The English Defence League, Red Watch And Neofascist Thugs.

Many readers will be familiar with Red Watch, a neofascist outfit which publishes the details of its political opponents.

Its purpose is very clear, to ensure that the houses and dwellings of its political opponents are attacked, bricks through windows, firebombed, etc

It is an old fascist technique that has been updated for the 21st century.

Unsurprisingly, the English Defence League take a similar approach. A secret Facebook group of the EDL are posting the names, addresses and phone numbers of their perceived enemies.

Presumably, the EDL will organise, directly or indirectly for them to be attacked, physically.

Now their apologists will try to explain that the EDL are not neofascists, that is despite the fact that their events are published on neofascist forums, that is regardless of the presence of neo-Nazis, BNPers and certifiable racists at their events, etc etc.

This latest development shows how the EDL are changing from a proto-fascist street gang to a more traditional neofascist setup.

No surprise there.

Luton And The English Defence League.

Once more the thugs in the EDL want to stomp their supposed authority on the streets of Britain.

They have tried to do this before, in Leicester, October 2010 and before that in Oldham.

Each time they sought to attack ethnic minorities, intimidate ordinary people and even smash up restaurants. As I wrote before:

“1. The EDL *leadership* is stuffed full of BNPers, ex-BNPers, neo-Nazis and their allies.

2. The EDL always pick towns with high ethnic populations to hold their demonstrations. Their objective is to run amok, abuse and intimidate local people. That’s what they do.

3. The EDL want to start ethnic conflict and anyone that supports or excuses them is beyond the pale of reasoned debate, as they are aiding and abetting racial conflict. “

They are thugs, plain and simple, as their attack on Portsmouth’s Jami Mosque showed.

This time the EDL tried it on in Luton, but they couldn’t manage it despite their own bravado, plenty of booze and police protection, Nick Lowles of HOPE not Hate has more in a rolling commentary of the day:

” Foreign nazis are arriving in Luton looking for trouble. Far right activists from Sweden have been here for a couple of days and Norwegian and Dutch extremists are arriving shortly. Our spotters have also just seen a carload of German Blood & Honour supporters, wearing Combat 18 shirts, driving through the town.

We are also expecting hardliners from Vérité, Valeurs & Démocratie (VVD), a front organization of Bloc identitaire from France. ”

“Further to my last post the police have stopped the car carrying the German Blood and Honour supporters and are currently searching them.

Some of the Dutch Defence League have arrived. I’ve heard that they were staying in Bayswater, West London, along with some of the German Defence League.

EDL groups from North London, Gateshead, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes are already here. A group boarded a train at St Pancras this morning but nowhere near the numbers the EDL gave to the press. The EDL have been given two pubs and a nightclub to meet up in. The landlords/owners are allowed to serve drinks until 12pm and then close the venues an hour later, after which the EDL march will begin. All 300 pubs across the town will be shut from 12pm and not allowed to reopen until 7pm.

Interestingly, the police have been erecting steel barriers across streets, both to keep the EDL and UAF apart but also on some of the roads linking the EDL march route and Bury Park, where the Muslim community are gathering.”

“There are 18 EDL coaches lined up along Dunstable Road waiting to enter Luton. Police seem unwilling to allow them to move until much closer to the time the demo starts.”

“The EDL leadership appear to have their hands full trying to keep their rowdy bunch in order. There’s the drunken Sunderland group, others throwing bottles at the police and now the Scottish Defence League are taunting their English counterparts with chants of “where are your famous EDL?” ”

“I can now reveal that two of the speakers at today’s rally will be Austrian Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff and the surfing rabbi from the US, Nachum Shifren.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is a representative of “Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa” and last year she was charged with “incitement” and “defamation of religious teachings” in Austria.

Nachum Shifren is an extremist Rabbi from California who has close links to the Tea Party.

Just for clarification, the march hasn’t actually started yet. There was some movement 25 minutes ago but it seems that they just moving into position. However, it is about to start any minute now.”

“One really has to question the tactics of the local police. While EDL thugs fight with police Stephen Lennon is helped out of the march and escorted – by police and his own security – to the square where the rally will be held.

