Category Archives: UK

Jews stand in solidarity with Muslims against fascist SDL

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Edinburgh’s Jews will not stand by while fascists threaten their Muslim neighbours, a leading figure in the capital’s faith community said today. Sukkat Shalom chairman Norman Crane offered words of support today after the city’s council said it would let the far-right Scottish Defence League march down the Royal Mile next month.

The SDL, known for taunting nazi salutes and racist attacks, plans a provocative march through the heart of the international Fringe Festival on August 17 – and councillors have approved the demonstration, saying police had reported “no significant public order issues” in recent years. Mr Crane said he could not understand why the march had been allowed – “freedom of speech, I suppose.” But he had attended an emergency meeting with anti-racist activists on Monday evening and would “strongly support” any counter-demonstration.

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Bad day for the SDL in Pollokshields

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Scottish Defence League’s (SDL) threats to march on multi-cultural Pollokshields, Glasgow, proved pathetic on Saturday as over 300 anti-fascists outnumbered the racists ten-to-one. The EDL didn’t turn up to support their pals north of the border and the SDL were promptly marched to the police station.

The anti-fascist, counter-demonstration was as diverse as Pollockshields itself. Numerous speakers from the trade union movement, faith groups, community organisations, and politicians stated that the SDL were not welcome in any community in Scotland. Speakers, including Humza Yousaf, MSP, as well as Glasgow Central MP and deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Anas Sarwar, stressed the need to stand against the SDL when they did appear.

The SDL is now threatening to march in Edinburgh on Saturday 17 August (during the Edinburgh Festival). The local council has announced it does not intend to ban them and anti-fascists in Scotland are planning to build on the successes of Pollokshields in organising a counter-demonstration on the day.

UAF news report, 30 July 2013

South Shields mosque bomb ‘BOOM!’ tattoo EDL man arrested

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Shaun ReahA man who revealed a tattoo of a mosque being blown up during an EDL rally has been arrested after he was exposed by Sky Tyne and Wear.

Shaun Reah, 39, has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after he was pictured lifting up his T-shirt to reveal an image of a Muslim place of worship with “BOOM!” emblazoned across it.

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Anti-Muslim violence: A wakeup call for European governments

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Marwan Muhammad, Elsa Rayand and Michaël Privot argue that “governments urgently need to take action against Islamophobic violence”. They argue:

“There is a tendency to view hostility and violence towards Muslims as normal and acceptable. Prejudice against Muslims does not always carry the same social stigma as prejudice against other ethnic and religious groups.”

A first step would be to “officially recognise Islamophobia as a specific form of racism”.

EUobserver, 30 July 2013

Hate crimes more than doubled in South Wales after Lee Rigby’s death

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The number of race hate crimes reported in South Wales more than doubled in aftermath of the death of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, we can reveal. In the two weeks after the 25-year-old soldier died in May, South Wales Police recorded 60 racially aggravated hate crimes and 108 racially aggravated incidents. This compares to 26 racially aggravated hate crimes and 52 racially aggravated hate incidents logged by officers in the same fortnight last year. Hate incidents are defined by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) as any incident that is “perceived by the victim” to be racist.

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EDL anti-halal protest gets favourable coverage from ITV

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EDL Skegness halal protest (2)

Yesterday the English Defence League held a protest against a halal abattoir in Skegness. It attracted about 100 people.

ITV News has broadcast a disgracefully uncritical report of the demonstration, in which an EDL spokesman is allowed to claim, unchallenged, that there is nothing racist about the EDL, that their sole concern is with animal welfare, and that “no-one here has a problem with anyone’s colour, or religion for that matter”.

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EVF heavily outnumbered in Croydon

Posted on by Bob Pitt

EVF in CroydonDemonstrators clashed in central Croydon today as the English Volunteer Force (EVF) held its planned rally.

The roughly 40 English Volunteer Force demonstrators were outnumbered at least three-to-one by counter demonstrators. Angry chants were traded between the groups rallying in opposing pens outside the UK Border Agency offices in Wellesley Road, including chants of “scum” and “Nazi scum”.

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Jewish organisations issue statements of solidarity with Muslim community

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Board of Deputies, senior rabbis and the Joseph Interfaith Foundation have together released a statement on behalf of the Jewish community expressing their “sadness and concern” at a recent rise in Islamophobic attacks following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby.

The statement said that recent bombings of mosques such as those in Walsall and Wolverhampton were “truly shocking”. It continued: “We utterly condemn and abhor these hateful actions against the Muslim community. It is particularly distressing that these attacks are taking place during the holy month of Ramadan, the month of fasting, praying, acts of generosity and charity from Muslims.”

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