The EDL is a fundamentally misunderstood group which is constantly reffered to as a coherent entity failing to take into acount the vast disparities in the politics between its rank and file and some of the crazies who claim to be a mouth piece. You must understand that I'm not defending them as an organisation, simply stating that the sensationalism surrounding them seems somewhat of a moral panic created by the 'left'. The EDL is as an entity which is a damaging and estructive force to the political landscape of the UK but it's treatment and development highlights some fundamental failings in anti-fascist politics which at times is tantamount to scare mongering. Whilst I am not criticising the author who is right to highlight this blatant act of manipulation and persecution one must take generalisations about the group with a large pinch of salt. I intend to publish a thesis on the group in the near future adressing some of the errors I believe have been made in explaining and combating them so watch this space :)

The EDL will increasingly move the goal posts because their "enemy" is defined by anyone against them. The report of that scum rapist getting jailed - who happens to be from a muslim background - is the same decietful tactic the BNP use to racialise these crimes. As we are told that the EDL website is the ONLY authoritative source of information from the EDL we can safely assume that this tactic of using these criminal events for political purposes is a tactic that the EDL are going to use in future to illustrate their point. Ironically enuff the same sort of retribution that EDL followers want against these scum rapists can only be given in Islamic countries under Sharia law. Maybe if the EDL don't like the Queens legal system then they can fuck off to Iran or Indonesia. :-0)

So because 98 per cent of muslims are none white that makes anyone protesting against Islamic extremism, sharia law and Islamic terrorism a racist does it? And why are the EDL labeled racist when they have got many black and asian members and their membership is open to anyone who opposes Islamic extremism including moderate muslims?

You people say that the EDL have no right to protest against Islamic terrorism while defending the rights of extremist muslims to march through our streets chanting death threats to those who critise Islam ie Salman Rushdie and the writers of the Danish cartoons.

You are too scared of political correctness to stand up against Islamic extremism yourself and so turn a blind eye to Islamic terrorism and preachers of hate who want a Jihad on our streets to turn our country into an Islamic state.

To the disgusted EDL member - relax. There will be no jihad on our streets and this country will obviously never be an Islamic state. Britain's Muslim community is relatively small and diverse and whereas they might seem 'different' to you they definitely shouldn't seem threatening, they're pretty powerless as a group and if you're unhappy with things you should probably attack those in power, the state and government, rather than this or that minority who are just trying to get on with their lives the same as the rest of us.
As for the article, do we really need to denounce injured police? I understand its tempting to criticise the EDL anyway possible but surely our main concern should be their politics and underlying racism, not whether they like to have a drink and resist the police, which to be honest, i suspect lots of us do too.
I'd also avoid the misnomer "violence to property", my understanding is that some Asian-owned shops were targeted and these should be condemned as racist attacks.

Hey, thanks for expressing your opinion. I presume you are an EDLer, or a supporter anyway.
" many black and asian members " That's exaggerating, let's face it. We KNOW a sizable proportion of the members are racist (Nazi salutes, burning anti-Nazi flag, many members are or have been affiliated to BNP, NF, C18, etc.). This absolutely does not make all the members or supporters racist, far from it, I'm sure you're not racist yourself, and hopefully find racism as disgusting as I do. So no, in answer to your question, it does not make "anybody protesting" racist.
" including moderate muslims?" I think that's dishonest. Given that we have ascertained that some EDlers racist and anti-Islam in all its variants, I hardly think the EDL is a particularly welcoming group for a concerned Muslim, worried about the rise of extremism.

"You people say that the EDL have no right to protest against Islamic terrorism while defending the rights of extremist muslims to march through our streets chanting death threats to those who critise Islam ie Salman Rushdie and the writers of the Danish cartoons." That's flatly false. Most anarchists (and this is primarily an anarchist news site) and radicals would not be comfortable with the idea of the State imposing a ban, and certainly wouldn't lobby politicans to ban it -- you're getting us confused with the UAF/SWP crowd. Instead, we see fascism (and EDL certainly shows elements of it) as something that should be confronted on the streets, by local people showing that bigotry is not welcome. Personally, I thought the Danish cartoons were quite funny, and was deeply concerned by the response they created among some sectors of the Islamic world. Anarchists tend to see traditional fascism (BNP, EDL to some extent, Combat 18, National Front, etc.) and extremist Islam (and Christianity - if you think it can't be equally damaging I urge you to read about Blackwater, and its crazed murdering Christian crusader of a leader) as two sides of the same authoritarian bullshit that needs dismantling, and they too need combating. The capitalist State is another front of authoritarianism and hierarchy, so it too must be opposed.

