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EDL Plan Another Bradford Race Riot

Bradfordian | 10.02.2010 02:19 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles | Sheffield

Following on from the violent racist rallies of football hooligans and hardcore Nazis up and down the country, accused of bottling out of their invasion into Bolton, the drunken racist thugs of the English Defence League have decided to go all out to cause a race riot at the city where the National Front triggered rioting nine years ago on 7 July 2001, Bradford.

the EDL are planning the mother of all race riots in Bradford
the EDL are planning the mother of all race riots in Bradford


On Sunday the 30th of May 2010, chanting racist chants and making stiff-armed Hitler salutes, disguised with face masks, armed with hammers, chisels and bottles, the racist private army known as the EDL will march from Bradford Interchange Railway Station to the Turls Green Lloyds Bar (Wetherspoons) in Centenary Square, the exact site of the rioting nine years ago, (a bar ironically used by Asian as well as white customers) intending to cause the mother of all race riots, aiming to destroy what remains of Bradford's undeveloped city centre.

Behind the spin doctoring of Portsmouth-based mouthpiece Trevor Kelway, while denying they are neo-Nazis at every juncture, the EDL have shown their true colours with racial attacks exemplified by Luton, by openly saluting Adolf Hitler, smashing windows of Asian shops, and most incendiary of all, attacking mosques and destroying Muslim graves on the days leading up to their protest.

Visits to Manchester, Nottingham and Stoke have all resulted in widespread disorder, with arrests for various different crimes, but anti-racist campaigners have criticised police forces for failing to arrest EDL mobs for openly chanting racial abuse in public. If the forces of law and order were, by negligence, to fail to arrest EDL thugs shouting the word "paki" in public, the West Yorkshire Police would once again be viewed by Asian people and anti-fascists as taking sides with the neo-Nazis resulting in Bradford's final riot.

It has taken years for Bradford's multicultural communities to move on from the last race riot, and since then, public enquiries have been carried out, reports written, and new community initiatives have been conducted to help heal the scars, but much of Bradford's city centre has failed to recover. Shops still lie empty, pound shops and charity shops all that remains of a once-thriving city centre economy. Half of Bradford's city centre now resembles a bomb site, since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition allowed the Westfield Shopping Centre to collapse, and the Odeon row rumbles steadily on, public discontent with Bradford Metropolitan Council at an all-time high.

Trevor Kelway and millionaire far right backer Alan Lake have exploited a loophole in the laws of the land which allow static political protests, albeit peaceful ones. The actions of the EDL are anything but peaceful, and compared to the purely vocal extremism of Islam4UK, they are a much greater threat to both community and public safety with their rampages of uncontrolled physical force, and yet, despite regular complaints from anti-racist and mainstream faith organisations including the Muslim Council of Britain, the Labour Party continues to turn a blind eye to their violent Islamophobia.

Conspiracy theorists have argued that in treating the neo-Nazi EDL with kid gloves, the government is utilising their disgusting campaign of violent hatred as a tool of patriotism, keeping Muslims in their place to shore-up the War On Terror, defend the government from the fall-out of the Iraq enquiry, and mute protests against both civilian and military casualties from the War in Afganistan. For their violent racist actions which include racial attacks, attacking the police, smashing up Asian businesses, the EDL could be banned in a matter of minutes, however Britain's far right groups are never ever banned, regardless of the crimes they perpetrate. This sadly is a historical fact which leads some people to suspect the EDL are state-funded either by special branch or MI5/6.

Bradford's home grown Pakistani Muslim community is religiously moderate, and times have changed significantly since the Salman Rushdie protests many years ago. If the EDL were seriously choosing genuine hotbeds of Islamic extremism to target with protest, Bradford should be way down the list. All of Bradford's mosques work with the police and social workers to ensure young Muslims are not radicalised, and if it is all a question of patriotism, consider this: -

In December, £1000 Bradford's Muslims in Thornbury raised £5 each for the floods in Cumbria, including money for the family of a policeman who died rescuing householders from danger.

 http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4774822.print/

In the words of Canon Andy Williams, Bishop of Bradford said: “The president of the mosque and the Imam spoke positively about their aim of strengthening ties between the Muslim and Christian communities, saying we all live in the UK and need to support one another.”

And only last week, Manningham's Muslims set up a well-attended scouts and cubs group. And still the likes of the EDL and the BNP accuse Asian people of refusing to integrate.

