Category Archives: UK

Organisers of counter EDL march insist event will be a ‘celebration of Luton’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

We are Luton

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”.

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Livingstone and Galloway rail against ongoing ‘witch hunt’ of Lutfur Rahman

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lutfur with Ken and GeorgeSenior political figures George Galloway MP and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone last night spoke out in defence of controversial Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman.

Around 1,000 people attended a rally arranged by Organisation for Democracy and Freedom at The Waterlily in Whitechapel.

The event involved a number of speakers from groups including Left Unity who defended the Mayor against what they said was “nothing short of a political attack on a council that has done so well”.

Rahman was criticised earlier this month in a PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The report stated he had failed to provide taxpayers with “value for money” after giving grants to Bangladeshi and Somali-led organisations, also finding he had created a “culture of cronyism” that allegedly undermined the democratic process.

Despite the report finding no evidence of illegality, secretary of state Erick Pickles told the House of Commons he would send in commissioners to oversee three aspects of governance in Tower Hamlets Council involving grant-making.

Galloway told ELL: “There is absolutely nothing substantial in the report. It’s a political set-up. The report found that there are weaknesses, just like there are weaknesses in any big administration that employs a large number of people…you only need to look at the British Parliament with MPs fiddling their expenses. But dishonesty and impropriety – absolutely not.”

Addressing the meeting Ken Livingstone said: “Lutfur’s record is outstanding, and it is a record any Labour authority in Britain should be proud of. It’s a lot better than many Labour councils up and down the country.”

“And yes there are problems. PricewaterhouseCoopers identified problems. But they didn’t identify any problems with the world’s banks. I say this to Lutfur: fight on all fronts, get a bloody good lawyer and take Eric Pickles to court.”

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Four face prosecution over Facebook comments about Bridgwater mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Four people who posted comments in response to an article on the Bridgwater Mercury’s Facebook page could face prosecution.

A police investigation is underway into certain remarks made on September 24 soon after an article about the Bridgwater mosque obtaining a council grant appeared. Avon and Somerset Police say this is a rare course of action as the force has only made very few prosecutions for social media posts.

The four individuals have been traced from their Facebook accounts and been taken to Bridgwater police station for questioning. Police are now taking advice on whether to charge them.

A number of offenders in other areas have been jailed for racially abusive remarks made on social media.

The police told the Mercury: “As a result of enquiries, four suspects have been identified in relation to this incident. We are now in the process of seeking charging advice from the Crown Prosecution Service with regard to this matter. We have a zero tolerance approach to any incident of racial hatred, and we continue to support the mosque and the wider community.”

The article attracted more than 145 comments with many people reacting in shock at some of the criticism directed at the mosque. One such comment read: “I can’t believe this many ill informed and uneducated people are living just up the road from me. Churches got the grants as well, and the majority of Muslims in this country DO pay their taxes and so have every right to have a place where they can worship.”

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Livingstone and Galloway back Tower Hamlets mayor over fraud allegations

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ken Livingstone and George Galloway will tonight ride to the rescue of a beleaguered mayor who faces being stripped of his powers by Eric Pickles.

Labour’s united front against Lutfur Rahman will be smashed as Mr Livingstone and a fellow member of the party’s national executive join a parade of left-wingers at a rally demanding an end to the “witch-hunt” of Britain’s first elected ethnic minority mayor.

Some insiders are dismayed that Labour figures will be sharing a platform with Mr Galloway, whose inflammatory anti-war rhetoric led to his expulsion from the party.

The rally will be in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, where the mayor is due to have his powers transferred to commissioners sent in by Mr Pickles, the communities and local government secretary.

Mr Rahman’s election victory over Labour in May is being challenged in the High Court over concerns that it was fraudulent. Among the allegations are that voters were told they would be good Muslims if they voted for him but sinners if they backed John Biggs, Labour’s candidate.

Mr Livingstone will be joined by Christine Shawcroft, a fellow member of Labour’s national executive. Aaron Kiely, a Labour councillor from Thurrock in Essex and a member of the National Union of Students executive, will speak for the mayor.