"You are too scared of political correctness to stand up against Islamic extremism yourself" No. Fuck Islamic extremism. It's sick. Like racism. Or homophobia, sexism or capitalism's treatment of the wroking classes and our environment. I agree that the Old Left (SWP, UAF etc.) are apologists for that kind of extremism, and do not confront it. Anarchists are more consistent, and open in our hatred of Islamic extemism, and even tend to see all Islam (like other religions) as destructive to the human spirit - although there's nothing wrong with the individual Muslims.

"and so turn a blind eye to Islamic terrorism and preachers of hate who want a Jihad on our streets to turn our country into an Islamic state. " I share your concern. Although, let's be honest, there hardly about to do that are they? It seems to me that it is you who turns a blind eye to the similarities between Islamic fascism and British nationalism.
I imagine you're basically a pretty good disillusioned working class guy (and let's face it, you probably are a guy, judging by EDL's protests, or promotional videos). Can I recommend you read the Anarchist Federation's excellent pamphlet, Against Nationalism ( http://www.afed.org.uk/publications/pamphlets-booklets/126-against-nationalism.html), for an excellent argument about the destructiveness of nationalism, and how it hurts the working class and the whole of society.

Spot on.
All religous extremeism is damaging, as you say fuck Islamic fundamentalism, and fuck Christian Fundamentalism and Nationalism. They do no-one any favours, espcially the working class, with their divisive attitudes. I have no problem opposing Islamic fundamentalism along with nationalism, racism, homophobia, fascism, nazism and working class repression. They're all just different sides of the same coin. The EDL line that anti-fascists would support Islamic fundamentalism due to political correctness is a tired and innacurrate statement trotted out by the BNP et al for many years, and its bollocks.
I don't doubt that there are members of the EDL only concened with Islamic Fundamentalism among the known nazis, BNP, racists and fascists. However they are only a small% of the openly racist members opposed to all Islam and no doubt the Asian community as a whole. If this% are genuinly interested in halting Islamic fundamentalism then they really should look at the bigger picture, there are dangerous fundamentalists in all religions and the anarchist writing you pointed out states that well.

No Mr "Disgusted" when are you EDL trolls going to have the integrity to STOP LYING about these issues? "Disgusted" asks whether "because 98 per cent of muslims are none white (sic) that makes anyone protesting against Islamic extremism, sharia law and Islamic terrorism a racist does it?". Please try to understand and remember the following facts Sherlock...

1. No genuine Anti-Fascist ever said it's racist to oppose Islamic extremism - stop lying
2. Asian feminist groups like Southall Black Sisters and Women Against Fundamentalism actively opposed Islamic extremism since decades before the EDL was even formed
3. The reason people accuse the EDL of being racist is not because the EDL oppose bullshit like Sharia Law, but because EDL was co-founded by known racists, because innocent Asians were physically attacked during the very 1st EDL protest, and for instance because EDL supporters repeatedly called the police "fucking Paki lovers" in Stoke. OK so maybe not all EDL supporters are racist, but then not all the ordinary Germans who voted Hitler into power were ideologically convinced National Socialists either - they were still responsible for their own actions and still responsible for helping create the Nazi regime

As for the EDL having "many" black and asian members... they don't. The fact that a tiny handful of black and Asian people might be stupid enough to support the EDL proves nothing - Hitler had Jewish ancestry

No we don't "say that the EDL have no right to protest against Islamic terrorism" - stop lying

No we don't "defending the rights of extremist muslims" - stop lying

No we don't "turn a blind eye to Islamic terrorism" - in fact I personally got into Anti-Fascism through campaigning against a local branch of the Muslim extremist group Hizb-ut Tahrir

If any Communists really feel they need to attend the Anti-EDL protests in Edinburgh, Dudley and Bolton, please for fuck's sake DON'T bring any hammer and sickle flags or anything like that - unless you want to do Redwatch, the EDL and the BNP's PR work for them...

The last thing we need is ideological fantasists and opportunists trying to wreck the public image of Anti-Fascist protest

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