Of course, any such measures by Bradford's Asian community to prove they are as British as white people fall upon deaf ears when the EDL plan acts of racism and public disorder. Their hatred of Islam is in-fact a hatred of non-white people, a racist loathing that four or five "Uncle Toms" cannot brush under the carpet. Using violent football hooligans as their hired muscle, the EDL are a serious threat to community harmony let alone public safety. When are our elected politicians going to protect us from the imminent dangers posed by such groups?

Bradford's Asian community has moved on in leaps and bounds since the last riot, and young generations of Muslim Bradfordians are optimistic, self-confident and hopeful for the future, assuming there would never be a far right march through Bradford ever again, however along comes the EDL, aiming to turn the clock back.

If the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, Bradford Council and the West Yorkshire Police insist on allowing the EDL the freedom to create havoc in Bradford under the false premises of "free speech", officialdom will lose any last vestige of credibility with Bradford's populus, who will hold the powers that be soley responsible for washing their hands of social responsibility, in standing back and allowing another race riot to happen. A preventable race riot, if the government and intelligence services do their homework.

All Bradfordians (regardless of race or creed) were hoping to never to live to see race riots in their own backyard ever again, but unless the EDL are banned from gathering, another riot will most definately ensue, triggered by the explosive actions of an army of football thugs and hardcore Nazis getting drunk in Lloyds Bar, before rampaging through Centenary Square en-masse.

Bradford has been at the hub of radical English political activism for over a hundred years, as the centre of Britain's woollen industry. Staunch trade unionism has recently been complemented by social centres such as the 1-in-12 club. If the EDL's violent neo-Nazi element are allowed to break through police lines as has happened elsewhere, and go on the rampage, smashing up the city centre and Bradford's multicultural inner city areas, punching and kicking every Asian passer-by they come across with vitreolic hate, the spirit of Bradford's strong tradition of defiance, reflected in its punk and hip hop bands such as Fun-Da-Mental, which rallied for working class unity against fascism, will ensure the EDL's street fighting tactics are met with a firm counter response.

Bradford's marginalised Asian community has a history of taking direct action to fightback against the far right that stretches back to the 1970s. Ironically for the EDL's fake "cause celebre" of protesting against Islamic extremism, a sizeable number of Bradford's young adults are not particularly religious, and will not heed calls from Imams to stay at home when their community is under threat from violent fascist extremists. Unlike in Nottingham and Stoke, police and religious leaders will thus find difficulty in persuading concerned Asian people to stay away from their beseiged city centre.

In Stoke, the EDL's neo-Nazi hooligans broke loose and rampaged through a majority Asian neighbourhood, attacking shops, homes and cars, and if the policing in Bradford was to be just as shambolic, angry young Muslim people will not stand by idly while drunken racist football hooligans go on the rampage. Militant anti-fascists will also stand their ground when the EDL's bully-boys break away from the police's kettle, however if the numbers of neo-Nazis are indeed large, and they storm through the streets of Bradford with inpunity like SS-stormtroopers, if the police are seen as defending the racists and allowing them to racially abuse and assault Asian people at will, all hell will break loose.

A recent press investigation by the Daily Mail spoke to one particular Bradford resident who was rubbing his hands with glee at the opportunity to join in another Bradford race riot - Kevin Watmough.

As always, Trevor Kelway and PR-distorting chums will tell the local media they are simply opposing religious extremists, claiming that most of their supporters are peaceful, will regulate their drink, and are only in Bradford to make speeches, however there will as always be the offensive and inflamatory banners calling for "NO MORE MOSQUES", racist chants will echo for miles, and just about every hardcore racist rent-a-thug including the whole of the BNP, BPP, British Freedom Fighters and the National Front will be in Bradford, getting a piece of the action. Regardless of what lies Trevor Kelway tells he media before their visit to Bradford, he knows full well that EDL's Bradford Demo will attract Britain's most extreme racial bigots like flies to a steaming pile of dogshit.

Many of the roads into Bradford are lined by Asian takeaways, clothing shops and other small businesses. Expect smashed windows and racial attacks-a-plenty as cocksure racists jump at the chance of destroying Bradford. And don't forget an attack on a mosque or two on the week before the event, after dark. The cowardly thugs of the EDL, like Adolf Hitler's Nazis whom they secretly (and openly) support, know the value of instilling fear upon minority communities.

Bear this in mind - Last time around, a measured number of National Front members arriving in Bradford were enough to trigger a riot. This time there could be thousands, the EDL's biggest ever turn-out. Everybody sharing any sort of diverging far right ideals will readily put aside their rivalries, heading to Bradford by coach, train, car, and van hellbent on swarming into Bradford and waging all-out racial warfare, unless they are prevented travelling to Bradford.