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University of West London cancels Anne Marie Waters meeting

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Anne Marie Waters

A university has been accused of censorship after scrapping the launch of a report into alleged Islamic extremism in schools and campuses across the UK.

The University of West London was criticised following the decision to cancel the event staged by Sharia Watch UK – set up to monitor the radicalisation of young British Muslims – on safety and procedural grounds. It follows claims in the past that universities have failed to crackdown on extremist speakers and turned a blind eye to gender segregation for religious reasons.

The report was due to be launched at one of West London’s lecture theatres on Wednesday, detailing the number of speeches given by hard-line Islamists in schools, universities and even Scout groups.

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Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets! Stop the witch-hunt of Mayor Lutfur Rahman!

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets meeting

Defend Democracy in Tower Hamlets

Stop the witch-hunt of Mayor Lutfur Rahman

A community meeting on Wednesday 12th November at the Waterlily, 69-89 Mile End Road, London E1 4TT, at 6pm

Confirmed speakers:
Ken Livingstone, George Galloway, Christine Shawcroft Labour NEC, Alex Kenny (NUT) Kate Hudson (Left Unity) John Rees (People Assembly) Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition) Sabby Dhalu (UAF), Aaron Kiely (NUS National Exec) and many more

EDL trial: Birmingham demonstrators tried to use portaloo as weapon against cops, court hears

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL clash with police in Birmingham (2)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.”

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Katie Hopkins anti-Muslim rant calling Palestinians ‘filthy rodents’ leads to calls for her arrest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Katie Hopkins tweets

Katie Hopkins latest Twitter posts has led to calls for her ARREST for stirring up racial hatred.

The former Apprentice contestant posted a series of anti-Muslim posts on her account after reports of the stabbings in Tel Aviv apparently carried out by an Arab man on two Israelis, including one that labelled Palestinians “filthy rodents”.

“Palestinians busy knifing Israelis. 2 stage solution my arse. Filthy rodents burrowing beneath Israel. Time to restart the bombing campaign.”

“Arab terrorists fired rockets from schools and hospitals. They brought down Israeli fire on to their own people. See behind the pictures.”

It isn’t clear if the former reality star posted the comments herself or was hacked – although the offensive tweets remain on her account.

The mum-of-three also posted a number of anti-Islam tweets to her 244,000 followers while watching Channel 4 show 24 Hours In Police Custody.

“Father beats his daughter with an iron bar. But he is a good Muslim, prays in his cell & attends the mosque. So that’s all happy days then.

“The police are singing from the same hymn sheet. Mohammed is going DAAAAAAN. Allahu Akbar. #24hoursinpolicecustoday.”

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Council planning committee gives go‑ahead for Dudley mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Dudley planning committee meetingCouncillors 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.”

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Let Muslim primary school teachers wear full-face veil in class – Rowan Williams

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rowan_WilliamsThere is no need to “panic” about Muslim primary school teachers wearing the full-face veil in class, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams, has insisted.

He said concerns that young children would struggle to learn from a woman whose face was covered were “largely misplaced” and that there are other ways to “read” what people are saying.

The former Archbishop’s remarks, in an interview for the Christian think-tank Theos, reopen the debate about the place of the niqab in British public life.

It follows a political storm last year after the then Home Office minster Jeremy Browne called for a national discussion about restrictions in some settings such as schools to prevent young women from having the veil “imposed” on them. David Cameron rejected the idea of a ban but said he would “back up” schools and courts that ask women to remove veils.

Lord Williams’s previous forays into the issue of Islam led to one of the biggest crises of his time at Lambeth Palace, when he said in 2008 that it seemed unavoidable that aspects of Sharia law would be adopted in the UK. He was speaking about the growth of arbitration tribunals which already operate on Sharia principles.

His latest remarks come amid an-depth academic discussion about his latest book, The Edge of Words, which examines the meaning of words and language in discussions about God.

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