and “EDL” were shouted again. Swan shouted: “If you live here, you should abide by our laws”. Mr Defreiates, who is Brazilian, got involved and asked Swan and Drury why they were doing it.
The group turned on him and wrongly thought he was Polish. Swan asked him: “Where are you from? You shouldn’t be here.” She rammed her finger in to his chest several times and told him: “You are in England. You should live by my laws.” Swan slapped him across his neck and Drury hit him in the chest with the palm of his hand, causing him to fall to the ground. “It was an ugly incident,” said Mr Wyman.
South Shields: Police place restrictions on EDL/Infidels march
Police today revealed that next weekend’s EDL march in South Shields will be allowed to go ahead – but it WILL NOT go near Ocean Road.
Right-wing groups the North East Infidels (NEI) and English Defence League (EDL) are holding a march and demonstration in South Shields on Saturday, August 31. There is also a planned counter-protest by anti-fascist groups South Tyneside Unites and Newcastle Unites.
Ocean Road is at the heart of the borough’s Muslim community, and people living in the street have appealed for the authorities to ban the protest.
Bare Naked Islam hails the ‘courageous counterjihad efforts’ of EDL thug who attacked Islamic centre
As we noted in our report of the jailing of Geoffrey Ryan over an attack on the Al Falah Islamic Centre in Braintree, he is an admirer of Bonni Benstock-Install, the crazed Islamophobe who runs the Bare Naked Islam blog. It appears that this admiration is reciprocated.
EDL member threatens to start race war by killing Muslims
EDL News reports that Darren Bird, a Wolverhampton-based supporter of the self-styled “non-violent” English Defence League, has posted threats to kill Muslims on his Facebook page.
Bird wrote: “Its a good day for a Mussie to die, even better day because I feel like doing it.” He added: “Someone has to start the war.. I aint offering, I just aint waiting to be asked. Some fucker is getting it today.” EDL News has passed the screenshot to West Midlands Police.
Bear in mind that Bird is among the thugs who are proposing to march through Tower Hamlets next month.
Tower Hamlets: Mayor and MPs call for ban on EDL mosque march
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, along with dozens of other MPs and community leaders are calling on the Home Office to ban a planned march by the English Defence League, organised to take place on September 7 in Tower Hamlets.
Those calling for the ban, who have signed an open letter sent to the Guardian newspaper today, include former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, leader of Unite the Union, Len McCluskey, former cabinet minister Clare Short and MP and Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz.
Faith groups including the Islamic Forum of Europe and Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum have also signed the letter. There is particular concern that the EDL have openly declared they will target the East London Mosque.
Luton residents’ fears over EDL’s plans to march at charity event
Residents fear there may be “blood spilt on our doorsteps” as a row over charity football matches culminates in a planned English Defence League (EDL) protest on Bank Holiday Monday.
The far-right group say it is “unfair and hypocritical” that Goals 4 Gaza is allowed to take place at Play Football in Stopsley when their fundraising tournament for a young girl in July was cancelled. Worried Stopsley residents contacted the Luton News after receiving leaflets from the Safer Neighbourhood Team advising them of the demo.
A St Thomas’s Road resident who did not wish to be named said: “I am absolutely horrified that a march is taking place in such a small peaceful community and in such a small road. It’s crazy. If trouble kicks off, it could be terrible for the residents. We don’t want blood spilt on our doorsteps. We just want a peaceful Bank Holiday.”