If you think these concerns are sheer alarmism, cast yourself into the mindset of a bored hardcore racist who missed out on the action nine years ago, and is now given a chance to get involved in a far more catastrophic repeat of history.

On one particular online football forum, members discussing a possible EDL visit to Bradford believed there would be deaths if another riot took place. Whether or not fatalities will happen, alarm bells should be ringing in the distant hallows of Westminster. Sunday the 30th of May follows the upcoming elections, which, if polls prove correct, may herald in the political instability of a hung parliament. What better time for the far right to make the impact of its presence felt (whether or not Griffin wins a seat for Barking), by causing Britain's worst ever race riot to back up their claims that "multiculturalism is not working".

Forget the EDL's regular drunken boneheaded supporters for a moment. An open EDL gathering in Bradford City Centre is every hardcore neo-Nazi fanatic's wet dream come true. Every racist Tom, Dick and Harry will most surely make their way to Bradford to join in the fighting. If EDL numbers exceed official expectations, reaching the 2000 mark, the drunken EDL mob will be uncontrollable, smashing up Bradford's Lloyds Bar (Wetherspoons), perhaps setting it on fire, before triggering an uncontrollable series of events to provoke minorities and antifascists into a violent reaction, with the police in the middle wading in with dogs, riot shields and batons.

For years Nick Griffin, Simon Darby and Lee Barnes, and others in the BNP/NF and BPP have talked about a racial civil war taking place. Now is the chance for every potential Copeland-style Aryan terrorist lunatic to get their ass down to Bradford and join in the EDL "protest", putting their terrifying plans into action.

Even if there are no fatalities, violent street confrontations will inevitably come at a devastating price for the livelihood of the city and the further loss of retail jobs. Since the tragic National Front-ignited riots of 2001, many small businesses have closed and numerous shoppers have stayed away from the city centre, leading many to describe Central Bradford as a "ghost town", an image not assisted by the upcoming demolishment of the Odeon cinema, the Westfield hole in the ground saga, and a ghetto of pound shops and charity stores.

Since Bradford's last riot, trust between communities has inevitably suffered, revellers and clubbers have travelled elsewhere, university admissions periodically declined, and all across the world, Bradford became world famous as a city of racial tension alongside Los Angeles.

Even today, tell a stranger at a bus stop that you come from Bradford, especially an older person or pensioner, and they will look at you with sympathy, and many won't believe you when you tell them how Bradford has moved on. Bradford has sadly become internationally synomymous with racism and riots, an image impossible to shake-off, and unless the EDL are prevented from gathering in Bradford under emergency anti-racism, anti-terror and public order laws, the city's inage as a hotbed of racial violence and disharmony (far removed from reality), will persist for an eternity.

If record numbers of EDL fascist thugs turn out, defiling Bradford with their raw hate, a million pounds of police budget will not be enough to prevent sporadic violence from kicking off big-time. At previous events, the police have taken a softly-softly approach towards EDL rioters, with minimal arrests. If ineffectual, hands-off policing allows the racist mob to do as they please, and Asian vigilantes take to the streets to defend their own communities from attack, anything might happen.

An emergency government or police ban is an absolute necessity to prevent World War III from erupting in Bradford, and race relations being set back fifty or more years. Bradford is a city of promise, ambition and hope amongst its young, diverse population, with communies represented locally from far afield as Eastern Europe, the West Indies as well as Asia. Bradford has been through a lot, and truly deserves it's chance to get off the floor and bounce back to life, without being kicked back down by the drunken jackboots of a neo-Nazi lynch mob given free reign by feckless governments, local politicians and the police, to destroy one of Britain's most multicultural cities without rebuke.

In Stoke, the EDL hoodlums copied Loyalist terror tactics by phoning up taxi companies making death threats against Muslim drivers. Day by day, month by month the EDL are getting far more menacing. Whether Nick Griffin and the BNP are pulling the strings, as the National Front did in 2001 with its Northern riots, the grounds on which to make the EDL illegal are steadily strengthening, and yet the silence from officialdom is deafening.

In the United States of America, KKK marches are frequently stopped from marching through African-American communities, and in Belfast, Orange Order parades are usually now re-routed away from Catholic areas, so why are is officialdom turning a blind eye to such a blatant disregard of community sensitivities, by allowing a cavalcade of racist chanting and violence in Bradford's Centenary Square?

Answers on a postcard, please.

