EDL Bristol Demo 14 July 2012: Live Coverage

Today’s EDL demo in Bristol has generated a great deal of advance publicity, almost all of it negative given the wide variety of the protest movement’s opponents, and the backing that the latter receive from the mass media, owing to NUJ diktat that makes it obligatory for journalists to report the EDL in a negative light. Whereas the EDL declares itself to oppose Islamist terror, Islamism and Islamisation, its detractors assert that these declared aims are based upon a paranoiac mindset lacking a solid basis in contemporary reality, and are little more than a pretext for giving vent to a form of crude ‘racism’. Recent events however, should help the reader to disentangle claim from counterclaim, and to identify which of the perspectives is more rooted in reality.

This week, two members of the EDL involved in the planning of the Bristol demo have been issued with Osman warnings by Avon and Somerset Police, which means that intelligence has been received relating to credible death threats against them, but the police do not have sufficient evidence to arrest the suspect(s). The background of those who have issued the threats is unclear, but taking into account the violent language and imagery employed by some of the EDL’s Trotskyist and anarchist (the self-styled ‘anti-fascist’) opponents, they rather than Islamists could well be the source. Besides these threats, there have been the recent arrests of six Muslim suspects relating to the alleged Dewsbury Bomb Plot, the object of which was said to be the EDL’s last demonstration in that town on Saturday 30 June. Clearly therefore, for all the mass media’s talk of the EDL being ‘hatemongers’ and violent yobs, these death threats and this intercepted bomb plot highlight a rather different reality, and underscore the validity of the EDL’s stance.

Avon and Somerset Police have taken the rational decision of ensuring that the counter-protest mounted by Trotskyist front group 'We are Bristol' will now be held in a different location and at a different time to the EDL demo, presumably having taken into account the experience of previous such protests when the violent intent and proclivities of many of the counter-demonstrators led to attacks upon the police as well as upon the EDL. 'We are Bristol' will now have to assemble in Castle Park instead. Unsurprisingly, now that the police have wisely removed their opportunity to seek violent confrontation, 'We are Bristol' yesterday released a disgruntled press statement voicing their dissatisfaction with this decision.

It is noteworthy that a statement was yesterday issued by Zaheer Shabir on behalf of Bristol's 'Muslim community' in which he made it clear that despite their dislike of the EDL they did not support the call for a ban on the EDL march and wished to have no involvement with the coounter-protest. Interestingly, he also reveals that he and others had met with both the EDL and UAF/We are Bristol, and that whereas contact with the EDL had opened up "a pathway for further dialogue", the meeting with the latter was not judged to be so constructive:

We . . . [requested] them not to confuse and entice Muslim youth to join their counter protest. They have not proactively engaged with the Muslim community leadership so we are not assured on any matters whatsoever.

At the last couple of EDL demos there has been a notable absence of Muslim counter-protesters, and the number of self-styled 'anti-fascists' has been small. Clearly, Muslims in general have awoken to the fact that the Trotskyist Left has been attempting to manipulate them for their own 'revolutionary' political ends, and have decided that they are no longer going to be duped.

The question that many will be asking today, is what impact will these recent revelations have upon turnout at the EDL’s Bristol demo? Will they serve to galvanise its supporters and increase their numbers, or to deter people from attending? The answer will become apparent as the day progresses, and will unfold below as news becomes available, drawn from a variety of sources including both pro- and anti-EDL sites and comments, as well as official releases by the Avon and Somerset Police. Please return for ‘live’ updates throughout the day. It is likely that the first available video footage will be posted by early evening. 

Updates
Despite the police moving the counter-demonstration to Castle Park, according to a tweet it appears that at least some within the anarchist contingent of 'We are Bristol' are intent upon meeting at 'The Fountains' in Bristol City Centre at 11.00am. 

As the EDL demo is not due to start until 1.00pm and the opposition officially-sanctioned protest started at 11.00am, it is not yet (as of 12.07) clear as to the likely turnout for the EDL. According to some of their opponents, the estimates of the total number of counter-protesters varies wildly, being 30, 150 or 300 according to your taste. As with all demos, it is safe to discount the highest figure given that it is not from a neutral source.

