EDL watch

[john x]

What think all of the above claims?

10 to 1? If they are just talking about placard-waving anti-fash then they are having a laugh. It was pretty much 1 to 1 probably with a few more antis than EDL. If they are counting the indigenous population of Tower Hamlets among the anti racists, it would be about 80,000 to 1. Either way their figures are way out. There was also a lot more than 600 EDL there, maybe even double that number. I doubt the opposition had split the hardcore from the soft hangers on. The recent poor turnouts and internal disputes within the EDL did more to decimate attendance figures than any organised opposition on the day.

And the police did everything they could to keep the EDL out of Tower Hamlets. With the shit the Met got after the recent riots there was no way they wanted a major ruck on their manor. If you listen carefully to some of the iPhone footage on the internet, you can hear riot cops talking about the EDL members they are trying to control. They regard them as scum every bit as much as the anti fash do!

So as a factual report of events, 4 out of 10. As propaganda I'd say about 7 out of 10

Who cares anyway. That paper is about as truthful as the Daily Mail. Sell the paper. Build the party!

What would have happened if the police had escorted their march or allowed them to march unescorted thru Tower Hamlets?

They would have been absolutely battered off the streets and the UAF wouldn't have got a look in. Again, looking at and listening to the iPhone footage, the local kids were well up for it and they outnumbered the EDL by a seriously large margin!

john x

 

[Pickman's model]

there were about 6-700 on the demo, there were about 300 split up in small groups.

 

[Ranbay]

some ace footage here

http://jasonnparkinson.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edl-tower-hamlets/

 

[Fingers]

The plymouth twats have been in court today.

Ipad Wells and Watterson have been sent to Crown as their charges are that serious

Raferty and the non discript bloke are being dealth with by magistrates

 

[john x]

some ace footage here

http://jasonnparkinson.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edl-tower-hamlets/

Just in case anyone was in any doubt that these people are anything more than a bunch of boozed up racist hooligans!

john x

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

some ace footage here

http://jasonnparkinson.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edl-tower-hamlets/

bunch of pussy hole, as i believe the yout call them these days

 

[butchersapron]

bunch of pussy hole, as i believe the yout call them these days

How many did we take to west ham?

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

How many did we take to west ham?

two and a half?

 

[butchersapron]

Into the heart of the beast and the edl managed?

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

bout a thousand strong max, and 40 of them poo'd themselves on that bus

 

[Pickman's model]

bout a thousand strong max, and 40 of them poo'd themselves on that bus

it's surprising that there don't seem to have been hundreds on the bus given what happened last time there was an edl bus incident.

 

[Luther Blissett]

Video rush of the English Defence League (EDL) protest in Tower Hamlets, East London. The original march was banned after Home Secretary Theresa May ordered all protest marches be banned across five London boroughs for 30 days following the London riots. Sixty people in all were arrested, including EDL leader Stephen Yaxley Lennon (Tommy Robinson), who breached bail conditions to attend the prote

http://jasonnparkinson.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edl-tower-hamlets/

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

quite. until they get a bloody nose they'll keep doing this. and they won't get a hiding until people stop banning the marches. if they'd been able to (try to) take their route past the mosque on the weekend, there wouldn't be an edl (at least not in its current form) in six months.

That's an understandable projection, but the other side of the coin is that if / when they get a hiding it could stoke up things more, including their narrative about "violent islam"

One separate but related observation: The endless wibble of some right-leaning dupes (and full on hard rightists) that "moderate muslims" don't speak out enough: Apart from the fact that speaking out isn't necessarily what "moderates" do (the clue is in the word), it has to be said that it is precisely because so many UK muslims seem to be moderately inclined that the EDL haven't been repeatedly pummelled.

Given the highly volatile public order risk that Saturday's projected march presented I am not over suprised or alarmed that it was banned. I was suprised and alarmed at the way it was used as an excuse to blag all marches for a while.