Are they affording the same protection to local citizens terrified by the EDL demo?”

Keep on reading here.

BBC News’s Surrender To The English Defence League.

In Britain, the elites often use understatement in English to convey their meaning or downplay a problem so the winter chaos is really just seen as a “little problem”.

International conflicts can be conveyed as “a temporary difficulty”, normally this would not be a problem but BBC News has taken it one step further.

For the BBC News, the neofascists in the EDL are “controversial”.

Instead of being racist thugs, the BBC News now calls them an “anti-Islamist group”.

Any competent journalist, or those able to access the Internet, would realise that the EDL are considerably more than a “controversial anti-Islamist group”, they are a proto-neofascist street gang, with ex-BNPers and stuffed full of neo-Nazis.

This is the appalling BBC News story.

Oh, someone hacked the EDL’s servers and their membership list is doing the rounds, along with the names of those cretins that purchased EDL merchandise.

PS: ANYONE remotely tempted to defend the EDL should read my comments policy, again.

English Defence League Attack Portsmouth Mosque.

The pretence that the English Defence League is solely concerned with extreme Jihadist is laid to rest as their supporters attack a mosque out of the blue, as the Portmouth News report:

“Scores of demonstrators gathered outside Portsmouth’s Jami Mosque. They were protesting after a small group of Muslims – not from the city – burned poppies in London during the two minutes’ silence on Armistice Day.

The protest, led by former soldier David Tallard, congregated outside the mosque at midday and numbered about 40.

It broke for Pompey’s home game against Doncaster, and gathered again shortly after 5pm this time with about 100 taking part.

Peace protesters who had heard about the protest also gathered outside the mosque.

Shouting between the two groups then ensued with firecrackers, an egg and a golf ball being thrown into the peace campaigners.

There was a strong police presence with one man from the demonstrators being arrested after a confrontation. He has now been bailed.

A 6ft poppy had also been graffitied on the mosque the day before.

Portsmouth police commander, Chief Superintendent Nigel Hindle said: ‘The majority of those taking part in the demo’s did so peacefully however there were a number of objects thrown and we did make one arrest for a public order offence.

‘We will now be reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to find those who did commit offences. People can be assured we will track those responsible down and deal with them appropriately.’

‘As a precaution following yesterday’s protests additional resources were put in place today (Sunday) as a measured response. This was to make sure the Remembrance Day service in the city passed off peacefully – which we are pleased to say it did.

‘Extra officers will continue to be present in the areas around the city’s mosques today to ensure public safety and provide reassurance to the whole community.’

The Muslim community in Portsmouth said they condemned the burning of the poppies and that they would have joined any protest, had it not been directed at the Jami Mosque.

Akf Suyeb, of the mosque, said: ‘When these people are pointing their fingers at us about this, it’s not right. ‘We condemn the people who burnt the poppies, and we do show our respect to the people who died in war.

‘After all, Indian people, Muslim people, also died during the first and second world wars. We should remember that.

‘As Muslims, we are not allowed to wear images of animals, but flowers are fine.

‘And we would have been happy to have a poppy painted on the mosque – but it was graffiti, and they should have asked our permission before painting on our building.

‘We would have absolutely joined in a protest, because the Muslim community condemns this act, but not when it is against our mosque.’

Former soldier Mr Tallard, 25, who was injured while serving in Iraq in 2004, insisted the protest was not racially motivated despite the location outside the mosque on Victoria Road South.

He said: ‘It is a busy road, and someone had already painted a poppy on the outside of the mosque. This protest has nothing to do with religion.

‘We just don’t want to see poppies being burned. It’s just not right.’

A coach-load of members of the English Defence League nationalist group made the trip to Southsea from London to join in the protest.”

So some idiots in LONDON burn some poppies and we meant to believe that EDL picked a peaceful, unconnected mosque in Portsmouth to attack?

That’s 75 miles away, something happens in London, so the EDL attack a mosque in Portsmouth…what racist knucklescrapers. The EDL are out just to attack Muslims, any Muslims, anywhere for any excuse.

They have to stopped.

Update 1: It seems that one EDLer admits causing criminal damage to the mosque. by painting graffiti on it.

