EDL Holds Far-right Rally in Denmark to Unite 'Anti-Islamic Alliance'

THE GUARDIAN: Mayor of Aarhus says far-right extremists protesting at 'Islamification of Europe' are not welcome in Danish second city

Far-right groups from across Europe, including members of the English Defence League (EDL), are holding a rally in Denmark in a bid to set up "an anti-Islamic alliance" across the continent.

The demonstration in Denmark's second city of Aarhus is expected to draw anti-Islamic groups from countries including Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.

The EDL, which has organised the rally, said it was not expecting large numbers – perhaps around 700 – but said the event signalled the beginning of a Europe-wide movement against the "Islamification of Europe". » | Damien Pearse and agencies | Saturday, March 31, 2012

BBC: EDL takes part in far-right European rally in Denmark: Far-right groups from across Europe are holding a rally in Denmark aimed at setting up what they term an anti-Islamic alliance across the continent. » | Saturday, March 31, 2012

Home Secretary Bans English Defence League March in Bradford
THE TELEGRAPH: Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has authorised a blanket ban on marches in a city on the day of a planned protest by the English Defence League (EDL), an [sic] right-wing campaign group.

The EDL had intended to demonstrate in Bradford on Saturday August 28 and Unite Against Fascism has planned a protest in the city on the same day.

A Home Office spokesman said: ''Having carefully balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected, the Home Secretary today gave her consent to a Bradford Council order banning any marches in the city over the bank holiday weekend. >>> | Friday, August 20, 2010

EDL Bradford March: 'All It Will Need Is One Spark'
THE GUARDIAN: The English Defence League proposes to march though Bradford at the end of the month. Matthew Taylor speaks to local politicans and activists about what the consequences could be for a city that has already seen more than its fair share of racial tension and unrest

Watch Guardian video here | Matthew Taylor and Elliot Smith | Friday, August 06, 2010

English Defence League: Inside the Violent World of Britain's New Far Right
THE GUARDIAN: Undercover Guardian investigation reveals plan by English Defence League to hit racially sensitive areas in attempt to provoke disorder over summer

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." >>> Matthew Taylor | Friday, May 28, 2010

Watch* Guardian video: The English Defence League uncovered: Formed less than a year ago, the English Defence League has become the most significant far-right street movement since the National Front. The Guardian spent four months undercover with the movement, and found them growing in strength and planning to target some of the UK's biggest Muslim communities >>>

*Warning: video contains very strong language. Viewer discretion is STRONGLY advised.

THE GUARDIAN: Muslims must refuse to rise to EDL provocation: By ignoring planned EDL demonstrations and looking toward dialogue to dispel myths, Muslims can facilitate cohesion >>> Samia Rahman | Saturday, May 29, 2010

Violent Clashes at EDL Demonstration in Dudley


English Defence League: Dudley Clashes At Right-Wing Demo
Watch video here

Violent Clashes At Mosque Protest
THE TELEGRAPH: Violent clashes have broken out between riot police and members of the English Defence League protesting against a planned mosque in Dudley, West Midlands.

Police officers control protestors of the English Defence League (EDL) on their demonstration through the streets of Dudley, protesting against plans to build a new mosque in the town. Photograph: The Telegraph
About 2,000 members of the EDL descended on Dudley town centre on Saturday afternoon.

Some of the protesters broke out of a pen in a car park, breaking down metal fences and throwing the metal brackets at officers, who were armed with riot shields and batons.

Members of the demonstration started fighting their own stewards who were trying to calm them down as they attacked the fences penning them in.

The EDL had put signs up which read ''Labour forcing mosques on Britain'' and ''No one wants this mosque''.

Some demonstrators held placards reading ''Muslim bombers off our streets'' and ''Say no to the mosque''.

The national anthem was played on a speaker system while demonstrators waved the flag of St George. >>> Alastair Jamieson | Saturday, April 03, 2010

English Defence League and Anti-fascist Protesters Clash in Bolton
THE TELEGRAPH: Dozens of people were arrested and several injured after violent clashes between anti-Muslim militants and anti-fascist protesters and police during a demonstration in Bolton.

The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.

A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups.

The controversial Right-wing group The English Defence League (EDL) organised the rally.

A counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) was held, and hundreds of police officers are battled to keep control of the rival groups. >>> | Saturday, March 20, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Dozens arrested as anti-Muslim English Defence League protestors battle rivals: Riot police battled to control thousands of rival demonstrators taking part in an ill-tempered city centre protest organised by a controversial right-wing group. >>> Simon Alford | Saturday, March 20, 2010

A Pakistani Member of the English Defence League Speaks Out
JIHAD WATCH: The English Defence League (EDL), a group standing up against the spread of Sharia and Islamic supremacism in England, is often stigmatized as racist and fascist -- but here again this common tactic of the Left is without substance. Sajid Khan, a Pakistani member of the EDL, kindly sent me this message:

I am an ex-Muslim and a proud EDL member. I have been to many of their demos, including London. The information about the EDL in the mainstream media has been quite biased and just stupid. For instance, they say that the EDL is "right wing" and "racist". This is wrong, as I am a liberal who supports equal rights for different races, colours, sexualities and religions. This is primarily why I support the EDL.

As an ex-Muslim, who still has to hide this fact from many (if not all) my fellow Muslims including my family, I believe that your average White English Christian pub-going non-halal meat-eating and pork-eating Infidel living in the West is the only liberal voice out there opposing the hordes of violence-supporting backward "right-wing" religious foreigners who come into the West and think that homoseuxals should be tortured and killed, and who think that women must gain their husband's or father's permission to go out for the most basic of things like seeing a doctor for treatment.

These people believe that women who show their faces are "whores" and are "asking for it," and that this justifies rape. They think that "offensive" cartoons drawn of a supposed "prophet" of a certain religion (I'll let you guess that one) should be condemned by all, and that the freedom to draw such cartoons should not be available. These are the same people of the same religion who will not condemn with the same tenacity the heartless and cruel practice of the "honor killing" of women and girls.

>>> Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch | Friday, March 12, 2010

Poppycock from The Times in the Best Neville Chamberlain Tradition! Blond bombshell Geert Wilders Returns to Britain, Looking for a Fight
Geert Wilders. Photo: Times Online
My oh my, Geert Wilders really does seem to have got you rattled, Mr Macintyre.

But let’s get some facts straight. Geert Wilders is not “far-right” just because he states truths that you, Mr Macintyre, don’t want to hear. This is clearly a case of shooting the messenger, and one of trying to shoot him down with ad hominem attacks. Geert Wilders is merely pointing out the dangers of the growth of Islam in his country. The Channel 4 documentary, Dispatches, entitled 'Britain's Islamic Republic', testifies to the validity of what Mr Wilders says.

In a free society, we should be allowed to hear and say things which may not be popular. It’s called ‘free speech’, remember? It’s what our ancestors died for.

So if Muslims don’t want to hear what Mr Wilders has to say, then it’s just too bad. We so-called infidels don’t want to hear half the nonsense and abuse that Muslims come out with either, but nobody has the courage to shut them up. By the way, Mr Macintyre, it’s Muslims who are trying to kill us, not the other way round. Your logic seems to be warped and twisted. – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: Boyish, topped with a bouffant mane of bleached blond hair, cheerful and cherubic, Geert Wilders is the unlikely new face of the far Right in Europe. But appearances are deceptive. The leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party has emerged as one of the most divisive politicians in Europe, the purveyor of a virulent brand of anti-Islamic rhetoric that calls for a tax on Islamic headscarves and a ban on the Koran, which he likens to Mein Kampf.

Mr Wilders is facing trial in a Dutch court for “inciting hatred”. Last year he was banned from Britain and turned away at Heathrow when he arrived here planning to show his short film, an incendiary anti-Islamic diatribe that the Dutch Prime Minister described as serving “no purpose other than to offend”.

On Friday, after successfully appealing against the Home Office ban, Mr Wilders will return to Britain at the invitation of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to show his controversial film to an invited audience at the House of Lords. The English Defence League is expected to demonstrate in his support and Muslim groups are all but certain to mount protests.

