Category Archives: Far right racists

Pig’s head, hate slogans at Athens Muslim center

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Athens Arab-Hellenic Centre vandalism (1)Greek police say unknown attackers have placed a severed pig’s head and painted anti-Muslim slogans outside an Islamic studies center in Athens.

Nobody has been arrested over the pre-dawn attack Friday, at a building that also functions as a Muslim prayer center.

The attackers sprayed an obscene slogan against Islam on the sidewalk outside the building, daubed a Christian cross on the door and threw paint at the walls.

The attack was discovered by worshippers going to Friday prayers.

Bigotry targeting Jews and Muslims has increased in Greece in recent years, which also saw the meteoric rise of a Nazi-inspired far-right party. Golden Dawn entered Parliament in 2012, but all its lawmakers now face trial for running a criminal organization that used violence to spread and impose its beliefs.

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EDL Birmingham: Three members convicted of violent disorder in city while fourth cleared by jury

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Williams, McKenzie, Wilkie and Edge
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.”

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Oxford Unite Against Fascism mobilises against ‘Tommy Robinson’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Oxford UAF

No Islamophobia at the Oxford Union – sign the open letter to cancel Tommy Robinson’s invite

Sign the open letter here (text below)

Tommy Robinson, ex-leader of the fascist English Defence League (EDL), has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union on 23rd October.

Robinson is trying to present himself as a reformed character, after abandoning his leadership of the EDL after it collapsed following a campaign by anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations. As leader of the EDL Robinson organised and lead violent racist demonstrations and waged a campaign of demonisation of Muslims. EDL marchers chanted “you build your Mosques, we’ll burn them down”, and racially abused black and Asian people. Many EDL members have been jailed for racist violence, racial abuse and attacks on Mosques, yet Robinson continues to communicate with its members and issue anti-Muslim statements via social media, including the use of the racist hash tag #rapejihad.

Robinson may have abandoned trying to lead a fascist street army but he continues to incite racial hatred against Muslims under the same false flag of tackling extremism that he used while leading the EDL. Robinson has recently showed his continuing support for the EDL tweeting “Happy to hear the EDL gave me a round of applause for me before their demo. The EDL will always hold a place in my heart” as well as circulating lies demonising Muslims with statements like “30,000 Muslims marched through Birmingham demanding these same blasphemy laws.”

Robinson’s website still identifies himself as the founder of the EDL and carries videos of their racist marches. There is no convincing sign of an abandonment of his view that Islam is the problem. When he stepped down as leader of the EDL he maintained “I want to lead the revolution against Islamist ideology”. This “revolution” has taken the form of a campaign of focus on cases of Muslim men being involved in rape. Robinson presents grooming and rape as a problem stemming from the Muslim community when in fact such offences occur in all communities. Sexual exploitation is an appalling crime, but it is not linked to ethnicity or religion. As the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre point out, ‘Child sexual exploitation is not confined to one community, age, demographic, social status or gender.’

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The pro-ISIS graffiti that wasn’t

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Anti-ISIS graffiti Newcastle

Last week anti-ISIS graffiti was found sprayed on a wall in Newcastle. Predictably, it was interpreted by the far right as being in support of ISIS and held to indicate the presence of terrorist sympathisers among the local Muslim community.

Yet it was quite obvious that the graffiti was the work of Kurdish nationalist PKK activists who were accusing Turkey of backing ISIS. The graffiti referred to the YPG, the armed wing of the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, and featured the slogan “Apo long life to you” – “Apo” being the nickname of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The appearance of the graffiti coincided with a Kurdish demonstration in Newcastle against ISIS where pro-PKK placards were displayed and the Turkish flag burned.

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Bolton UKIP claims single-sex faith schools are ‘socially divisive’ … when they’re Islamic

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Joan Johnson UKIPA councillor has hit out at Bolton UKIP after it claimed single-sex faith schools were “socially divisive”.

UKIP issued a statement after Tauheedul Free Schools Trust was given the go-ahead to build a £10 million Muslim boys school, named Eden Boys, at the site of the former Wolfenden School in Astley Bridge. UKIP singled out the school as an example of where single gender faith schools could harm community relations.

Joan Johnson, chairman of the Bolton branch, said: “It seems that, with the government’s free school programme, more and more single gender faith schools are being approved in Bolton. This would seem to be a retrograde step. UKIP is not anti-Islamic but we will encourage and promote social integration and will not subscribe to anything that is socially divisive.”

Bolton Council’s cabinet member for schools Cllr Kevin McKeon said he believed that inclusive, community comprehensive education was the best for children.

But he added that UKIP was wrong for trying to score political points by challenging faith-based education. He said: “The ideal is to have all classes with both genders, all the faiths taught in community schools. However, in Britain there has been a long tradition of diversity, and in Bolton we have three Catholic schools and two Anglican.

“The local authority is committed to working with all schools to ensure that all Bolton children have the advantage of a balanced education, and we have no fears that this will be different with the new free school. I regret that UKIP is making this a political issue, particularly at this time when community relations are at a very sensitive point.”

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Belfast woman exposed as EDL-supporting racist

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Margaret BrophyA former North Belfast Catholic schoolgirl who travels to England to take part in mass anti-Muslim marches organised by the extreme right wing group the English Defence League (EDL) has been exposed by her former fiancé.

