EDL man convicted of abusive behaviour

A Gainsborough man charged with racially aggravated behaviour was found guilty following a two-day trial.

Daniel Odling denied committing racially aggravated harassment against a group of muslims in Lincoln in July last year where an off-duty police officer was assaulted.

The 26-year-old father from High Street, Blyton near Gainsborough, was on trial with a 17-year-old man from Market Rasen who cannot be named for legal reasons. Both were accused of religiously aggravated behaviour at the Grandstand on Carholme Road, Lincoln, where 30 to 40 Muslims gathered to discuss the building of a mosque, on the evening of 9th July 2010.

Odling told the court that he was under great stress and pressure at the time of the incident because of his son’s medical condition – Congenital Melanocytic Neavi (CMN) – and due to having split up with his partner at the time.

The court heard that while Odling denied harbouring any anti-Muslim sentiments or being a member of the English Defence League, the 17-year-old also on trial was a former member of the EDL. The 17-year-old was accused of assaulting off-duty police officer PC Chothia when the policeman asked him to leave after the meeting when a dispute erupted. He claimed he was only there to voice his concerns of traffic problems that the mosque may cause.

Witness Ahmed Basheer, MBE, told Lincoln Magistrates Court about how the group became ‘agressive’ and started saying the F word and anti-Muslim slurs when they were asked to leave the private meeting.

“There was some disturbance,” he said. “They left the hall and that’s when I got quite upset and scared because of all of the noise and commotion. One of them said ‘we support the EDL’. I feel sad because I have been living here since 1974 and I’ve never had that feeling of looking over your shoulder but now sometimes I do.”

Odling said that he drove a group to the Grandstand under the belief that they were going to pick up drugs for a party and claims that he was unaware of the meeting about the mosque. The court heard about how when driving away from the scene, abuse was shouted from the window of Odling’s car before he stepped out to square up to a muslim from the meeting.

“We went to drive off when someone shouted something into the car,” Odling told the court. “I didn’t like what he said and I was pretty wound up and aggressive towards him. I remember saying ‘come on then’ when the man said ‘you think you’re big behind the steering wheel. He was being held back.”

However, Deborah Carwright prosecuting said: “What you’re saying is palpable rubbish and you knew what you were getting into on that day.”

She called it a ‘pre-meditated and calculated attempt to cause harassment and distress.’

Mrs Cartwright from the Crown Prosecution Service condemned the actions of the two men.

“This type of offending is very serious,” she said, following the trial. “It can have real and lasting effects on individuals, communities and indeed, the whole of society. Religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal belief or faith.”

She continued: “The confusion, fear and lack of safety felt by individuals can have a ripple effect in the wider community. Communities can feel victimised and vulnerable to further attack. It is for these reasons that we do and will robustly prosecute cases such as this.”

When finding him guilty, the magistrates said that Odling’s evidence was ‘vague, inconsistent and not credible’ and believed he was ‘generally threatening and abusive throughout the incident.’ Odling was fined £450, ordered to pay £500 costs and the £15 victims’ surcharge while the youth was released on bail until he must appear before the Youth Court for sentencing on 26th May.

Gainsborough Standard

Anti-BNP rally ends in tense stand-off

An anti-BNP rally in Lincoln ended in a tense stand-off between protesters and supporters of the far right organisation. Marchers and party supporters faced each other across the Cornhill, just off High Street, during the 30-minute confrontation. Police officers formed a barrier between the two groups, both of which held up flags.

Shocked and bemused onlookers watched the face-off between the two groups at lunchtime on Saturday – the city's busiest day.

BNP supporters held up a St George's Cross flag with the letters BNP daubed across it. In response the marchers chanted anti-BNP slogans including the words "Griffin out" and "when the BNP spreads racist lies we fight back and organise". The 30-minute incident ended peacefully when the group of eight BNP supporters left the scene.

Earlier in the day around 50 rally participants had marched from the University of Lincoln campus, along Guildhall Street and down the city's High Street, stopping at Cornhill to hear speeches.

