Three men have been charged with posting offensive messages on the Stop The Astley Bridge Mosque Facebook page. All three have been charged with racially aggravated malicious communications.
Leon Richmond, aged 18, of Whalley Avenue, Bolton, and Darren Hubble, aged 23, of Orrell Hall Close, Wigan, will appear at Bolton Magistrates’ Court on December 3. A third man, Andrew Edge, aged 44, is already in custody and will appear via videolink at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on November 26.
The organisers of a counter EDL march say that they are mobilising to stop the far right group from “rampaging” through the streets of Bury Park.
For the first time since the departure of the group’s former leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon the English Defence League has organised a demonstration in the town, which is set to take place from 2pm on Saturday November 22. At the time of writing a Facebook page for the demo shows more than 380 are due to attend, with a further 1,300 invited.
In retaliation community group We Are Luton have organised a counter march in conjunction with Unite Against Fascism, which will gather in front of Bury Park Community Centre, Dunstable Road, from noon. An advert for the event, which has been named ‘Stop the EDL’, states the intention to form a “strong and united” opposition to prevent the possibility of rioting.
Organiser Dawood Masood, of the Al Hira Educational and Cultural Centre, told the Herald & Post that the march will be peaceful.
He said: “Whenever the EDL come to Luton they are made up of people from outside the town, so we want the people of Luton to stand up and be united no matter which community you come from. This will be a family event, there will be speeches and the shops in Bury Park will remain open.
“We are in contact with the police and it may end up as a static demonstration, we’re not sure yet. On previous occasions the EDL have targeted mosques and committed Islamophobic attacks, we don’t want anything like this to happen again.”
Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, added that the counter demonstration will be a “celebration of Luton”.
He said: “The alternative is to do nothing, it is much better to stand shoulder to shoulder. These people say they speak for Luton but I do not believe the majority agree with this. Our firm belief is that the EDL are a racist organisation which seeks to divide the people of Luton.”
The EDL has stated that their demo has been organised to “speak out against modern slavery and human trafficking”.
Demonstrators tried to use a portaloo as a weapon against cops during a violent English Defence League protest in Birmingham, a court has heard.
Speaking at the start of the trial of four EDL members at Birmingham Crown Court, prosecutor David Bennett said three of those in the dock had played a part in the “portaloo disorder”.
Adrian Rimmel, 50, of Swallow Avenue, Smithswood, Simon Reeve, 43, of London Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Gary Watts, 29, of Parsoles Avenue, Dagenham, Essex and Anthony Webster, 38, of Strathmore Crescent, Newcastle, all deny a charge of violent disorder.
Mr Bennett told jurors the demonstration on July 20 last year saw 2,000 members of the far right EDL gather on Broad Street before marching to Centenary Square. A separate counter demonstration was taking place in Chamberlain Square.
Me Bennett said: “There were large numbers of the EDL who were not interested in a peaceful protest. Throughout the afternoon there were various scenes of disorder.”
Councillors have given the go‑ahead for controversial plans to build a new mosque on a site overlooking Dudley town centre.
The plans have polarised opinion in the area around the Hall Street site of the new building, which will also provide a sports and community centre plus a centre for education and training.
Tonight’s meeting of the council’s development control committee was, unusually, held in the council chamber at Dudley Council House to accommodate the number of people who wanted to hear the debate about the latest application for a mosque.
In front of a packed public gallery [see picture], Cllr Shaukat Ali, who spoke as a supporter of the plan, told committee members: “I understand the pressure on members of the committee but, as elected members we should rise above controversy and look at the issues objectively.”
Cllr Ali added the plans before the committee were much improved compared to designs rejected by the authority in 2011. He said: “The community just wants to practice its religion and social life peacefully and in appropriate facilities.”
Former councillor Tim Wright spoke against the proposal, which was recommended for approval by council planning officers who said the design was of sufficiently high quality to ensure it had a positive impact on the surrounding area. Mr Wright said: “It is going to change the face of Dudley, it does not fit the heritage of Dudley.”
Committee member and former Conservative leader of Dudley, Cllr David Caunt, also voiced concerns. He said: “On balance the proposal does not show clear understanding of the historic character and distinctiveness of the centre of Dudley.”
Committee chairman, Cllr Qadar Zada’s comments were greeted with cheers from the public gallery which was packed with mosque supporters. He said: “No-one has said much more than just about the mosque, very few times have I heard about the enterprise and training centre in one of the most deprived wards in Dudley.”
Cllr Zada went on to quote Nelson Mandela’s views on sport uniting communities before adding: “This is an ideal opportunity, I would like to see something that looks much more than a rat-infested, derelict building and bring forward something that will unite communities.”
CBC News interviews Imran Awan, deputy director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, and Fiyaz Mughal of Tell MAMA on the rise of anti-Muslim hatred on the internet.
The far right is taking advantage of legal loopholes, notably the absence of an effective law against incitement to religious hatred, and reluctance by the authorities to take action against hate speech on social media, in order to target the Muslim community.
CBC also spoke to “Simon North” of the English Defence League who brazenly denies his organisation’s role in inciting anti-Muslim hatred online, claiming that “some Islamophobic messages might emanate from the group’s regional divisions. But they do not reflect the group’s overall thinking”.
