EDL ban cuts both ways

The application from the Metropolitan Police to the Home Secretary to ban an English Defence League march through Tower Hamlets on September 3 is a double-edged sword.

Clearly, the EDL intention is not to raise questions of theological dispute with Islam. It is to swagger through areas hosting large communities of Bangladeshi and other Asian descent, stirring up hatred.

There is no reason why the good people of Tower Hamlets and neighbouring boroughs should have to put up with the EDL and its ignorant, bigoted followers. Anti-fascist campaigners Hope Not Hate, civic leaders and local community organisations are to be congratulated on securing police support for a ban, backed by a 25,000-strong petition.

Doubtless the EDL will now try to organise a "static" demonstration which would still pose a threat to public safety. If so, the duty of trade unionists, socialists, anti-racists and anti-fascists will be to stand in solidarity with the local people of Tower Hamlets and east London on September 3. The duty of the police will be to deny EDL supporters any opportunity to disturb the peace with their provocative, racist behaviour.

But the Met application also seeks to ban all marches in five London boroughs over a 30-day period. This could include anti-fascist, trade union and other progressive marches. Whether the blanket will be thrown over the proposed Cable Street 75th anniversary events is not yet clear.

Police permission has already been granted for a march on October 2 from Aldgate East to Cable Street, supported by more than 40 organisations including national trade unions, trades councils, Searchlight, the Communist Party, the Jewish Socialist Group and a host of Bangladeshi and other local community bodies.

In October 1936, the police refused local pleas to stop Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts from marching through the area. Hundreds of thousands of people took their lead from local communist, socialist and Jewish bodies to block the way. Their slogan, borrowed from the defence of Madrid in Spain's anti-fascist war, was "No Pasaran!" - the fascists shall not pass.

The EDL cannot be allowed to pass on September 3. But nothing should stop thousands of people turning out on October 2 to celebrate a famous victory over the British Union of Fascists in 1936 and, it has to be remembered, over the Metropolitan Police too.

Net result

When confronted with social protest or upheaval, the gut instinct of the Britain's ruling class politicians and commentators is to reach for the big stick.

In the aftermath of the recent riots, Prime Minister David Cameron led the way with calls for social networking media to be more tightly policed if not shut down altogether. It seems that cyberspace freedom is an essential accoutrement of democracy in north Africa or China, while in Britain it is a threat to be suppressed.

Wiser heads appear to have prevailed in Thursday's meeting between Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry bosses and Home Secretary Theresa May. There will be no shutdown in times of unrest. Even so, proposals to monitor such communications more closely could mean that demonstrators organising the peaceful occupation of a tax-dodging chain store, say, or trying to avoid oppressive police kettling, will be shopped to the authorities. That's democracy, British-style.

Morning Star

Met police request a ban

This afternoon the Metropolitan Police is formally requesting a ban on the EDL march in Tower Hamlets on 3 September. It seems an almost certainty that the Home Secretary will agree to the request.

This decision is a victory for common sense. The EDL clearly intended to use the proposed march to bring violence and disorder to the streets of Tower Hamlets. Their plan has been foiled.

While the EDL might still decide to hold a static protest they will not now be able to march through residential areas and, most importantly, march past the East London mosque. A static protest will be far easier to police and it will probably also discourage a lot of EDL supporters from travelling.

While we await the formal decision from the Home Secretary I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the 25,300 people who signed our petition, the hundreds of people who donated to the campaign fund and the dozens of people who came out campaigning with us in Tower Hamlets.

Hope not hate

London can't afford to let the EDL march

As violence and disorder escalated a fortnight ago, councils swiftly deployed youth workers, clean-up teams and support for the families and businesses affected (Report, 23 August). Rebuilding homes and livelihoods, not to mention a sense of public safety, will be a much longer job and councils will be paying for this for some time to come. The huge additional cost to the Metropolitan police of putting 16,000 officers on London streets for a week will have an even greater impact, severely limiting the force's ability to deploy additional resources to respond to the day-to-day crime and anti-social behaviour that will arise during the rest of the year.

That is why we – representing communities across London – are calling on the acting commissioner of the Met to recognise that the planned march of the English Defence League in Tower Hamlets on 3 September is a drain on resources that London cannot now afford. While we have no doubt that the Met could contain this demonstration, the cost of policing it (up to £500,000 for previous EDL marches) would simply be too great. That's even before the cost of policing the heightened community tension that the EDL aims to leave in its wake.