It is starting to look to me like there is no embarrassment or fuckup that will finish the EDL entirely. They have the strong denialism of the fanatic and / or the memory of goldfish.

The Blackburn debacle really should have been the end for them, or the links to Breveik, but no - the true faithful soldier on regardless.

You talk of changing from the "current form" form, I think that is in process. The days when they were new and exiting are behind them. The splits and ballsups have harmed them, as did the hacking of the FB group. There used to be a naive POV among some that they "had a point", or an ignorance about their true nature. But that was starting to go down the drain even before the Norway massacre.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

And just in case anyone cares:

We at ZHC are announcing our decision to step away from the UK anti-fascist movement on Facebook. We have accomplished what we hoped to achieve; taking down the EDL's main page, and we enjoy now seeing them in tatters.
However, we will leave the EDL alone from now on, and allow the screencappers to do all the work.

We have made this decision because of the constant misrepresentation of ourselves and our friends and supporters by anti-fascists, such as Def Homosapien and his associates, who criticise us without ever offering proof, nor acknowledge the many achievements of our movement as a whole, and who dare not leave us with the right to reply for which we ask and are entitled.

We understand and respect that many people do not agree with our methods, but we are very grateful to those who were able to see the bigger picture despite this.

We would like to give love and heartfelt thanks to our many loyal members and supporters....

 

[john x]

some ace footage here

http://jasonnparkinson.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edl-tower-hamlets/

Interesting threat from 'Sir' Tommy here:

"....the Islamic community will feel the full force of the English Defence League if we see any of our citizens killed, maimed or hurt on British soil ever again."

Not sure how this would stand with the Race and Religious Hatred act 2006?

john x

 

[Luther Blissett]

The EDL in East London: bit.ly/nWhpqT

Excerpt:

In Tower Hamlets
I wasn’t in Tower Hamlets on Saturday, when the English Defence League attempted at “static” demonstration there, but I’ve now managed to read through a fair amount of commentary and reportage. It seems it was a victory for everyone. For the EDL, they mobilised something from 600 to 1000 people, got a lot of media attention, drank a lot and had a generally fun day – although they failed to actually get to Tower Hamlets. For the “anti-fascists”, endlessly re-living the Battle of Cable Street, they considerably outnumbered the EDL and managed to keep the bigots out of the borough – except it was the police and not them who managed that. For the police, there was relatively little disorder and mayhem, and Theresa May’s ban on a march managed to get enforced – although it took 3000 pairs of boots on the ground and undoubtedly a huge bill to pay.

 

[Luther Blissett]

Interesting threat from 'Sir' Tommy here:

"....the Islamic community will feel the full force of the English Defence League if we see any of our citizens killed, maimed or hurt on British soil ever again."

Already happened in the aftermath of 2005 bombings. Countless mosques attacked. Taxi drivers attacked, some murdered. People beaten up on street for being a bit Muslim looking. Abhorrent meting out of vigilante injustice against British Muslims who would have been against the bombers' acts as much as any other Brit of any creed or politik. Many of those vigilante acts of violence against those perceived to be Muslim and visible targets such as businesses and places of worship didn't make it into the msm or local press. Sikhs and Hindus also experienced increased racial aggravation towards individuals and communities afaiaa.

A similar violent vigilantism against anyone a bit arab looking occurred in the USA in the aftermath of 9/11, against Muslims, Jews , Christians, Sikhs, Hindus etc.

 

[Pickman's model]

Many vigilante acts of violence against Muslims didn't make it into the msm or local press.

what proof do you have of this then?

and as for it being a general meting out, this suggests everyone was at it which is of course very far from the truth.

e2a: oh - for the record it's not polite to edit your post after it's been replied to.

 

[john x]

Already happened in the aftermath of 2005 bombings.

The Race and Religious Hatred Act 2006 didn't exist in 2005!

john x

 

[malatesta32]

latest on EDL, Tommy in jail and the latest 'pedo' scandal! read all abaht it!
http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/

 

[Luther Blissett]

latest on EDL, Tommy in jail and the latest 'pedo' scandal! read all abaht it!

