Police arrest EDL supporters 'to prevent breach of peace'

Police surround the Red Lion pub in Westminster, where dozens
of EDL supporters were arrested. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Scotland Yard says it has arrested 156 English Defence League supporters, who may have planned to target Occupy London

Police have arrested 156 supporters of the English Defence League in order to prevent a breach of the peace, Scotland Yard said. It is understood the EDL supporters were planning to target Occupy LSX protesters outside St Paul's Cathedral. The EDL followers were arrested outside the Red Lion pub, in Westminster, and taken to central London police stations.

The arrests came after Scotland Yard was accused of sending out threatening messages on the social networking site Twitter in the runup to the two-minute Remembrance Day silence on Friday. In a series of tweets an officer from CO11, the Metropolitan police's public order unit, said: "There is a policing operation in place to preserve the dignity of the two-minute silence. Individuals seeking to disrupt the two-minute silence will be dealt with robustly. Any police action will be considered and proportionate, respecting those who hold the two-minute silence as a sign of respect.

"If the memory of dead soldiers is insulted where people have gathered to honour those soldiers there is clearly a threat to public order. Deliberately using abusive or insulting words or behaviour is an offence under section 4 of the Public Order Act."

The tweets were greeted with outrage on Twitter, with critics accusing the Met of being intimidatory, threatening and aggressive.

Jules Carey, a lawyer who represented Lotfi Raissi, the Algerian pilot wrongly accused of taking part in the September 11 attacks, said: "This is the kind of freedom the veterans died for."

Referring to Scotland Yard's announcement this week that the Met had pre-authorised the use of plastic bullets in advance of the student anti-cuts rally, he added: "Are the Met about to announce that rubber bullets have been authorised for use on anyone showing insufficient respect?"

But Scotland Yard said it had issued the tweets because of intelligence that Muslims against Crusades were planning to repeat last year's protest to burn poppies during the two-minute silence.

In a statement the Yard said: "Last year during the two-minute silence a group burnt poppies and a counter-protest was also held. This caused considerable upset to members of the public and arrests were made as a result under the Public Order Act. Two people were later convicted in relation to this.

"Intelligence and information suggested a similar incident may occur this year. The tweets sent out from the CO11 Twitter account were intended to warn against this."

As the morning progressed, however, there was no sign of anyone from Muslims against Crusades – the group which was proscribed by the home secretary, Theresa May, on Thursday. Instead police moved in on a large group of EDL supporters and made arrests to prevent a breach of the peace, in the belief they were going to cause trouble with protesters outside St Paul's.

On Thursday night officers carried out searches at addresses in east London linked to Muslims against Crusades under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Guardian

Granny pornstar defiles the Cenotaph

"Granny pornstar" Linda Kitchen

Among the handful of BNP activists who turned up to support Nick Griffin as he handed in his “Bring Our Boys Home” petition at 10 Downing Street was one individual who at first glance was unrecognisable. This was probably because she had her clothes on. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the BNP leader was none other than “granny pornstar” Linda Kitchen, the wife of Ian Kitchen who was, until the groundswell of opposition from disgusted BNP members forced his removal, the Yorkshire BNP organiser.

Mrs Kitchen is a hardcore porn actress who has the word “slave” tattooed across her abdomen. She is the star attraction on a number of websites that stream and sell films that cater to those aroused by mature and genitally pierced “grannies”. The availability of her films – which include one titled Freddie’s British Granny F*** 15 – is an open secret in the BNP. According to Eddy Butler, who was expelled from the party after his unsuccessful challenge for the party leadership last summer, her film career is endorsed by her husband who “gives out DVDs of his wife engaging in hard core pornographic acts with strangers”.

Also present was Simon Goodricke, who was Kitchen’s assistant organiser. Goodricke is the bent former police officer who served 18 months in prison for tipping off fraudsters. Both he and the Kitchens have been the cause of serious splits in the BNP. That these two were among the 50 or so BNP activists who turned up to support Griffin says much about his base in the party these days now that other activists are quitting the party in droves.

Hope not hate

National Front lays wreaths at Cenotaph

The National Front has laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in a move which the Royal British Legion said "desecrated" the monument to Britain's war dead

Hundreds of members of the far Right party marched through the streets of Westminster to the London memorial on Remembrance Sunday. It emerged last night that they placed four poppy wreaths following the official ceremony attended by the Queen.

The Royal British Legion last night condemned the act saying that they had not been given permission to place the tributes, which were laid alongside those presented by Gordon Brown, the prime minister, and David Cameron, the Tory leader.

Robert Lee, the legion's spokesman said: "This is a terrible and unfortunate desecration of one of the nation's most important and treasured monuments. There was no official formation representing the National Front at the ceremony in any shape or form. Someone must have come there afterwards and placed these wreaths on the official pile."

A news item on the party's website reported that more than 200 members had marched from Victoria in London to the historic site on Sunday. It said that the event "passed off with dignity and peacefully" despite threats of disruption. It said the group observed a two minute silence at the Cenotaph before members laid the wreaths on behalf of the main, ex-servicemen's, youth, and Yorkshire branches of the party. It concludes saying the march was a "sure sign of a revitalised and resurgent NF".

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which organises the official ceremony at the Cenotaph, said the National Front had not been allocated an official place for wreaths but had not broken any rules by leaving them later. Only political parties with six or more seats in the Commons are allowed a space, however there is nothing to stop individuals or organisations from placing tributes after the service, a spokesman said.

Telegraph