As we continue the clean-up, let's make sure that the long-term impact on London isn't unnecessarily compounded.The Met should request that the EDL march in Tower Hamlets on 3 September be banned and the home secretary should agree.

Rushanara Ali MP Lab, Bethnal Green and Bow
Jim Fitzpatrick MP Lab, Poplar and Limehouse
John Biggs AM Lab, City and East London
Cllr Joshua Peck Labour group leader, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Jules Pipe Mayor of Hackney
Sir Robin Wales Mayor of Newham
Cllr Nasim Ali Leader, London Borough of Camden
Cllr Chris Roberts Leader, London Borough of Greenwich
Cllr Bill Stephenson Leader, London Borough of Harrow
Cllr Jagdish Sharma Leader, London Borough of Hounslow
Sir Steve Bullock Mayor of Lewisham
Cllr Stephen Alambritis Leader, London Borough of Merton
Cllr Peter John Leader, London Borough of Southwark
Cllr Catherine West Leader, London Borough of Islington
Cllr Doug Taylor Leader, London Borough of Enfield
Cllr Julian Bell Leader, London Borough of Ealing
Cllr Jackie Meldrum Deputy leader, London Borough of Lambeth

Guardian

Theresa May ambushed at constituency meeting by head of English Defence League

Several protests involving the group have ended in violence with
opponents accusing the group of seeking to spread a message of hatred

Theresa May was last night dramatically ambushed at a constituency meeting by the head of the far-right English Defence League.

The Home Secretary fears the group – whose marches she has banned in the past - will now seek to exploit the face-to-face confrontation for a propaganda coup.

The self-proclaimed head of the EDL, who normally gives his name as ‘Tommy Robinson’, managed to by-pass security checks by posing as the companion of one of Mrs May’s constituents. He then began haranguing the Home Secretary about why the EDL – whose demonstrations have been marred by violence – was treated differently to other groups.

Mrs May says she walked away from the exchange in Maidenhead Town Hall – which comes ahead of a planned local march in the town by the EDL today.

Normally, the leader of a known extremist organisation would have no chance of getting near to the Home Secretary. She told the Mail: ‘My concern now is that he will try to make something of it, which he should not do. He did not have a meeting with me – I was completely door stepped. I did not even recognise him. This is a group whose purpose is to divide and to encourage hatred in our society and I condemn them for that.’

One concern is the group may claim to have formally met Mrs May, in a bid to gain some political legitimacy.

Normally, the Home Secretary’s meetings would be closely vetted – reflecting the fact she is not only a Cabinet minister, but in charge of national security. But MPs, under long-standing convention, agree to sit down with any constituents who have concerns in open meetings, normally held in public buildings.

Mrs May had an appointment with a man who was complaining about his treatment by the police. Constituents will often be joined by a family member or friend. When the man sat down, his colleague said to Mrs May: Do you know who I am? I’m the head of the English Defence League’. He then began complaining about how the EDL had been treated, saying it was different to Muslim groups, and demanding an appointment of his own. She refused.

Mrs May recently accepted Leicester City Council’s application to ban a planned EDL march in the city. The EDL responded by holding a static demonstration numbering 1,000. The Unite Against Fascism (UAF) group staged a counter-protest numbering 700. One police officer was taken to hospital with a leg injury and two protesters were treated by paramedics for minor injuries.

The English Defence League (EDL) formed in the wake of a demo by a small group of Muslims at a Luton homecoming parade in March 2009. Since then they have protested all over the UK against ‘radical Islam’. In recent months, there have been suggestions the group could become a political party.

Opponents accuse the group of seeking to spread a message of hatred. There have been claims the group is made up of a number of football hooligans. Leader Tommy Robinson – whose name is an alias – claimed: ‘The British people want to have their voices heard. A resistance to Islamification was always going to happen.’

A number of anti-fascist groups have attempted to unmask his real identity. The EDL has denied a string of names.

MPs surgeries have in the past been the scene of heated clashes and even violence. Last year, Roshonara Choudhary stabbed Labour minister Stephen Timms seriously wounded the Labour MP Stephen Timms. Inspired by terrorist websites, she lunged at him and stabbed him twice before being restrained by a security guard and arrested.

Mail Online

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

Nuneaton traders call for ban on any more EDL demos

Businesses in Nuneaton have threatened to “shut up shop” if another rally by the English Defence League is allowed to go ahead in the town on a Saturday afternoon.