Afterwards BNP spokesman Simon Darby, who was not in Lincoln on Saturday, said: "The BNP supporters were not sanctioned by us at all. It was just a spontaneous demonstration of support. We have got some people in Lincolnshire and got good votes in the county on June 4. These protestors are marching against the democratic process."

March organiser Nick Parker said: "We want to encourage people to stand up against the BNP and marching is our democratic right to protest. We did expect some sort of BNP presence. They often take photos and that sort of thing. When they unfurled the flag the tension was raised."

Lincolnshire Echo

BNP church fire comment 'despicable'

A top Lincoln Tory has branded the words of BNP leader Nick Griffin as "despicable" after he commented on a fire at a church in the city which was about to converted into a mosque.

 The leader of the far-right party sent a statement to the Echo in the wake of a blaze at St Matthew's Church. Griffin, who lives in Wales, pointed the finger of blame at four groups and also included racist remarks. He said: "Perhaps a local householder was driven mad by the thought of being engulfed by a miniature version of Lahore."

 He also added that "druggie vermin that infest the dark corners of once proud Lincoln" or bored children may have torched the building.

 Karl McCartney, prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Lincoln, said: "His statement comes as no surprise to me. He will use anything for his own ends. It's sad when something as devastating as this is used for political capital and what he has said is despicable."

 Later in the comments Griffin suggests that someone may have been "doing the new owners a favour of clearing the site". Lincoln City Council has called the remarks "idle speculation" and urged anyone with relevant information to report it to Lincolnshire Police or Crimestoppers.

 The authority's leader Councillor Darren Grice said: "I am angry that someone who has no affinity with Lincoln can question the sense of pride our residents feel about their city."

Lincolnshire Echo

Row erupts over BNP mosque letter

A row has broken out in Lincoln over a letter sent by a British National Party representative to the council leader criticising a new mosque in the city. Richard Foster, the BNP's regional representative in Lincoln, wrote claiming the mosque, on the site of a former church, could "teach terrorism".

Council leader Ric Metcalfe said the letter was being shown to the police to determine whether it broke race laws. All other parties standing in the local election have condemned the letter. A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said they had not yet seen the letter but were aware of the council's plans to involve them.

"I think it is absolutely outrageous and exposes the BNP for the party it's always been known to be and a party holding overtly racist views," said Mr Metcalfe, who is Labour leader on the council.

But Mr Foster defended his words, saying his opinions were nothing new.

"The building would become an Islamic centre, rather than just a mosque and this can mean that the Islamic form of 'getting your own way' - terrorism - could be taught there. I don't know if you're aware of the programme 'The Undercover Mosque' but anything I have put in this letter, in that documentary far, far, far worse things have been said about the [Muslim] community. I don't need anybody to tell me that the only thing to happen in these places is worshipping their god because we all know that isn't the case. Not all Muslims are terrorists but most terrorists are Muslims," he said.

Bashir Ahmed, from Lincolnshire's Racial Equality Council, said he was shocked at the letter's contents.

"To blame a particular group for something is a sign of racism. This [the BNP] is not a party to recommend neighbourly living or getting on, it's a racist party and there's no doubt about it."

'Prejudiced letter'

Eddie Strengiel, from the Conservative Party in Lincoln, said he agreed with the council's views.

"I would go along with Ric Metcalfe's comments. He and I have a lot of disagreements on the political side but this is above politics and is on dangerous ground. I don't agree with what they've said."

Echoing Mr Strengiel's words, Tony Charles Shaw, from the Liberal Democrats, said: "The BNP...doesn't actually, or it does think about the consequences of what it does but gets the argument wrong on almost every occasion. For me this is a totally prejudiced letter."

Tony Wells, a candidate for the UK Independence Party said the letter was "extreme" in its comments. "There's no doubt about it, the BNP is extreme right and fascist and can't get any further right."

BBC

Hope not Hate blog: Balls to poverty...

Day four and we're in Lincoln as I write this in a very quiet, engine-noise free cafe by the Cathedral, filling up on caffeine before our next stint in the bus up to Sheffield where we're spending the night.