Update 2: Any EDL supporters tempted to post should first read the my comment’s policy.

English Defence League, Questioned By The Police.

HOPE not hate has released an excellent video clip of the English Defence League leader, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon AKA ‘Tommy Robinson’.

This is taken from the events on Saturday, 9 October 2010 in Leicester.

Yaxley-Lennon, a BNP member, is the short bloke in the green top, later on in the video you can see him acting macho and telling the police to “Fuck off”.

If you look closely you might see an EDLer giving the Nazi salute.

CiF Watch on the English Defence League.

Adam Levick at CiF Watch has written a good piece on the English Defence League.

I am cross posting it below, On the English Defence League (the “enemy of my enemy” is sometimes still just my enemy) by Adam Levick.

“I know many people might be tempted by the English Defence League due to their opposition to radical Islam but, in reality, their venom is actually directed against Muslims, as a group – and they often engage in rhetoric suggesting that all Muslims are Jihadists. As such, EDL, it should be clear, is not an anti-totalitarian movement, but rather, a racist one.

Radical Islam, there should be no doubt, represents the biggest threat to the progressive values I cherish – values such as individual liberty, tolerance, religious pluralism, democracy, a free press, gender equality, and gay rights. Further, I view the fight against this radical, anti-Semitic, millenarianistic movement – diffuse though it is (that is, it’s not represented by any one single state actor) – as the moral test of our generation.

More broadly, its tragic that there hasn’t developed a broad-based mainstream coalition to fight radical Islam across the globe – one which unites the anti-totalitarian elements within both the left and the right.

While it is, perhaps, understandable that many see the English Defence League (EDL) as political allies in the fight against Jihadism in Europe, all of the available evidence demonstrates that EDL (grass-roots supporters as well as many within its leadership) is far too compromised by affiliations with neo-Nazis, and other radical racist movements, for principled anti-Islamists to make an allegiance with them.

It is simply a fact that some EDL organizers are proven Neo-Nazis

 

Wayne Baldwin, member of the EDL’s Birmingham Division

 

In the video clip in this Modernity post you will see Luke Pippen, EDL’s Welsh Division organizer, in front of a house with his friends, tattooed skinheads giving the Nazi salute.

At an EDL protest in Birmingham fascists and right-wing extremists were clearly visible, some happily giving Nazi salutes. They included Chris Renton, a BNP supporter from Weston-super-Mare, who runs their website.

One face seen at most EDL events is Alan Spence from Newcastle upon Tyne. Spence is pretty much now the EDL organizer in Newcastle. Spence, who is a BNP gold member and has only recently deleted swastikas and Combat 18 images from his Facebook page, has appeared in photographs with both his spiritual leaders, Nick Griffin and Chris Robinson.

Davy Cooling, a fully fledged British National Party (BNP) member, is now a key activist in the EDL Luton “division”. This is demonstrated by his status as administrator of the Luton division’s Facebook group. Cooling still shows interest in the party, as shown by his posting on the Facebook site of the BNP’s 2009 Red, White and Blue Festival, which said: “I may attend, it will be my first one – what’s the score?”

It has been revealed that the leader of the English Defence League is a former BNP member who has served 12 months’ imprisonment for assaulting an off-duty police officer. Self-proclaimed EDL leader Tommy Robinson is really Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, from Bedford.

 

EDL leader "Tommy Robinson"

 

Kevin Carroll is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the EDL. It was revealed in a BBC documentary, Young, British and Angry, that he had signed the nomination papers in the 2007 Luton council elections for Robert Sherratt, a BNP candidate and activist in the Nazi November 9th Society.

BNP, it should be noted, is allied, in the European Parliament, with the nationalist Hungarian party, Jobbik, whose leaders advance an often openly anti-Semitic agenda. In a newsletter published by a group calling itself “The trade union of Hungarian police officers prepared for action,” the following was printed. “Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews.” The editor of the union, Judit Szima, was, at the time, a Jobbik candidate in the upcoming election for the European Union parliament. Szima “didn’t see anything wrong with the content of the article.”