Calls have already been made by the borough council and the MP for action to be taken by the Home Secretary to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s arrival of 1,500 EDL supporters. A massive police operation contained and controlled the demonstration away from the main shopping area – but store owners and stall holders were still left to count the cost, with takings badly hit.

“In 42 years, this was the worst Saturday afternoon I have ever known,” said Stuart Tooby, who sells confectionery and is a spokesman for Nuneaton market traders. “It is the first time I have failed to take enough money to meet my day’s costs. I had to pay staff out of my own pocket. After lunchtime, the town was absolutely deserted. Shoppers stayed away because they were frightened of what might happen.

“The manager of one main store told me their takings were 50 per cent down. Others closed early and everyone started to pack up their stalls around 3pm. This is people’s livelihoods we are talking about – and we are not prepared to be put into this situation again.”

Mr Tooby said that traders will refuse to turn out if the EDL stages another Saturday demo in Nuneaton.

“Why should we be forced to lose money? We have made our feelings known to the council – and have suggested that in such circumstances, perhaps we could have the street market on a Friday or Sunday instead.”

Council leader Dennis Harvey said: “Nuneaton has now been targeted four times by the EDL and it is a mystery why they should pick on our town to cause disruption. It did have a disastrous effect on businesses last Saturday afternoon, as well as stretching the police resources. I do have to congratulate the police for the way they organised their operation and also thank everyone, traders and shoppers, who did try to go about their business as normal.”

A letter has gone from the borough council to Theresa May asking her to block any future EDL requests to meet in Nuneaton, while local MP Marcus Jones has also pressed the Home Secretary to take action. He said: “It is unfair that our town has been targeted in this way, by people from outside the area coming in to cause disruption. It also puts businesses and people’s jobs at risk.”

Coventry Telegraph

Stop the hate march in Bradford

Please sign the petition to stop the hate march in Bradford

We the people of Bradford are concerned about the proposed protest by the English Defence League (EDL) in our city in late August.

The EDL is a violent racist organisation which seeks to vilify the Muslim communities and damage relations in the city. Its planned protest carries a serious threat of disorder that would have damaging consequences for our city.

We reject entirely the EDL and their hate-filled racism. We want a city where people live in peace. We want HOPE not hate. We therefore call upon the Home Secretary to ban the EDL protest in Bradford.

Sign the petition here.

Hope not hate

Shouting loud

As police officers from around the country gather today to discuss the English Defence League let us hope that there is no ambiguity about the strength of feeling on this issue.

So far over 7,300 letters have been sent to Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire police in protest at the proposed EDL march in Leeds and 2,663 letters have been sent to the Home Secretary calling for the EDL to be prevented from coming to Manchester.

Later today I will be writing to Leeds City Council expressing our disappointment at their refusal to approach the Home Office for a ban. I’ll also be writing to every Leeds City Councillor reminding them of their duty to uphold good community relations and that the thousands of local people who have sent the council letters will not forgive their elected representatives if violence breaks out.

Meanwhile the BNP is getting in on the act with the release of a ‘Stop Islamic Colonisation — No More Mosques’ T-shirt. Their website claims this is by popular demand but it is clearly an attempt to tap in to the publicity generated by the EDL and its protests.

• To add your support to the Leeds protest, please visit here.
• To add your support to the Manchester protest, please visit here.

HOPE not hate

Plea to stop right wing march

Manchester council is to ask the Home Secretary to block a planned city-centre rally by a right-wing group.

The English Defence League claims only to oppose 'militant Islam' - but previous events have seen skinheads making Nazi salutes, and violent clashes with anti-fascist protestors. An EDL rally in Birmingham earlier this year ended with 90 people arrested during a busy shopping Saturday. Gangs hurled bottles at each other and pelted riot police with bricks. Now the EDL are planning to come to Manchester on Saturday, October 10.

And the city council, which is powerless to stop the event, is to appeal to Alan Johnson to intervene. Town hall bosses are writing to the Home Secretary calling on him to use whatever powers are necessary to block the event. They believe there is a serious risk of violence - and that the event will cause offence to moderate Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Their calls are being backed by church leaders and city-centre traders.