This morning found us in a school playing field on the edge of Nottingham, suffering slightly from the effects of the previous night's hotel pub quiz (we were robbed) and being mobbed by hundreds and hundreds of primary school children...

We were there at the invitation of an initiative called Balls to Poverty run by the inspiring Head of Football at South Nottingham College, Joe Sargonis. He also coaches at Nottingham Forest and was helping train a team in South Africa when he came up with the idea of sending footballs to Soweto.

This year he's taking 7,000 balls to 7,000 children all of whom will receive coaching from his 22 player squad of footballers at the college. Today was a practice run with kids from the local Cotgrove primary school and they loved it even on a cold misty morning, running around the playing fields and cheering the bus as it pulled up.

They all had tours of the bus and photographs taken and we kicked some footballs around with them. By 11am we were glad to get back on the bus for a rest...

Next stop was Lincoln, where we pulled up right outside the Cathedral with the Bishop's express permission. Some of the blue rinse brigade weren't best pleased by us spoiling the view, but we were supported by well-wishers and by a completely astonishing and very sprightly 87-year-old war veteran who told us how he'd fought the Nazis in Germany in the 40s and wasn't about to stand for it now in Lincoln.

As a Wireless Operator for the Manchester Bombers in WW2 James Taylor had been shot out of the sky over Germany and dropped to earth on a parachute. He described it so beautifully you could almost see it - him floating down in falling snow with the sound of the dogs barking down below. His last action on the plane had been to eat the piece of rice paper that had all the codes for the German radios on it, as instructed by Bomber Command. His fellow airmen were killed, but he landed safely into wet muddy ground to be captured by the Germans. He then spent years in six different POW camps including the one on which the Great Escape is based. I could have talked to him for hours about his life. You don't get to meet that many people truly deserving of the word hero.

Bishop John was also impressive, explaining why the BNP's ideology is completely at odds with the teachings of the New Testament and how it was important for clergy to make a stand. The BNP are standing in a few wards in Lincoln in the May elections, so it's a real frontline issue for people there.

Lincoln Cathedral is completely beautiful, an architectural masterpiece listed as one of the six most important buildings in Europe. The sun shone on us at last and against a blue sky it was an inspiring sight. It has amazing details like 365 steps up to the top of the tower, the Bishop said, one for every day of the week.

Tomorrow, Sheffield....

Character of the Day: Known locally as the Flying Bishop, John - the Bishop of Lincoln - explained he got his nickname because he has a habit of throwing himself out of planes and off buildings for charity.

Question of the Day: why oh why are there so many low bridges in Lincolnshire? Do they have something against double decker buses round here? Like Maggie Thatcher, our bus is not for turning...

Hero of the day: James Taylor

Tune of the day: Calvin Harris, "I got love for you, if you were born in the Eighties, the Eighties...."

Quote of the day: "They've got a great big bus... a BUS I tell you... outside the Cathedral... Just like that, as if it's perfectly okay to put a great big huge RED bus in front of the Cathedral, a historic building... It's advertising something. Hope apparently..."

U-turn of the day: John the photographer's sat nav took us into a field.

Mirror

Smart suits can't hide BNP's extremist views

Letter to Lincolnshire Echo

The BNP is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Nowadays its members dress up in smart suits and try to make their views sound respectable. But they still hold the same extremist and bigoted views they have always held, and their tactics remain the same.

The BNP seeks to exploit the fears people have about immigration and spread myths and misinformation to create resentment towards 'outsiders'.

I have been in politics in Lincoln for nearly 30 years. I believe Lincoln people are sensible and fair-minded and do not like extremism. Lincoln has a proud record, going back many years, of showing hospitality to people from other countries and has shown the tolerance and understanding which are the foundations for good community cohesion.

The BNP has shallow slogans and little else. It has no roots in our local communities, little appreciation of the needs and aspirations of our communities and little idea about the solutions for improving them.

In the few places in the country where the BNP has won seats in local elections, its candidates have quickly lost interest, have been disqualified or have let their electors down in one way or another.

There is no place for the BNP in Lincoln and I hope the electorate in May will make that very clear.

Councillor Ric Metcalfe Leader Lincoln City Council

This is Lincolnshire