This is Bristol reports that circa 250 counter-demonstrators had gathered in the centre of Bristol, and that a number of them appeared to be heading off to Redcliffe Bridge in an effort to block the EDL march.One tweet reports that Martin Smith of UAF has been arrested.The counter-protesters are claiming some rather high figures for their demo - up to 2,000 people - whilst asserting that the EDL turnout has been very low. As yet, there are no neutral or sympathetic sources providing estimates of the number of EDL supporters, with one hostile tweet claiming that there were 150. From the first of the pictures below, EDL numbers are not currently looking healthy. As of 12:56, one tweet stated that the EDL were claiming that 500 supporters had turned up, whereas in the opinion of the tweeter, the figure was closer to 300. This is Bristol opts for a figure of 500, BBC Points West for 250. If this does prove to be the case, the size of the demo appears to be very much in line with that witnessed in Dewsbury a fortnight ago. Posters welcoming the EDL to Bristol are said to have been seen going up in the city centre.

By 3.30 the protesters were boarding their coaches to head home. However, at 3.35 Emily Koch of This is Bristol posted a tweet stating that rival protesters were not only yelling abuse at each other, but also throwing rocks. A very ugly scene indeed. Riot police had been deployed in Redcliffe by 3.48. A tweet posted at 4.03 claimed that UAF protesters had blocked routes in Bristol in an attempt to stop EDL coaches from leaving the city. It seems that some 'antifa' protesters have clashed with police, upturned wheelie bins and set light to rubbish in the road. More on the unrest can be accessed here.  

Avon and Somerset Police issued a statement in which they expressed satisfaction that the majority of demonstrators "were well behaved, in good spirits and caused no problems to the local community." According to their estimates, the EDL attracted some 300 protesters, whereas the counter-protest numbered approximately 500.


A video of the EDL march can be seen here.

EDL Protesters gather in a dank car park near St Mary Redcliffe

SWP-directed counter-demonstration: 2,000 people?

The Three Disgraces: Shoot, Bomb and Hack

There is something deeply perplexing about the mentality of a certain type of Muslim; the literalist, doctrinaire, thin-skinned hair-trigger sensibility type. The type that will repeatedly insist that Islam is 'the religion of peace' and emphasise the 'compassion' of their prophet Mohammed, whilst sending themselves into paroxyms of rage whenever their beliefs or prophet are challenged or criticised, threatening to unleash violence against any insolent naysayer who should dare to slight their eggshell sense of ego in this way. Three of this type would seem to have appeared in court today: Birmingham residents Jewel Uddin, Omar Mohammed Khan and Mohammed Hasseen.

How odd it is that these three men seemingly thought that they would demonstrate how misuided the EDL is about the 'peaceful' nature of their religion through planning to unleash carnage. In what way did they think that exploding a pipebomb packed with ball bearings and nails, using sawn off shotguns, swords, machetes and knives, would win the hearts and minds of those whom they claim misrepresent them and their religion as violent? Although it comes as a relief that these apparently rabidly anti-English criminals were unable to enact their bloody plan, it was sadly predictable that the BBC chose to append the stigmatising term 'far-right' to the EDL in its radio reporting of the case. Why? Is it not time that the BBC issued some kind of apology to the public for its deliberate masking of the threat from doctrinaire Muslim fanatics in this country, and for its simultaneous and systematic demonisation of all - such as the EDL - who draw attention to this ugly reality? If the EDL ever required a concrete demonstration of the need for their movement to exist, then these three men have provided it. What impact might this alleged plot have upon turnout at the Bristol EDL demonstration on Saturday 14 July? Will it encourage more people to come onto the streets in support of the EDL, or will it deter them?

For more on the Dewsbury Bomb Plot, see here.

Dewsbury Bomb Plot?

Normally, the fact that a significant swathe of the resident Pakistani population evades car insurance rankles with me, given that this results in the rest of us having to pay higher premiums. However, today this selfish and anti-social practice has proven to be a blessing in disguise, for according to articles in today’s editions of the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror, a chance traffic check that led to a car being impounded because the driver was not insured, could have saved Dewsbury, or possibly somewhere else, from an Islamist terror attack.

The car was stopped and impounded as it was heading southbound on the M1 between Junctions 34 and 33 last Saturday near Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre. The driver and his passenger were released, and the incriminating contents of the car are not said to have been discovered until last Monday, when someone in the pound raised the alarm regarding something suspicious in the car. Without this alarm, the improvised explosive device (IED), two firearms, ammunition and anti-British leaflets would not have been discovered. The leaflets, claims the Mirror, made specific negative references to ‘the EDL, David Cameron and the Queen.’