Jim Battle, deputy council leader, said: "Manchester has a long and rich tradition of protest and radicalism. We are incredibly proud of that history and to this day people regularly make their voice heard in demonstrations in the city. But we are also a welcoming and tolerant city. Wherever the so-called English Defence League have gone there has been violence and disruption to ordinary people who just want to go about their business.

"These people do not have a legitimate cause - they merely wish to vilify, insult, intimidate and provoke one section of our community. That isn't protest or legitimate democratic debate and it certainly is not welcome in Manchester. Manchester does not want the EDL, and we stand united against their poisonous, disruptive and unbritish outlook and actions."

Kate Harrison, chief executive of Cityco, which represents city traders, said: "Cityco works very hard with the council to facilitate freedom of speech by allowing the use of our public squares. However, there needs to be a balance and we need to consider the needs of visitors to the city and the businesses that trade here. We are concerned about recent events in Birmingham and want to ensure Manchester is a safe and pleasant place to visit."

The Dean of Manchester, Rogers Govender, said: "Manchester Cathedral is currently hosting an exhibition commemorating Anne Frank, who, as a Jewish victim of the Holocaust experienced prejudice and racial hatred. The exhibition tackles contemporary issues such as bullying, racism and intolerance head on and we are proud to demonstrate our support for the values of tolerance and inclusion of which Manchester is rightly proud. The English Defence League's plans to march in Manchester are a direct threat to those values and we stand in solidarity with those who reject their agenda of division."

Manchester Evening News

Stop the EDL from marching in Leeds

Yesterday we launched a campaign to stop the racist football hooligans of the English Defence League from marching in Leeds city centre on 31 October. We sent out emails to 10,000 people in Yorkshire and within 18 hours over 2,150 letters have gone in to West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council calling on them to apply to the Home Secretary for a ban.

This is a fantastic start and shows the strength of feeling about this issue. However, we need more signatures.

If you would like to add your voice to the campaign please visit: http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/leeds

HOPE not hate

Luton anti-Islam EDL march banned

English Defence League march knocked on the head

Just yesterday, Hope not Hate sent out an email asking for people to contact the Home Secretary and the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire, calling for the anti-Islam English Defence League protest in Luton to be banned.

Within hours, a staggering 12,636 letters had been sent, a response that Nick Lowles of Searchlight/Hope not hate described as 'sending a resounding message to the authorities'. That figure has now gone up to 14,000+ and the Home Secretary has announced that the anti-Islam march in Luton will not be taking place. In fact, as a precautionary measure, all marches have been banned in the town for the next three months.

Thanks to everyone who sent off a letter. We have won and Luton is a safer place because of it. This is just further proof of what we can achieve when we get organised.

Hope not hate

Home Secretary seeks ban on BNP protesting near Home Office

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith says she wants to prevent the BNP from targeting Home Office buildings for protests after a strong complaint from the Public and Commercial Services union

In a letter to PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, Ms Smith says she shares our concern about the use of the Home Office as a "backdrop" for BNP demonstrations.

PCS wrote to the home secretary in April after the BNP held an anti-immigration demo outside Lunar House in Croydon, one of the department’s main immigration enquiry offices. With just hours notice of the event, the union organised a counter demonstration and pointed out that PCS representatives had previously been denied permission to hand out leaflets about members’ pay on the same spot.

The letter from Ms Smith makes clear that the Home Office will do everything it can to prevent similar demonstrations taking place near Home Office property, and that trade unions will be fully informed about any future demonstrations. Ms Smith also gives a "personal commitment that no such demonstration will be allowed to take place actually on Home Office premises".

PCS expects this pledge to be honoured by whoever takes over as home secretary if Ms Smith steps down, as has been reported, and the union will be taking this up at the earliest opportunity with Home Office management and any future home secretary.

The union also believes BNP members should be barred from employment in the civil and public services – as they are from the police and prison service – because their views are incompatible with the provision of universal public services, free from discrimination.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "It was an absolute scandal that the BNP was ever allowed even close to Lunar House, an office that provides an important and valuable public service to migrants and their families. But we are pleased that Ms Smith has given us a commitment that it will not happen again. If it is true that she is stepping down as home secretary then I will expect her successor to honour this commitment in every detail and see that this is taken forward as a priority.

"The fascist BNP has no place in our communities, it does not speak for ordinary people and its methods of scapegoating and victimising some of the most vulnerable members of our society must be opposed at every step. Furthermore, BNP members should not be allowed to work as civil and public servants and we will continue to press the government on this issue."

PCS