Investigation reveals plan by far-right English Defence League to provoke racial tensions
15 replies, posted
[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-guardian-investigation?t=1[/url]
[release]MPs expressed concern tonight after it emerged that far-right activists are planning to step up their provocative street campaign by targeting some of the UK's highest-profile Muslim communities, raising fears of widespread unrest this summer.
Undercover footage shot by the Guardian reveals the English Defence League, which has staged a number of violent protests in towns and cities across the country this year, is planning to "hit" Bradford and the London borough of Tower Hamlets as it intensifies its street protests.
Senior figures in the coalition government were briefed on the threat posed by EDL marches this week. Tomorrow up to 2,000 EDL supporters are expected to descend on Newcastle for its latest protest.
MPs said the group's decision to target some of the UK's most prominent Muslim communities was a blatant attempt to provoke mayhem and disorder. "This group has no positive agenda," said the Bradford South MP, Gerry Sutcliffe. "It is an agenda of hate that is designed to divide people and communities. We support legitimate protest but this is not legitimate, it is designed to stir up trouble. The people of Bradford will want no part of it."
The English Defence League, which started in Luton last year, has become the most significant far-right street movement in the UK since the National Front in the 1970s. A Guardian investigation has identified a number of known rightwing extremists who are taking an interest in the movement – from convicted football hooligans to members of violent rightwing splinter groups.
Thousands of people have attended its protests – many of which have descended into violence and racist and Islamophobic chanting. Supporters are split into "divisions" spread across the UK and as many as 3,000 people are attracted to its protests.
The group also appears to be drawing support from the armed forces. Its online armed forces division has 842 members and the EDL says many serving soldiers have attended its demonstrations. A spokeswoman for the EDL, whose husband is a serving soldier, said: "The soldiers are fighting Islamic extremism in Afghanistan and Iraq and the EDL are fighting it here … Not all the armed forces support the English Defence League but a majority do."
Following the British National party's poor showing in this month's local and national elections anti-racist campaigners say some far-right activists may be turning away from the ballot box and returning to violent street demonstrations for the first time in three decades.
Nick Lowles, from Searchlight, said: "What we are seeing now is the most serious, most dangerous, political phenomenon that we have had in Britain for a number of years. With EDL protests that are growing week in, week out there is a chance for major disorder and a major political shift to the right in this country."
In undercover footage shot by Guardian Films, EDL spokesman Guramit Singh says its Bradford demonstration "will be huge". He adds: "The problem with Bradford is the security threat, it is a highly populated Muslim area. They are very militant as well. Bradford is a place that has got to be hit."
Singh, who was speaking during an EDL demonstration in Dudley in April, said the organisation would also be targeting Tower Hamlets.
A spokesman for the EDL confirmed it would hold a demonstration in Bradford on 28 August because the city was "on course to be one of the first places to become a no-go area for non-Muslims". The EDL has already announced demonstrations in Cardiff and Dudley.
The former Home Office minister Phil Woolas said: "This is a deliberate attempt by the EDL at division and provocation, to try and push young Muslims into the hands of extremists, in order to perpetuate the divide. It is dangerous."
The EDL claims it is a peaceful and non-racist organisation only concerned with protesting against "militant Islam". However, over the last four months the Guardian has attended its demonstrations and witnessed racism, violence and virulent Islamophobia.
During the election campaign David Cameron described the EDL as "dreadful people" and said the organisation would "always be under review".
A spokesman for the Home Office said that although the government was committed to restoring the right to "non-violent protest … violence and intimidation are wholly unacceptable and the police have powers to deal with individuals who commit such acts. The government condemns those who seek to spread hatred."
He added: "Individual members of EDL – like all members of the public – are of course subject to the law, and all suspected criminal offences will be robustly investigated and dealt with by the police."
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I wish CriticalThought wasn't banned so he could defend these guys.
fret not, there are plenty of other british facepunchers who will jump on the opportunity to make dumb "they're invading" comments about muslim immigrants
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sh6xp/b00sh6xm/Young_British_and_Angry/[/url]
Anyone who supports the EDL watch this. Shows them for what they really are- a ragtag bunch of football hooligans, national front members and chavs who want a fight.
[QUOTE=Sigma-Lambda;22240247]fret not, there are plenty of other british facepunchers who will jump on the opportunity to make dumb "they're invading" comments about muslim immigrants[/QUOTE]
no....no we wont
any ways
the edf are just thugs, i watched a massive hour and so show about the edf and what there about and all i got from it is they are trying to hide there racism but it doesnt matter any ways not like theres any thing we can do to stop there right to protest
[editline]09:26PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=A.C.I.D;22240363][url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sh6xp/b00sh6xm/Young_British_and_Angry/[/url]
Anyone who supports the EDL watch this. Shows them for what they really are- a ragtag bunch of football hooligans, national front members and chavs who want a fight.[/QUOTE]
and this was the show i was talking about thanks acid :D
[QUOTE=IAmIchigo;22240376]no....no we wont
any ways
the edf are just thugs, i watched a massive hour and so show about the edf and what there about and all i got from it is they are trying to hide there racism but it doesnt matter any ways not like theres any thing we can do to stop there right to protest
[editline]09:26PM[/editline]
and this was the show i was talking about thanks acid :D[/QUOTE]
The EDF are scum, they oppress miners on Mars.
Oh yay EDL wankers, I want to see the cops kick their heads in, it's not like they'll lose any brain cells.
[QUOTE=WeekendWarrior;22240482]Oh yay EDL wankers, I want to see the cops kick their heads in, it's not like they'll lose any brain cells.[/QUOTE]
Well that's not nice now.
[editline]04:33PM[/editline]
The cops have feelings, if they kick someone's heads in they might get hurt.
They were protesting in my city centre earlier today. They got a load of hate from passers by which doesn't suprise me at all.
From what I read of this group, they seem exactly like the British Union of Fascists from the 1930s.
This is a tactic that most hate groups use. They want to find as many ways as they can to inflame their target group into attacking them, hope for news cameras to be there, and let that image be broadcasted. They know there is distrust between the target group and the population at large, and this is how the exploit it.
Eghh I remember when the EDL cunts came to Nottingham. They're massive massive cunts.
Anyone who supports them are cunts via proxy.
[QUOTE=A.C.I.D;22240363][URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sh6xp/b00sh6xm/Young_British_and_Angry/[/URL]
Anyone who supports the EDL watch this. Shows them for what they really are- a ragtag bunch of football hooligans, national front members and chavs who want a fight.[/QUOTE]
Nothing wrong with hooligans, nazies and chavs however... Hmmm... Why don't they fight eachother? :v:
They do, when they don't have anyone else.
There was some Combat 18 and EDL scrap a year ago that left some people in hospital.
[QUOTE=archangel125;22240432]The EDF are scum, they oppress miners on Mars.[/QUOTE]
At least they're not Ultor.
[QUOTE=radioactive;22266832]At least they're not Ultor.[/QUOTE]
They're the same as Ultor, what are you talking about?
I live in Bradford. Brb, getting riot gear.
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