Bradford is not Nottingham, Manchester or Leeds. As the BNP-supporting white supremacists on Stormfront gleefully ackowledge, Bradford will not survive another full-scale riot!

If the EDL aren't banned from marching in Bradford as a matter of national security, this will be the end of our once-proud city. Guaranteed!

(With historical significance from the English Civil War, the last time the city was on the verge of being ransacked by an invading force of pseudo-patriotic outsiders), "PITY POOR BRADFORD!!!"

(please no fascist trolls!!!)

Bradfordian

Comments

Hide the following 35 comments

HMMMM !

10.02.2010 08:18

Some of what you say is true but you seem a tad sensationalist, I do understand your fears as this sounds like a 2001 re run all over again...The EDL I think will back down over this and see it as a moral victory ,I'm not sure so many young bradford lads would take to the streets this time unless there was some attempt to march through manningham as the sentences given out were draconian for 2001 .....Seems like a win win for the EDL ,Have there provocative demo and maybe cause a riot , back down to the threat of a riot and they have there moral victory , I do hope that Ant ifascists will not repeat the mistakes of 2001 ,The likes of the uaf will not be able to help themselves whipping young muslims into a frenzy like last time...regards

Concerned of gipton [ the real one]


Skin Colour = Rough Justice

10.02.2010 11:50

I see the point of the concerns raised in this piece.

Sadly the police didn't protect a nearby Asian community from having shop windows smashed, cars overturned and smashed-up, etc. Also they didn't arrest or even stop the EDL from making racist chants. The fascist scum were allowed to do what they fuckin' well pleased.

If the same thing is repeated in Bradford, there will defo be a riot.

The Turls Green Wetherspoons in Centenary Square is indeed used by Asian as well as white drinkers, so would lose out after accomodating the EDLSS Nazi Army. When pissed, the moron football hooligans lose control, and if there is over a thousand of them, occupying the centre of what remains of bradford city centre with plenty of random Asian shoppers walking by, there's bound to ve plenty of retiliation, and the point about a huge turn out is true.

Cops can't handle over 1200-1300 violent street fighting fash in a small city like Bradford. The whole of Sunbridge Road, and all the surrounding roads would have to be closed down for four or five hours which would stop buses using the Interchange which would be impossible.

Unlike Leeds or Manchester, Bradford city centre since the hole in the ground appered, is only half the size of all other city centres. Much of the paving stones are unsafe and there are great parts of the city roped off by building signs, cones and maintenance tape. The only space is Centenary Square outside of the Turls Green Spoons which is far too small. Can only accomodate about 300-400 people at most. Any greater turn out would spill onto the nearby streets, making policing impossible and igniting the almost certain race riot.

I was there when the last riot happened, when an Asian man got attacked in Ivegate, and the police didn't react quick enough to step in and arrest the NF who did this, leading to anger against the police.

It won't take the UAF whipping Asian youths into frenzy.

All it will take is one racist assault causing another full-scale riot, and it will all kick off.

Many 18-25 Asian young adults do not indeed go to mosque, so the idea they are Islamic fundamentalists is a laugh. Parents can't lock over 18s in their houses and tell them not to go to town. Thjey are adults.

If the cops bash anti-fascist counterprotestors with riot shields and let the EDL neo-Nazi scum off lightly as usual, there will be widespread anger against the cops which will mean a three-way chase between fash and the cops and antifash out of the city centre and into residential districts, with overturned cars burning into the night.

I don't see anything other than another race riot. The draconian sentences against the Asian youths who took part in the 2001 protest are all grown up now. Different people 18-25 now, so they won't be put off by the sentences of the past.

Also, if there would be stiff sentences for Bradford rioters, would the same sentences be used against white racists and Asian youths or would institutional racism rear its ugly head meaning Asian people protecting their own communities would get unequal justice by the capitalist state?

It's a thought to ponder.

EDLers never get more than a telling-off smack on the hand when taken to court, not the six years each handed out to Bradford rioters for chucking a single stone. Skin colour matters in the legal system.

Jon


Looney Lee Barnes and the EDL

10.02.2010 14:17

I wander if Lee Barnes is in contact with the EDL, helping them choose cities to march into: -

 http://news.scotsman.com/farrightintheuk/BNP-turns-on-Griffin-with.5764794.jp

The Scotsman News Archive
BNP turns on Griffin with 'white riot' call
Date: 26 October 2009
By Craig Brown

NICK Griffin's efforts to portray the BNP as part of mainstream politics were derailed yesterday when his own party criticised his performance on BBC1's Question Time and a senior member called for "white riots" across the country.