To his enemies, the 46-year-old Dutchman is an old-fashioned racist demagogue in a new suit; a bottle-blond bigot. To his growing ranks of supporters he is a champion of free speech, a bulwark against what he calls “the Islamic invasion of Holland”. He may be dismissed by some as a crank but he is an increasingly powerful and popular one. On February 20 the Dutch centrist coalition Government collapsed, deeply divided over keeping troops in Afghanistan, paving the way for a general election in June in which the Freedom Party is expected to do extremely well. Polls suggest that the party will triple its tally of seats, becoming at least the second-biggest parliamentary party and quite possibly the overall winner. Mr Wilders is likely to be a key player in any coalition, with a profound impact on the political agenda. >>> Ben Macintyre | Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Arrests as Rival Race Demonstrations Clash
TIMES ONLINE: Police have arrested 34 people amid tense scenes at an anti-Islamic demonstration in central Manchester.

The English Defence League (EDL), which opposes "radical Muslims" and Sharia Law, staged the protest, but the anti-far right group Unite Against Fascism (UAF) arranged a counter demonstration bringing both sides together in the city centre . >>> Simon Alford | Saturday, October 10, 2009

Race Riot Flared after Muslims Were Urged to Confront Right-wing Protests
TIMES ONLINE: Birmingham’s top Muslim leader urged his followers to “vent their feelings” against anti-Islamic protesters during a weekend rally that ended in violence and dozens of arrests, The Times can reveal.

Muslims were encouraged by the Birmingham Central Mosque to counter-demonstrate during Saturday’s protest in the city, which was organised by the right-wing English Defence League (EDL). It is understood that Muslims were encouraged to confront the protest against the advice given by the West Midlands Police to community leaders to stop their followers from attending.

Mohammad Naseem, Birmingham Central Mosque’s chairman, considered to be the most senior community leader in the West Midlands region, told The Times yesterday that he encouraged members of his congregation to attend the rally, at which about 80 people were arrested, to express the Islamic community’s solidarity.

Dr Naseem’s advice came less than a month after Muslims of predominantly Asian heritage clashed with the EDL in Birmingham at another antiIslamic rally that led to 35 arrests.

He said the presence of Muslims at the weekend protest was an important stand against anti-Islamic fascists. “I think it shows that the community has got a sense of cohesion,” he added.

The police used their batons to subdue the violent crowd of more than 200 people, predominantly aged between 16 and 36, who threw bottles at each other and exchanged punches.

They could not stop the clash between the two groups despite initially containing them to two separate locations in the city. It is believed that half of those arrested were counter-protesters.

The Times understands that the West Midlands police received assurances from Muslim leaders during numerous meetings in the past two weeks that their community members would be discouraged from attending the protest, which the EDL had announced at the August 8 demonstration in Birmingham.

“The police had a lot of engagement with mosques, youth workers and social workers, and a lot of work went on to encourage people to stay away and not attend,” police sources said. “But it is obviously difficult to stop kids going and their presence alone would be deemed provocative.”

Asked if it would have been a better idea to encourage Muslims not to attend the rally at all, Dr Naseem said: “The thing is, that is their right, I cannot say, ‘You don’t have this right’.” >>> Richard Kerbaj | Monday, September 07, 2009

Far-right Group, the English Defence League, in Disarray after Birmingham Fracas
TIMES ONLINE: A rightwing group, which has promised a summer of demonstrations against British Muslims, was in disarray today after its first significant protest ended in violence and 35 arrests.

The English Defence League staged a march near the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham this weekend but its small band of supporters was drastically outnumbered by anti-fascist campaigners and riot police. The protest ended in violent skirmishes and running battles through the city’s busy shopping streets on Saturday evening.

Members of the League resorted to bitter in-fighting today as supporters labelled the organisers “ridiculous” and the event a “shambles”.

At least three people were injured as hundreds of police, some in full riot gear, broke up fights between anti-Islamic protesters and anti-fascist groups who came to disrupt the demonstration. At one point officers were forced to seal off New Street with a steel barrier.

Emily Bridgewater, who was shopping when violence broke out, told the Birmingham Post: “It kicked off very suddenly and there was stampeding and screaming.

“We ended up being herded into Primark, where they brought the shutters down to protect us. It was very frightening.” >>> Nico Hines and Costas Pitas | Monday, August 10, 2009