The first prayers have been held at a Lynn pub which was taken over by West Norfolk Islamic Association earlier this year for future use as a community centre.
After a complete makeover inside, and with plans for an upcoming official opening, the former Queen’s Arms pub, in London Road, will soon be up and running for the community.
Azam Gabbair, president of West Norfolk Islamic Association (WNIA), said: “The considerable amount of work needed to convert and renovate the property is now near completion, and I would like to thank everyone who has assisted and been a part of this fantastic project.
“WNIA has been established for well over 20 years, bringing together people not just from within Lynn, but also others from surrounding areas. Similar to any social club, being able to meet and communicate in this way is a valuable part of community integration and in many ways undoubtedly a benefit to the town as a whole.”
Planning permission was granted for the project back in April, and the centre has previously come under fire, with more than 700 objections to the plans posted on Norfolk County Council’s website.
A man has been arrested after a pig’s head was placed outside an Islamic cultural centre in Ellesmere Port.
Police were called to King Street after a member of the public reported suspicious activity outside the Islamic Cultural Centre shortly before midnight on Wednesday (October 23). A pig’s head was found at the building, police have confirmed.
A 41-year-old man from Ellesmere Port was arrested in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) on suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offence. He remains in police custody and enquiries are ongoing.
Officers remain at the scene of the cultural centre, which is currently under construction after being granted planning permission by Cheshire West and Chester Council earlier this month amidst angry scenes.
Police have vowed to put an end to all racist incidents and hate crimes in Ellesmere Port following the latest attack on the centre, which will be used as a place of worship and to hold religious festivals.
Chief Inspector Giles Orton said: “Local residents can be reassured that the police have a high visibility presence in the area. Through firm policing we will put an end to racially aggravated incidents in Ellesmere Port. Hate crimes are not tolerated within this community.”
The vow comes as a Facebook group containing racist content, including images of pigs and anti-Islamic messages, reached almost 600 likes. The ‘community’ page, named ‘Ban Ellesmere Port Mosque’, was set up on September 12 by an unnamed individual, and says it aims to “stop Muslims taking over Ellesmere Port” and “keeping Britain British”.
When asked about the social media page today (Wednesday) police and community leaders would not comment due to ongoing enquiries, and would not confirm whether it was connected with the incident.
More paranoid, deluded, self-pitying whingeing from the former English Defence League leader
The founder and former leader of the English Defence League will not talk at the Oxford Union as he is back in jail.
Stephen Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson, was sentenced in January to 18 months in prison for mortgage fraud. He was released in June under licence and had been due to debate at the prestigious union on Thursday.
A statement on Facebook from his supporters said: “Tommy Robinson has been recalled to prison for responding to a threat on Twitter.” His lawyers said the recall was for a fixed term of 28 days, according to a spokesman for the union.
Mr Lennon tweeted: “I was going to speak this Thursday exposing police persecution and tactics. Police are at my house recalling me back to prison for my licence, reason given that I responded to a death threat targeting my family. All this to prevent me exposing the facts on Thursday at Oxford Union.”
Paul Weston (centre) in 2012 with the then co-leaders of the EDL, Kevin Carroll and Stephen Lennon
A Youtube video of a parliamentary candidate declaring he is a racist has taken the internet by storm.
The astonishing video, which sees Liberty GB leader Paul Weston claiming the UK needs to mount a ‘defence’ against Islam has had more than a quarter of a million views. He says he wants to avoid a ‘civil war’ in the UK and is ‘prepared to be called a racist’ in order to do so.
The video begins with Mr Weston simply stating “Hello, my name is Paul Weston and I am a racist”. It continues as he lists a number of political parties who class him as a racist while he stands on the bank of the Thames with the O2 arena in the background. He says he feels the UK is under a “terrible threat” and rails against former Prime Minister Tony Blair for “undermining” Britain.
Opening the video he explains: “The Labour party think I’m a racist, the Liberal Democrats think I’m a racist, the Conservatives think I’m a racist, the BBC thinks I’m a racist, I must therefore be a racist.” He continues: “Why am I a racist, it’s very simple, I wish to preserve the culture of my country, I wish to preserve the people of my country and in doing so this makes me a designated racist in my country.”
More than 260,000 people have viewed the seven-minute clip where he blasts: “If I want to defend what I grew up in what I was born into – my country, my British culture, my heritage and my history I am apparently a racist.”
From left, Shane Williams, Paul McKenzie, Thomas Wilkie and Andrew Edge
Three members of the English Defence League have been found guilty of violent disorder during a demonstration which saw police pelted with missiles.
Thomas Wilkie, aged 22, of Kent Road, Wednesbury, was found guilty by a jury for his part in the violence on July 20 last year. Andrew Edge, 44, of Wellington Road, South Stockport and Shane Williams, 26, of Dragon Lane, Leicester, were also convicted. Paul McKenzie, aged 48, of Braemar Road, Billingham, was cleared of the offence.
Edge, who asked to be remanded into custody, chanted “EDL, EDL” as he was led away by dock officers. His Honour Judge Richard Bond told the jury: “Well there you go, resounding confirmation the verdict you returned was the correct one.”