Oxford Unite Against Fascism mobilises against ‘Tommy Robinson’

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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‘Muslim men are raping women’ – investment banker caught on camera launching racist rant on train

Neil DochertyAn investment banker was caught on camera launching a racist rant at a woman on an inter-city train in front of shocked passengers.

Police issued CCTV stills, and a mobile phone snap of Neil Docherty taken by a disgusted witness, in bid to track him down. Within hours members of the public called cops with his name and place of work, Livingston Sheriff Court heard yesterday, and he later handed himself in to police.

Docherty, of Linlithgow, West Lothian, appeared on bail and admitted two racially aggravated offences. He pleaded guilty to assaulting Fella Hammach, 33, on board a Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh train at Linithgow, West Lothian, on August 28.

The 43-year-old also pleaded guilty to acting in a racially aggravated manner which caused or was intended to cause alarm and distress to Ms Hammach by shouting and swearing, acting in an aggressive manner and directing religious remarks towards her using racially offensive language.

Procurator fiscal Catherone Knowles said the assault was witnessed by several passengers on the train, which was packed with revellers returning from a night out.

As the train pulled into Linlithgow station at around 11pm Ms Hammach was unexpectedly slapped to the right side of her head from behind. She said: “The accused was overheard shouting at her: ‘Go back to your own f*****g country. Muslim men are raping women’.”

Mrs Knowles said a female passenger told the accused to stop but he ignored her and shouted: “It’ll be a different story when they take over the world and you’re all wearing burkhas!”

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French politician harasses veiled Muslim woman … who tells her to get lost

Nadine Morano burqa tweet

French UMP politician Nadine Morano had a shocking experience earlier today when she got off a train at the Gare de l’Est in Paris.

To her horror she came upon a Muslim woman traveller pulling a wheeled suitcase and wearing a niqab. “The woman was fully veiled,” Moran told LOR’Actu. “You could only see her eyes. I find that unacceptable in France. It is a provocation.”

Morano immediately confronted the woman, told her the garment was illegal and instructed her to remove it. To Morano’s indignation, the woman’s simply replied “je m’en fous” and continued on her way.

Having reported her to the police, Morano then took to Twitter and Facebook to proclaim her outrage at this uppity Muslim who had treated her with “total contempt”.

According to Morano, the niqab is a public security issue: “Who is under that outfit? What is in that suitcase … suspicion is permissible when someone is concealed.” She pontificates: “Our vigilance must be unfailing during this period of radicalisation of communalist behaviour, of recruitment to jihad.”

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The pro-ISIS graffiti that wasn’t

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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Another German mosque set on fire

Bad Salzuflen mosque fireAmid unprecedented escalation of arson attacks targeting German mosques, a new mosque in Bad Salzuflen in the in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, has been set on fire, raising again concerns about a rise in Islamophobia and racism.

“We investigate with high pressure in all directions,” a police spokesman was quoted by Die Welt.

The attack occurred when unidentified arsonists sat the front door of the mosque on fire last Saturday, October 11. The fire burnt the mosque, at the entrance floor of a building, along with three other apartments in the same floor. The fire department has reportedly saved nine people, three of them were children, the sources said.

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

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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Toronto council candidate’s election sign defaced with words ‘Go Back Home’

Munira Abukar election sign defaced

On Friday night, Ward 2 city council candidate Munira Abukar got a phone call from a supporter saying that some of her campaign signs had been kicked over and it looked like they had been vandalized. The signs were found on the corner of Martin Grove and Dixon Rds. in Etobicoke.

“We figured it was just general mischief,” she told the Star. “And then we turned over this one sign and saw an intentional and very hateful message.” The message read “go back home,” and Abukar’s face had been scribbled out in red marker. Someone had crossed off her name and written “b—-”

At about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Abukar reported the incident to the police.

Abukar said she was “disappointed and shocked” when she first read the message, but it was her parent’s reaction that upset her the most. Her mother is a refugee and her father an immigrant, and both experienced racism when they first arrived in Canada. “To see the heartbreak on your parent’s face … It’s hard to want to protect your child and not be able to.”

Abukar isn’t very concerned about finding the person responsible for the hateful messages. Instead, she wants to create an opportunity for the city to discuss racism. “I think we need to understand that there is an underlying racism in our city, and there are people who believe that just because you look different that you aren’t from Toronto.”

The response on social media has been mostly positive, Abukar said. Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow tweeted her support on Saturday, writing that “there is no place for racism in this city.”

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Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 6‑12 October

Reports and comment from Islamophobia Watch 6-12 October 2014

Newcastle Muslim Association thanks skaters for standing up to bigotry

Newcastle Mosque welcomes anti-racist skatersThe men who took a stand against an alleged act of bigotry last week in Newcastle have been formally thanked by members of the city’s Muslim association.

Patrick Burgess and Justin Lanz visited Newcastle Mosque on Saturday where they were also invited to a community open day that will be held at the mosque, which is located in Wallsend, this upcoming Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

The men were skating with four other friends last Monday when they came to the aid of a Muslim mother and daughter who were being attacked in an alleged bigoted tirade on Smith Street, in Newcastle West.

The incident occurred at a time of increasing community unrest and concern Australia’s mission against Islamic State in Iraq is fuelling attacks on Muslims in Australia. On Saturday a man was charged for allegedly shouting offensive comments and throwing cement bags at a mosque in Sydney’s south-west.

Newcastle Muslim Association vice-president Diana Rah said the group’s “quick response” was appreciated. “It took a lot of courage to do what they did,” she said. “We will be giving them a certificate on Wednesday when all six of them can visit us.

“For the open day we’re having a sausage sizzle, we’ve got an exhibition on Islam and Muslims and we’ve got a lot of different fun things planned. Everyone is invited; it’s about people getting to know us and us them.”

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Man charged after storming a mosque throwing cement bags and threatening to hit a woman with a chair

A man has been charged after allegedly shouting offensive comments and throwing cement bags at a mosque in Sydney’s southwest.

Police say a 39-year-old man entered the mosque in Auburn at 1.30pm on Saturday and started to cause a disturbance. A statement from NSW Police said: “the man began shouting offensive comments and throwing around cement bags that were inside the building.” He then picked up a chair and threatened to hit a woman with it after she had approached him.

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