It was this discovery that precipitated this week’s second national police swoop to arrest Islamist militants, with three men from Sparkhill in Birmingham being seized on Tuesday, and three others from Moseley, Alum Rock and Sandwell on Wednesday. A seventh man, from Dewsbury, was arrested on Thursday. With such a gap between the seizure of the car and the arrests, the Telegraph notes that this meant that:

the suspects were at large for three days after the police had seized the vehicle, which could have allowed time to destroy or hide other weapons or incriminating evidence.

Evidently, the suspects and their accomplices will have done their best to cover their tracks during the intervening period, which could unfortunately hinder the prosecution of all involved, and potentially mask the identities of other individuals linked to the plot.

A 'notorious far-right group' and a 'wonderful family' man: a view from a distorting mirror
It is striking that the Daily Mirror chose to open its story on this foiled plot with a sentence that sought to blacken the name of the bombers’ potential target rather than the bombers themselves:

One theory is the occupants were planning to bomb a march by the notorious far-right group taking place just hours later.

Later in the article the EDL is described as ‘the notorious anti-Islamic group’. Note how this stigmatising linguistic usage contrasts to the Mirror’s attempt to normalise and humanise the Dewsbury terror suspect, whom it described as a:

dad-of-three [who had] set up a boxing club in 2009 to get youngsters off the streets. One neighbour said: “They are a wonderful family and this must be one huge mistake.”

How very interesting to see another member of this ethno-confessional ‘community’ not condemning the fact that this man was plotting terroristic violence, and instead describing his actions as “one huge mistake”. Why did the interviewee regard it as a “huge mistake”? Because he had been caught, rather than being able to see through whatever act of mass murder and maiming he was planning?

In the Telegraph the reader encounters yet more apologia for one of the terror suspects arrested in Sparkhill: 

We’ve grown up with them. They’re all lovely. They’re fine. They had a bit of a family issue with the mum and the dad separating, but there’s never been any problem with them as neighbours. They’ve never given any impression of being radicalised. They’re British Pakistanis. We’ve known them since they were babies and they’ve always seemed pretty westernised.

The Dewsbury terror suspect was part of a “wonderful family” and his alleged Sparkhill accomplice was “lovely” and “fine”. Such descriptions could seem to express a deep-rooted unwillingness on the part of Pakistani British residents to condemn Islamism and Islamist-related violence, which may ultimately rest upon the fact that they share and approve of the goals of violent Islamists: the Islamisation of Britain. Although not perhaps willing to use violence to achieve this themselves, are they particularly bothered when others do so in their name? The evidence would seem to suggest not. 

Bomb, Assassination or 'Mumbai-style attack'?
According to the Telegraph, a number of the suspects were already known to MI5, and the seizure of materials ‘raised the suspicion that a group were planning an assassination attempt or a Mumbai-style shooting atrocity that day or imminently.’ Dewsbury of course lies to the north of Sheffield, so it is odd that the men were stopped as they were travelling south on the day of the EDL march in Dewsbury if they were attempting to attack it. Perhaps they were on their way to pick up co-conspirators? Then again, their intended target may have been something else altogether.

Over at the Casuals United blog which supports the EDL and other ‘infidel’ groups across the UK, two of its contributors speculate that there is something fishy about this alleged plot. Both of the posts below take a conspiratorial stance, although each with a distinct slant:

7 07 2012

We are supposed to believe that police pulled over a car that had no insurance and they impounded it. We are supposed to believe that there were guns and a bomb in the car, but police let the men go and didn’t bother searching the car till the next day? We all know that this would never happen. Police stop you for something like that, they always search your car. If it does turn out to be true then it validates everything we[’]ve said about this country being full of dangerous scum who need to be deported in large numbers.

This story stinks and I reckon its been manufacture[d] to cause fear and put people off going to EDL demos. What do you think? If they ever did bomb a demo Britain would turn into Northern Ireland overnight and that is a fact.

NFSE

Suzy

7 07 2012

Someone[‘]s just pointed out that its funny that at the last two demos there have been no Muslims on the streets at all, no gangs of Jihadis and bad boys as there usually are, and they catch a car full of them supposedly on their way to plant a bomb at our demo. Prior warning via the Mosques? Makes you wonder.