While I’m sure there are plenty of non-racists among the membership of EDL, as well, its clear the group’s leadership is irreparably compromised by racist and extremist allegiances – enough to make me question the motivations of any genuine anti-racist opponents of radical Islam who are flirting with the organization.

Further, there have been some Jews tempted by EDL’s alleged support for Israel, and opposition to anti-Semitism – and EDL has set up a recruitment effort aimed at Jews. In response, many have argued, quite persuasively, that such “support” merely represents a cynical attempt by EDL to gain respectability. And, that, ultimately, such support will vanish once the services of their Jewish allies are no longer required. In such a scenario, it is feared, given EDL’s background and fascist affiliations, it certainly isn’t far-fetched to see them pivot from anti-Islam agitation to anti-Semitism.

As Modernity has pointed out:

“Why [would] neo-Nazis suddenly take a liking to Israelis, and Jews. The problem being is that, neo-Nazis don’t like Jews, and in particular Israel as it is seen as the centre of Jewish power. That is something that all neo-Nazis fear the most. A central theme to Nazism is the notion that Jews control and manipulate events around the world from a central location, in this case Israel. [Warning: illustrative links to original Nazi propaganda, nasty racist material.] It is hardly credible that entrenched neo-Nazis would suddenly wake up one-day and decide “Yes, we like Israelis.” It seems incongruous, and ever so improbable.”

As Jon Benjamin, UK Board of Deputies chief executive, said:

“The EDL’s supposed ‘support’ for Israel is empty and duplicitous. It is built on a foundation of…hatred which we reject entirely.”

The “enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a tempting but dangerous road to go down. Whether or not the EDL decides to turn on its Jewish/Zionist supporters is not really the main point. What’s at stake is more than our safety. Its our integrity. “

The English Defence League Planned To Attack A Mosque.

People so willing to see the EDL’s point of view rarely address the most obvious question, why does the English Defence League pick certain locations to have their demonstrations?

The answer is simple, because those areas tend to have a high ethnic makeup and it allows the EDL to intimidate ordinary people in their own streets.

That’s what many modern British neofascists want, racial conflict, pitch battles in the streets, etc etc.

It is a common tactic employed by the Extreme Right, as American readers will remember. Please watch the video from Toledo, Ohio and think of the similarities in modern day Britain.

Yet, as we see, the true motivations of the EDL and their associated gangs rarely come up.

Still in Leicestershire they seem to have got the mark of the EDL, as this is leicestershire reports:

“Police fear protesters plan to attack a city mosque before marching into the heart of Leicester’s Muslim community.

Concerns were voiced by Chief Constable Simon Cole in a report to Leicester City Council about the planned march by the English Defence League on October 9.

The Chief Constable said that an intelligence and threat assessment indicated a “major threat” to public order.

His report said: “Intelligence dated September 8, 2010, indicated that the EDL intend to come to Leicester and attack a mosque before marching into the Highfields area, which represents the highest resident population of the Muslim community. “

Greater Surbiton And Douglas Murray.

Greater Surbiton has a superb post on Douglas Murray:

“Murray has spoken in defence of the English Defence League, a fascist, Islamophobic organisation of street thugs, and of Robert Spencer, proprietor of the anti-Muslim hate-site ‘Jihadwatch‘ (see the video at the start of this post). With some nuance, arguably, but unambiguously enough to be described as a ‘ringing defence’ by Spencer, who writes ‘At a recent conference… devoted to attempting to smear many anti-jihad forces, including the English Defense League and our own Stop Islamization of America, as neofascists, the extraordinarily eloquent English writer Douglas Murray offers this ringing defense (of me also, for which I am grateful) and denunciation of the Left’s guilt-by-association tactics.’ Murray praises Spencer as a ‘brilliant scholar’. Yet Spencer is a promoter of Srebrenica genocide denial. The EDL has also promoted Murray’s defence of it on their website.”

The Real Consequences Of Anti-Muslim Bigotry.

From the English Defence League staging provocative events in northern cities, attacks on restaurants to scare stories in the media, the real consequence of anti-Muslim bigotry is violence against Muslims, and that should not be forgotten.

This is just one reported incident, Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

“RACIST abuse was shouted at worshippers at a busy mosque.