Margaret Brophy, who attended Little Flower Girls’ school and who lives in the Cliftonville area, regularly travels to England to take part in the often hate-filled marches and has even been pictured stewarding an event in Bristol.

A Facebook profile under the name Margaret Boomer Brophy has also come under the attention of a number of websites aimed at identifying members of the anti-Muslim group. Vile racist ‘jokes’ posted on Brophy’s Facebook refer to Islam as Pisslam with the rest of the content being too offensive to reprint.

On some of the sites, the 49-year-old mother and carer is branded as the “Irish Angel” – Angels being the name of the women’s wing of the group – and numerous racist posts and insults made under her name are shown.

Her former fiancé David Ewing said he wanted to highlight his ex-partner’s involvement with the group to the unsuspecting North Belfast community where she lives and works.

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Unimpressive turnout for EDL protest in Birmingham

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Birmingham 2014 (2)

In contrast to last year’s violent scenes, yesterday’s English Defence League protest in Birmingham passed off relatively peacefully, with only ten arrests. Although 750 demonstrators were expected, and some EDL sources had been predicting as many as 3000, the Birmingham Mail‘s reporter estimated attendance at “not more than 500”. Some 300 anti-racists joined a counter-protest organised by Unite Against Fascism.

Given the lack of an immediate issue over which to whip up the anger of EDL supporters – the publicity for yesterday’s event featured an extended shopping list of Islam-related grievances – it is not surprising that the protest failed to mobilise larger numbers. However, for a demonstration whose ambitious objective was to “give heart to millions who are intimidated by political correctness”, this was hardly an impressive show.

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Muslim school protesters march through Portsmouth

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Portsmouth anti-Muslim protestorsProtesters angry at a planned Muslim school marched through Portsmouth this afternoon.

Around 20 people including members of the English Defence League (EDL) gathered at Lake Road, where the Madani Academy is to be based.

Shortly after midday they set off to march through Fratton Road, Victoria Road South and Albert Road, returning to Lake Road before the march finishes at Guildhall Square.

There was a big police presence in the area as the march began, with around 30 counter-protesters also present at Lake Road.

Some of the marchers wore balaclavas and several were carrying English flags, some with messages such as EDL: NO Surrender written on them.

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Birmingham EDL trial: Police came under sustained attack, court told

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Birmingham smoke bombA senior West Midlands officer has told a jury how he was forced to give orders for helmets, shields and batons to be deployed to officers who tried to protect the public while patrolling an EDL demonstration in Birmingham.

Giving evidence at the trial of four EDL supporters accused of violent disorder, Inspector Andrew Bridgewater said that police cordons came under a “sustained attack” from supporters of the far right group during their rally on July 20 last year.

Insp Bridgewater told Birmingham Crown Court that officers had initially attended the demonstration wearing Code Two clothing – normal patrol wear. But orders for more protection were given as many of the 2,000 demonstrators turned on officers and threw missiles at the Library of Birmingham, which was still being built at the time.

“They seemed to focus both on the cordon of police and the hoarding surrounding the library,” he said. “A number of officers there were assaulted. Officers were kicked at, missiles were thrown, beer cans, bottles, bricks. It was at that point I issued orders to get changed into Code One equipment because I have a duty of care to my officers. Those officers were coming under a sustained attack from missiles.”

The line under attack stretched across Broad Street near the former municipal bank. It was intended to stop the EDL and counter protesters Unite Against Fascism from clashing. Insp Bridgewater continued: “Officers were given clear instruction to keep a sterile area, they would have been using verbal commands and force to keep that area clear, preserve the Queen’s peace and keep the groups apart to prevent a large public disorder.”

As officers came under further attack, he said the order was given for batons, and said: “A show of force can be effective in certain circumstances. I’ve seen it work well when 25 people get their batons out.” But asked by prosecutor David Bennett if the action had any effect on the disorder, Insp Bridgewater said: “Absolutely none.” He added police dogs were also deployed within the library building site when hoardings were pulled down.

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Dutch prosecutors summon far-right leader over alleged racist remarks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dutch authorities moved closer toward prosecuting far-right politician Geert Wilders on Thursday, naming him as a suspect and summoning him for interrogation over alleged racist remarks he made in March.

Wilders will be questioned on suspicion of insulting a group on the basis of race and inciting discrimination and hatred, prosecutors said in a statement. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison or a fine of up to 7,400 euros ($9,400).

Wilders, whose controversial brand of anti-immigration, anti-Muslim populism has propelled his Freedom Party to second place in opinion polls, provoked widespread condemnation when he called for “fewer Moroccans” at a campaign rally in March.

Interrogating a suspect is the final step in the process of bringing charges, prosecutors said. A spokeswoman stressed no decision had yet been taken about charging Wilders but said there was a “significant chance” he would end up in court.

“I’m furious … that I am being investigated by prosecutors and will probably end up in court,” Wilders told journalists in parliament after learning of the summons.

Prosecutors received over 6,400 complaints and several of his party’s most prominent lawmakers resigned from the party after Wilders asked supporters at a rally in The Hague if they wanted “more or fewer Moroccans in this city?” The crowd chanted: “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Wilders smiled and responded: “We’ll take care of that.”

In a later interview with broadcaster RTL Z, he said “Moroccan scum” should leave the Netherlands. Moroccans were over-represented in crime statistics and in the number of people receiving social benefits, he argued.

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