Zoe

The strange death of Muslim 'anti-fascism'
It is true that the so-called ‘anti-fascist’ counter-demo in Dewsbury attracted startlingly low numbers of supporters despite heavy backing and publicity, and there was a notable absence of local Muslims amongst the small crowd that turned out. Hitherto, the SWP-dominated ‘Unite Against Fascism’ and its various Trotskyist-led front groups have found ‘anti-fascist’ mobilisation against the EDL useful from their perspective, drawing in hot-headed young Muslims as an aggressive shock-force, designed both to intimidate and to manufacture the perception in the national media that there exists a genuine ‘fascist threat’ in this country, which is just grist to their mill of Marxist revolutionary radicalisation. However, it seems that many Muslims have cottoned on to the opportunistic nature of the Trotskyist far-left and the fact that they have been used as a catspaw to further a Marxist agenda with which they fundamentally disagree. Moreover, highly politicised groups with a specifically Muslim identity have emerged that appear to have been attracting many younger Muslims who might previously have been siphoned off into the ranks of the SWP and other leftist organisations. Thus, the absence of Muslim ‘anti-fascist’ mobilisation at the last couple of EDL demos could be more indicative of both of these trends, than of any ‘warning’ from mosques to stay away because of potential violence.

Seven years ago today 58 people died in London in the 7/7 bombings and hundreds were maimed and mentally scarred. These latest arrests, together with the London arrests on Thursday, illustrate the ever-present threat of violent Islamism within our shores. We must remain vigilant and ensure that all forms of Islamism are rooted out of our country, and its proponents removed.  

7/7 Mass Murder Victims

EDL Dewsbury Demo Video Footage

The first of the videos illustrates the strength of the policing operation in Dewsbury today, whereas the second shows EDL member Tony Curtis delivering a speech outside of Dewsbury Town Hall, followed by Tracy Bird. The third shows protesters marching to their assembly point and provides a good impression of the numbers involved, which were modest and seemingly in keeping with the lower end of police estimates. For some seemingly inexplicable reason, a number of demonstrators attacked members of the police cordon. Such behaviour must be condemned, and thankfully does not appear to have led to any police casualties and only involved a minority of those in attendance. Information on the background to the demo and how it progressed can be accessed here.

 


 

EDL Dewsbury Demo 30 June 2012

Today the EDL will be holding a demo in Dewsbury, a town, which although of a modest size, seems to generate rather a lot of bad news, albeit news that is generally ignored by the national media. Two of its publicity-hungry residents – Sayeeda Warsi and Shahid Malik – are of course well-known to the public, and will certainly be unhappy about the EDL coming to town today. Given Dewsbury’s recent history (about which I shall be writing shortly in a separate piece), it comes as no surprise that it should have attracted the attention of the EDL which outlines the grounds for its decision to demonstrate in the following manner:

On June 30th The English Defence League will stage a peaceful protest in front of Dewsbury Town Hall.

We will be protesting about the problems that Dewsbury has with both militant Islam and with Muslim integration in general, as well as the continued failure of both local and national politicians to even acknowledge that there are these problems.

This is a fair statement, yet certain local MPs and opponents of free speech have called for the demo to be prohibited and the SWP has, as is its wont, formed a local front group in the town named ‘Dewsbury Unity’ to mount a counterdemonstration. Recently elected Respect MP George Galloway and Labour MP Mike Wood penned a joint letter to West Yorkshire Police Commissioner Sir Norman Bettison asking for the EDL to be banned from protesting in Dewsbury, but thankfully this request was not granted. The statement released by the SWP-directed ‘Dewsbury Unity’ is worth quoting to highlight the absurdities of their propaganda which is swallowed wholesale and regurgitated by the mainstream media:

The EDL is a racist group dedicated to attacking Asian people and Muslims. Islamophobia – bigotry against Muslims — is as unacceptable as any other form of racism. Its aim is to divide us by making scapegoats of one community, just as the Nazis did with the Jews in the 1930s.Today the EDL threaten Muslims. Tomorrow it could be Jewish people, Hindus, Sikhs, black people, lesbians and gay men, travellers or East Europeans. There is no place for Nazis, racists or the EDL in Dewsbury’s multiracial, multicultural and multi-faith community.

