A New Mexico woman is claiming Planet Fitness isn’t always ‘judgment free.’
The national budget-friendly gym chain promises members an atmosphere free of “gymtimidation.” But Tarainia McDaniel, a Muslim woman, says a gym in Albuquerque booted her out because she was wearing a head scarf. The woman reportedly told staff at the gym that the head scarf was an essential part of her Muslim faith. In return, she was told to go find a baseball cap.
Around ten thousand people participated in the Stand Up to Racism & Fascism demonstration on Saturday 22 March 2014. The event coincided with UN Anti-Racism Day and was part of an international day of action with demonstrations taking place across the globe from New York, Athens to Sao Paulo.
The demonstration was vibrant, positive, diverse and lively with a range of different communities including EU migrants from Romania, Bulgaria and Poland to Roma, Gypsy, Kurdish, Muslim, Christian and other faith communities joining trade unions, anti-racist, anti-fascist and social movements. The event was a magnificent display of Britain’s diversity, multiculturalism and unity against racism and hatred.
The English Defence League will be holding a march in Peterborough next Saturday. Peterborough Trades Council have organised a counter-protest. Details here.
Update: See “Anti-fascists demonstrate against EDL in Peterborough”, Islamophobia Watch, 29 March 2014
This is the front page of today’s Sunday Telegraph. You can read the “Islamic law is adopted by British legal chiefs” article here. The basis for this shock-horror headline is the news that the Law Society has issued guidance for solicitors on “how wills should be drafted to fit Islamic traditions while being valid under British law”.
Predictably, Baroness Cox is quoted as saying that she finds this development “deeply disturbing” and will be raising it with ministers. “This violates everything that we stand for,” the indignant Cox declares. “It would make the Suffragettes turn in their graves.”
A group purporting to be on a ‘Muslim anti-grooming campaign’ are entering mosques and handing out inflammatory literature.
In the latest video posted on the Britain First website members of the group can be seen standing inside a mosque in Bolton. They then hand over inflammatory and anti-Muslim leaflets to a mosque member.
On the website it states the team visited mosques in Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale and Burnley. They end the video by visiting the home address of Gordon Birtwistle MP, Burnley MP who was quoted in an article earlier this month criticising the group.
As well as the Golden Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in Rochdale, members of the group visit the Jamiyat Tabligh-ul-Islam mosque in Oldham and the Madina Mosque in Bolton.
A jury has been shown a video of a teenager accused of planning a repeat of the Columbine massacre throwing a molotov cocktail in an alley. Michael Piggin is accused of arming himself with guns and explosives as he plotted a terrorist attack on staff and pupils at his former school in Loughborough, Leicestershire.
The teenager, who was 17 when he was arrested but can now be named after turning 18, also identified his college, Loughborough mosque, a local cinema, Loughborough University and the town’s council offices as potential targets, the Old Bailey has heard.
The jury was shown a video of Piggin lighting a rag stuffed inside a bottle of flammable liquid and then throwing it. It explodes leaving a trail of flames on the ground and up an exterior wall. Piggin then inspects the small fire and pours cola on it before walking away swigging from the drink bottle.
A second video was shown to the courtroom of Piggin writing anti-Muslim graffiti on a wall. The teenager is seen spray-painting “No More Mosques!” in large black letters.
Cousins who were born and brought up in Bristol were subjected to a verbal and physical racist attack as they shopped in Bedminster.
Both from Pakistani families, they were allegedly abused by a grandmother and at least one of her granddaughters in Poundstretcher on East Street. One was reduced to tears as she was said to be punched in the face, shoulder and neck as her attacker tried to pull her head dress off. Minutes earlier, the other cousin was called an “illegal immigrant” as she stood in a queue, minding her own business.
The crime took place between 9.30am and 10am last Thursday and Avon and Somerset police earlier released CCTV images of the prime suspect, a white woman aged in her late teens or early 20s, in a bid to track her down. The police have since asked the Bristol Post to remove the photo from this online article.
Both victims have spoken to the Post, but do not want to be named for fear of further attacks.
Hilary Aked reports on the latest developments in the campaign against the Henry Jackson Society front organisation, the misnamed Student Rights.
A teenager accused of planning a terror attack made videos containing threats against Muslims, a court heard. The jury at the Old Bailey were shown footage of Michael Piggin, 18, talking about an “invasion of our country”.
He is alleged to have planned attacks on targets in his hometown of Loughborough, Leicestershire, including a mosque, a cinema and a school. The teenager denies two charges under the Terrorism Act but has admitted having explosives found in his house.
The jury heard the defendant referring to the URA in several of the clips, which they were told stood for the Urban Revolutionary Army. In one video, Mr Piggin, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, said: “Hello great people of the United Kingdom, we are the URA, we support the EDL and the Knights Templar. We are against the Muslim invasion of our country. If you are looking at us… we will kill you, yeah – we are willing to take arms to fight for this country.”
Police have still not identified the above individuals wanted for questioning in connection with violent clashes at an English Defence League march in Birmingham last year.
Contact West Midlands Police on 0121 626 4017 or email tellus@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.
Update: See “Further 15 men due in court accused of EDL violence”, West Midlands Police news report, 21 March 2013