Police were called to Eastern Avenue in Gants Hill after reports of a group of men causing damage to parked vehicles in the road.

Six men were seen heading in the direction Redbridge roundabout towards Redbridge Islamic Centre, also in Eastern Avenue.

As they reached the mosque they shouted racial abuse and threw bricks at the building, which broke glass in the front doors.

The incident occurred at around 7.45pm on Thursday (March 24), near the start of evening prayers.

A number of worshippers had already entered the mosque but there were still some people outside the building when the attack occurred.

One man suffered a minor head injury but did not need any medical treatment.

Six men were arrested by police and remain in custody at Ilford Police Station.”

(H/T: Lancaster Unity)

An Update, The Hanley Mosque Fire.

The racial attack on the Hanley Road Mosque took place in December 2010 but it is only now that we’ve heard of an arrest or two, this is Staffordshire reports:

“TWO men were due to appear in court today accused of starting a fire at a mosque.

Simon Beech, aged 23, and Gareth Foster, aged 28, both from Stoke-on-Trent, have been charged with arson with intent to endanger life following the blaze at the mosque in Regent Road, Hanley on December 3.

Two other men arrested in connection with the incident have been released from their bail without charge.”

There is a suggestion on the web that at least one of them is connected to the English Defence League, I don’t know how true that is, but it seems probable.

Update 1: The Newstatesman has more on the Daily Star and the EDL.

Update 2: Andy looks at the Australian Defence League.

More Thugery, Newcastle EDL Attack Meeting.

English Defence League members and supporters were in court this week after their attack on an SWP meeting at Tyneside Irish Centre, Newcastle, the Chronicle reports:

“TEN suspected right-wing extremists have appeared in court charged with violence.

The men, from across Tyneside, are accused of attacking doormen at the Tyneside Irish Centre during a rival political meeting.

The alleged attack is said to have happened on September 22 last year, when the left-wing Socialist Workers’ Party were meeting at the centre on Gallowgate, Newcastle city centre.

The SWP had called the meeting to discuss ways to counter far-right groups.

Rebecca Gibson, prosecuting, told Newcastle Magistrates Court that the 10 men, all believed to be members of the far-right English Defence League, allegedly gathered in nearby Rosie’s Bar.

She claimed they then descended on the Irish Centre, hurling abuse and attacking the doormen. “

Suspected Arson Attack

This is an exceedingly worry development, and as we know the Far Right have a long history of terrorism and bombing, Liverpool Antifascists have more:

“POLICE and fire crews are combing the scene of a huge blaze which gutted a social club earmarked to become an Islamic cultural centre.

North Wales Police and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service visited the disused Shotton Lane Social Club five days after arsonists torched in order to establish whether the building was safe to enter.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of Friday, and police have confirmed they are treating the incident as suspicious.

Detective Chief Inspector Graham Talbot said: “The former social club, which remains owned by a brewery, has been secured as a crime scene and when we can commence our investigations it will be subject to forensic examination, which should help determine the cause of the fire.”
About 100 residents were evacuated from their homes over fears strong winds might spread the fire to adjacent properties.

Superintendent Dave Owens said: “Because of the windy weather the fire took hold very quickly and was difficult to bring under control. There were also compressed air cylinders in the club, which popped.
“It was very close to houses and if the wind had been blowing in another direction people could have lost their homes.”

Flintshire Muslim Cultural Society (FMCS) had been trying to raise £150,000 to buy the club – which had been closed since August – and turn it into an Islamic centre.

The plans provoked strong protests and about 100 members of right-wing group the English Defence League (EDL) marched through the streets of Shotton last month to voice their opposition.”

The Daily Star And The EDL.

Anyone that has tried to read the Daily Star will know that it hardly counts as a newspaper. It is the type of publication you would put down to catch bird’s droppings, that’s all its good for.

Nevertheless, its open support of EDL is another marker in the rise of modern neofascism and anti-Muslim hatred.

Just as the BNP were falling apart Britain’s Far Right get a rejuvenating shot in the arm from the Daily Star, Roy Greenslade has more:

“Yesterday’s Daily Star broke new ground by publishing a political splash. Over a picture of flag-waving marchers was the headline English Defence League to become political party.