ITV's Calendar News proved to be dutifully 'on-message' in this respect, and in its report on the demo this morning gave a platform to Batley and Spen MP Mike Wood to state his opposition to the EDL whilst not allowing a right of reply to the EDL. The EDL were naturally described as 'far-right', whereas the undoubted far-left nature of the opposition controlled by the SWP was completely glossed over. As with the recent BBC coverage of the forthcoming EDL demo in Bristol, the cost of the policing operation in Dewsbury was emphasised, once again failing to note that one of the primary reasons for such heavy policing is the willingness of the EDL's opponents to unleash violence. In contrast to ITV, the BBC did not even bother to run a news item on the Dewsbury demo.

Readers will perhaps ‘appreciate’ the clip of Shahid Malik at the end of this article addressing a Muslim conference in which he states how he would like to see a Muslim Prime Minister (presumably himself) in the UK one day, as well as many other Muslims in leading positions in parliament. Updates relating to the progress of today’s demonstration will be posted below as news comes in. 

EDL March in Dewsbury: 30 June 2012

'Live' Updates:
The anti-EDL Hope not Hate blog noted in a post at 11:38 that Dewsbury seemed strangely quiet for a Saturday as EDL supporters began to arrive in the town. As of 12:25, the blog was claiming that the EDL had brought in about 200 demonstrators, rather than the 450 estimated by the West Yorkshire Police. The EDL Forum on the other hand was reporting a total of 1,000 EDL supporters. The actual figure is likely to lie between the two extremes, with what seems to be a relatively low turnout perhaps being partly attributable to the unappealing prospect of getting drenched in a thunderstorm. The EDL Forum asserted that only 30 UAF counter-protesters had turned out, although estimates from their opponents have not yet been forthcoming. If true, this would be a staggeringly low number considering the amount of resources, funding and media backing behind the anti-EDL effort. 

As of 13:17, it had been reported that the police had arrested one EDL protestor. Stephen Lennon/Tommy Robinson was said not to have been able to attend today's demonstration because of "domestic issues". Presumably, this is why the speeches came to an early close, with proceedings having been wrapped up by 14:05. The original finish time had been scheduled for 15:00.

Keen to make political capital out of the EDL's visit to Dewsbury, the Leader of Kirklees Council Mehboob Khan, currently under investigation according to The Huddersfield Daily Examiner for interfering with Freedom of Information requests from the public, has stated:

The cost of the EDL rally is the best part of £500,000 to the tax payer, outrageous and the EDL should be made to pay full cost. Thank you to decent local people for their unequivocal rejection of EDL propaganda. They are not welcome in Dewsbury.

Now, what may be the cost of Khan's alleged meddling with Freedom of Information requests to the democratic integrity and accountability of Kirklees Council? This is not the first time that Khan's integrity has been called into question, as in 2007 he ran up a bill of £2,000 for personal calls made to Uzbekistan using council phones. Somehow, on that occasion he managed to rough out the storm and go on to greater political success.

We never see council leaders asking for trades unions to cover the costs of policing demos, or indeed, holding the SWP front group UAF to account for necessitating such heavy policing at EDL protests. Quite clearly, Mehboob Khan has had a bad week politically, and is looking to appeal to his people's bloc vote to keep him in office. Evidently, he is also hoping that he can curry favour with the wider electorate, but if recent allegations prove to be substantiated, this could perhaps be the beginning of the end for this Labour politician's political career.

Five arrests and a small counterdemonstration
West Yorkshire Police issued a statement after this afternoon's protest, thanking the organisers of both the EDL demo and counterdemonstration for ensuring that both were "peaceful". It confirmed that the EDL protest was approximately 450 strong, whereas only circa 50 individuals turned up to the counterdemonstration. There were also "five arrests for minor incidents" although it was not clarified who had been arrested. Clearly, given the significant resources behind the SWP-organised and trades-union endorsed counterdemonstration which was provided with positive coverage by the mass media, the EDL can be adjudged to have emerged as the 'victor' in today's contest. Although the EDL demo was not large, the weakness of the 'Dewsbury Unity' effort was just as, if not more, telling.

Video footage from the demo can be accessed here.

EDL Supporters in Dewsbury

 

Mounted Police escort EDL in Dewsbury