LOL

So he turned up dressed as a rabbit or something and after some grandstanding on his ever diminishing platform he was lifted and is now remanded at Her Maj’s Pleasure. His ‘martyrdom’ was a self-written prophecy and the choice was bleak: either not turn up and lose face or show up and get nicked.Rumour has it he’s on the nonce wing so he won’t be able to explain the finer points of the EDL’s ideology to any Muslim prisoners who happen to be inside with him. If he is on the nonce wing then we hope he will just sit there and think about what he has done! Tommy will not beacquainting himself with the EDL’s royal couple Stella and Charlie for a while so will have to make do with lousy food and the occasional bad tempered visit from his wife to whom he has just got hitched. In sickness and in health eh, Tommy? Tommy has said he is going on hunger strike and other incarcerated EDLers are going to join him. And there are plenty of those including the eejit who just got 5 months for smacking a plod.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

One separate but related observation: The endless wibble of some right-leaning dupes (and full on hard rightists) that "moderate muslims" don't speak out enough: Apart from the fact that speaking out isn't necessarily what "moderates" do (the clue is in the word), it has to be said that it is precisely because so many UK muslims seem to be moderately inclined that the EDL haven't been repeatedly pummelled.

I was thinking about moderates this morning because an old school mate of mine was on the radio talking about his Islamic Centre (in Luton, significantly) being firebombed in 2009. We used to walk to school together talking about politics, and when I moved to London he showed up at a few anti-racist things I was at, like defending the picket of the South African embassy from the NF.

When we were teenagers it seemed to me that his politics was on equal footing with his religion (albeit with an emphasis on anti-apartheid, palestine, anti-racist stuff). I guess he's become more religious as he got older, but a quick google seems to show that he is basically moderate and sensible. The firebombing aside, that doesn't make for good headlines or outraged facebook threads... he must be having to deal with a whole bunch of shit in Luton (from all sides) and I really feel for the bloke.

 

[Ranbay]

Was he on Radio 4?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Indeed he was.

 

[Luther Blissett]

Many vigilante acts of violence against Muslims didn't make it into the msm or local press.

what proof do you have of this then?

and as for it being a general meting out, this suggests everyone was at it which is of course very far from the truth.

e2a: oh - for the record it's not polite to edit your post after it's been replied to.

Many of those vigilante acts of violence against those perceived to be Muslim and visible targets such as businesses and places of worship didn't make it into the msm or local press.

 

[john x]

Many of those vigilante acts of violence against those perceived to be Muslim and visible targets such as businesses and places of worship didn't make it into the msm or local press.

How sure are you of that?

Mainstream media perhaps not, but someone going to court for an out of date tax disc usually makes it into the local press!

I was in america shortly after the attack on the twin towers and Pentagon and there was definitely coverage of a handful of stories of idiots driving their 4x4s into the front doors of mosques and convenience stores whose owners 'looked a bit muslim'.

john x

 

[Ranbay]

Indeed he was.

I missed it, will grab it off iplayer later.

 

[Luther Blissett]

How sure are you of that?

Mainstream media perhaps not, but someone going to court for an out of date tax disc usually makes it into the local press!

I was in america shortly after the attack on the twin towers and Pentagon and there was definitely coverage of a handful of stories of idiots driving their 4x4s into the front doors of mosques and convenience stores whose owners 'looked a bit muslim'.

john x

I'm very sure that after 2005 bombings, many vigilante acts of violence against people who were a bit Muslim looking didn't make it into the msm or local press.

 

[Pickman's model]

Many of those vigilante acts of violence against those perceived to be Muslim and visible targets such as businesses and places of worship didn't make it into the msm or local press.

no, what proof do you have of them then? not please post up a load of nonsense.

 

[past caring]

Many of those vigilante acts of violence against those perceived to be Muslim and visible targets such as businesses and places of worship didn't make it into the msm or local press.

But nevertheless you were aware of these incidents? How?