As this reproduction of its front page shows, it was anything but a neutral presentation. It is a clear piece of propaganda on behalf of the EDL, a group that opposes the supposed spread of Islamic extremism in Britain.

The story cannot be read as anything other than a cheer-leading, uncritical piece on behalf of the EDL. Triumphalist in tone throughout, it required no between-the-lines deconstruction to grasp its intention – to build support for the group among its readers.
…
Desmond ought to think very carefully about letting the Star use far right politics to build sales.

He should remember what happened in those societies across Europe in the 1930s where Jewish minorities were demonised in the media for their religious beliefs.

Can he not see that the underlying agenda of groups like the EDL is anti-Semitic? What does he think he is doing? “

Update 1: As Minority Thought says:

“It’s not hard to see why the Star would choose to back the EDL. The paper has a long and well-documented history of publishing stories that paint Muslims in a negative light, some examples of which can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
“

EDL Supporters: Torrent of Racist Abuse.

Lift a stone and some EDL supporter pops out, usually letting their mask slip, Wish FM reports:

“Three English Defence League supporters have been ordered to pay more than £350 each after being found guilty of subjecting rail passengers to serious racist abuse.

Tracey Hurley (33), Stuart Parr (28) and a 17-year old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on 20 January for trial.

The court heard that, on Friday 25 June last year, the trio had attended an EDL march in Bradford and had been on their way home when they travelled from Manchester Victoria to Wigan on a Northern Rail service.

During the journey they became abusive and intimidating, subjecting several passengers to a torrent of racist abuse.

The abuse began when the three sang songs relating to the EDL and Taliban. At Salford Crescent an Asian man boarded the train and was immediately targeted by the group who shouted derogatory remarks about Allah to the man.

PC Tony McGibbon, of British Transport Police, said: “The abuse continued for some time and was directed at anyone on board the train who the three perceived to be anything other than white British.

“The behaviour of the three was offensive in the extreme, completely unacceptable and made everyone on the train feel incredibly uncomfortable.”

A passenger advised a member of rail staff who reported the behaviour of the three to BTP officers.
After witnesses were spoken to the three where arrested and interviewed.

During interviews they admitted having been at the EDL march and drinking heavily, but denied making any racist remarks or behaving in a racist manner.”

PS: ANYONE remotely tempted to defend the EDL should read my comments policy, again.

Update 1: My moderation queue is slowly filling up with stupid comments from dim witted EDL supporters, forget it, you and your comments ain’t going to see the light of day, now feck off.

The EDL’s Convicted People Smuggler.

Thanks to Liverpool Antifascists for reminding us about the EDL’s Convicted People Smuggler:

“A prominent member of the English Defence League is a convicted people smuggler.

Ex-serviceman Allan Hetherington-Cleverley, 55, [pictured, left] is a regular at protests for the far-right group that advocates kicking Muslims out of the UK. But the Daily Star Sunday can reveal he spent four years in prison for smuggling Chinese immigrants across the Channel in an inflatable speedboat.

The former Grenadier Guard was paid £20,000 by an Albanian gangster to ferry the illegals from Calais in France to Newhaven in East Sussex in 2004. In two dangerous night-time trips across the world’s busiest shipping lane he helped to sneak 20 Chinese into the UK. The ex-soldier – who has changed his name from Allan Gallup – made the first trip alone but enlisted soldier pal Marcus Wakelin for the second a month later. But both missions were tracked by police from the air. The men were arrested and charged with facilitating illegal entry to the UK. Hetherington-Cleverley was sentenced to four years in 2005.

During their trial the court heard the pair showed little concern for the safety of the immigrants, who had paid £7,000 each to Triad gangsters.
Hetherington-Cleverley, who was in the Army between 1971 and 1977, is now good friends with EDL leader Stephen Lennon and has made speeches at their events. And the smuggler, who has also worked as a mercenary in Africa, has no regrets about his past. He said: “I am not ashamed of what I did. I did not steal anything, I did not hurt anyone, it was not a drug or sexual offence. It has nothing to do with my beliefs or my support for the EDL.” “