Birmingham's politicians clash over EDL protests

EDL supporters are nazis? Whatever gives you that idea?
An EDL supporter snapped at last Saturday's Birmingham demo.

City leaders have rejected claims that they can ban the controversial English Defence League group whose protests sparked violence and disorder in Birmingham city centre last weekend.

Senior councillors, although united in condemnation of the troublemakers, clashed how to deal with the demonstrations which resulted in 90 arrests. City cabinet members Alan Rudge, in charge of equalities, and Ayoub Khan, responsible for community safety, were both quizzed over the handling of the protests during city council question time. Opposition Labour group leader Sir Albert Bore accused them of lacking the will to ban the EDL, saying the council did just that in 2001 when they successfully lobbied the Home Secretary to ban a rally by the National Front at a time when UK cities were rife with race riots.

Coun Bore said: “I am speaking on behalf of shoppers and visitors who had witnessed disorder on the streets of Birmingham for the third time this summer.”

He suggested that the demonstrations had been down played by the ruling Conservative and Liberal Democrat administration. “In similar circumstances in 2001 Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police secured a ban on the National Front.”

But Coun Rudge insisted that, working with West Midlands Police, they had done everything they could. “Coun Bore is trying to make a party political issue of this. We have done all we can within the law for the good of this city. There is a Labour Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, and perhaps Coun Bore should ask him to ban the demonstrations. Our advice is that the police had no power to ban a static protest.”

He told the council that the police had done an excellent job to contain the trouble and blamed a tiny number of people for provoking violence, which had been blown out of proportion by the media. “99.9 per cent of the communities of Birmingham had nothing to do with these protests and are behind us.”

Coun Khan pointed out that the first EDL protest on July 4 had been ‘brushed away’ as there were no rival protests to provoke trouble, but the August and September demonstrations met with rival protests and each time further escalated into serious public disorder, bringing violence to the city centre.

“Members of the EDL wore T-shirts and chanted slogans targeting the Muslim community which provoked a response and led to the anti-social behaviour.

“No amount of planning and intelligence could prepare for that,” he added.

Birmingham Mail

Violence in Birmingham - authorities to blame

Racist and violent hooligans, the English Defence League, complete with BNP T-shirts

BBC video of the demo can be seen here

DCI Sue Southern of West Midlands police has tonight described the trouble on the streets of Birmingham as “unexpected”. Unfortunately it wasn’t and over 2,500 people who wrote in to protest to Birmingham City Council knew as much.

Violence in Birmingham – authorities to blame

Unfortunately violence erupted on the streets of Birmingham this afternoon as the hooligan followers of the English Defence League descended on the city centre. While reports are sketchy, it seems that the hooligans ignored agreements with police and ran through New Street. According to press reports at the height of the trouble over 250 were involved in the trouble.

Sadly it was all too predictable. For several days Searchlight and others have been warning the authorities of the potential trouble. The English Defence League is a collection of racist football hooligans from around the country and their sole intention is to whip up hatred. With several of its leaders already well known to the police as football hooligans it is hardly a surprise that violence has erupted today. However, despite the obvious the authorities repeatedly told us that they had the situation under control.

They did not and they should be held accountable. West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council have failed the people of Birmingham and should be held to account.

Hope not hate

Birmingham clashes feared at demo over BNP teacher hearing

Adam Walker talking rubbish through a megaphone

Labour and Liberal Democrat city councillors are backing a demonstration being held in Birmingham against a teacher who faces the sack for allegedly contributing to a British National Party website discussion on asylum seekers and homosexuality while conducting a lesson.

Adam Walker, a BNP member from Sunderland, is appearing this week before the General Teaching Council in Birmingham. The GTC will decide what action to take against Mr Walker, 39, who is being defended by the BNP’s general secretary.

Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, became the most senior figure to promote Wednesday's rally, which is due to get under way at 12.30pm in Victoria Square, yards from the General Teaching Council headquarters. Coun Tilsley (Lib Dem Sheldon) said: “I am happy to support the anti-BNP demonstration, as they have no part to play in a modern multi-party democracy. Their platform is divisive and supports the Nazi policies that caused death and destruction and the deaths of 30 million people.”

Sparkbrook Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob added: “The BNP is a racist, fascist organisation. It is not a legitimate political party. Their policies are openly racist and would be a catastrophe for the people of Birmingham. We can discuss and argue with parties we disagree with but there can be no discussion with people who want to remove us from the country.”

Organisers of the protest fear that the BNP is planning its own demonstration in support of Mr Walker – raising fears of a clash between left and far-right groups.

Yardley Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming accused the BNP of being the “heirs of Hitler parading in Victoria Square”. Mr Hemming said: “We call on the people of Birmingham to express peaceful opposition to the politics of racial and religious hatred and to make it clear there is no place in Birmingham for organisations which wish to expel religious and racial minorities.”

In a statement, also signed by Ladywood Labour MP Clare Short, the councillors said: “Birmingham is famous as a vibrant multicultural city composed of people from many parts of the world. The BNP wants an exclusively white Britain and is led by a person who has denied the Holocaust and who now blames Muslims for Britain’s problems.”

BNP West Midlands spokesman Simon Darby accused the councillors of “meddling in matters that are not their concern”. Mr Darby added: “They are basically trying to get someone the sack because he does not support their political views, and that has got to be wrong.”

Birmingham Post