Lee Barnes, the BNP's legal officer, said that "perhaps there needs to be a few 'white riots' around the country à la Brixton riots of the 1980s before the idiot white liberal middle-class and their ethnic middle-class fellow travellers wake up". Mr Barnes made the comments on his own website as he attacked his party leader for "failing to press the attack" during his controversial TV appearance last Thursday.

Paula


It's not the time.....

10.02.2010 15:38

.... to underestimate the danger of letting them march. We all have to stand up and fight the nazis! We have to be there, thousands of us to block bradford so that not a single nazi can march!

Alerta Alerta Antifascista

Antifascist


"national security"

10.02.2010 17:21

"Bradfordian", me'thinks you betray your politics here - a ban on national security grounds. Mmmh. Nope, fuck it, mobilize and drive these racists off the streets through grassroots unity.

The EDL and all fash scum (that goes for Islam4UK and them as well) should be opposed where-ever they march, whether Kirkwall or Penzance. This is an ideal opportunity for us to get our and demonstrate our counter-politics. But how about being open about the message - we are anarchos and we reject all hierarchical extremism.

unnecessary


Tactics

10.02.2010 19:24

The police will block off Centenary Square and preserve it for the fascists, making anti-fascists gather half a mile away up by the university, or something. If we held a sit in at the place where the EDL will kick off the race riot, we would be ourselves perversely arrested for public order offences.

Establishment plots seem to fit the bill. Gordon Brown is crap but Cameleon is worse and a race riot could, as well as shoring up the War On Terror, pave the way for a new era of social repression, and an end to human rights leglislation and anti-discrimination laws, scrapping the forthcoming equality bill in a manner that would have given Mrs Thatcher multiple orgasms.

It seems that allowing Britain's worst ever race riot to happen would allow the new Tory government that seems set to take over from Gordon Brown to take a backward step over race relations, under the guise of "opposing political correctness".

One of the most racist Tories is Phillip Davies, the MP for Shipley, and the son of Peter Davies, the fascist English Democrats mayor of Doncaster. If Cameron made him Home Secretary

The Suffragettes chained themselves to lampposts, etc. This would be the only way that the police couldn't move us on to allow the fascists to occupy Bradford's only central open space. Is there any other way, perhaps guerilla open-space squatting tactics that could be used to mess up the EDL's riot plans? What about the Turls Green Wetherspoons (the point of the last riot)? We could occupy their pub and refuse to leave to stop them using it to put the spoke into the wheel.

Or will Lloyds bar only be allowing fash to drink on that day? Should be a national boycott of fuckin' Spoons. Pay crap wages, treat their chefs, bar tenders like shite. Now they are fash-friendly. Tim Martin must be behind their continued support to help the EDL as the nazi scum smashed up the Stoke branch.

Being drunk and disorder is a criminal offence. I don't see for the life of me why the police allow the EDL nazis to drink beforehand?

Obviously it would not be wise to publish plans yet but it's worth considering al options to wreck the nutzi's bradford riot plans. The BPP will be there, along with Watmough, who was interviewed by the Daily Mail as the piece says, and will get his mates over from Bramley and leeds to start the racist attacks going.

SoSo


Is this the one they've been planning all along?

10.02.2010 20:48

The football season will have finished. May 30th is the Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend, so no work the next day. It's like they've picked the date to maximise turnout, no?

Surely it can't be allowed to go ahead?

I used to pass the very spot the photograph in the original post shows on my way to and from work every day. There's still premises bricked up a couple of hundred yards up the road. I'd have thought there would be massive pressure brought to bear to stop this march happening. It's not that long ago the BNP were prevented from marching in Keighley.

pedant


Firebug Nazi Liam Pinkham Will Be Attending Bradford's EDL Meeting

11.02.2010 04:51

Proof that Pinkham will be attending Bradford!!!
Proof that Pinkham will be attending Bradford!!!

Pino88 or Liam Pinkham, one of the British Freedom Fighters has just confirmed on Stormfront that he will be attending the EDL's visit to Bradford to help start Bradford's third riot.

Pinkham has a recent criminal conviction for threatening to burn down a shop in Liverpool, makes lots of Adolf Hitler salutes, and is exactly the hardcore neonazi "firestarter" needed to get the riots started.

 http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=680997&p=7794613#post7794613

Altogether the mood is one of celebration on Stormfront at the prospect of another Bradford riot. "It's about time Bradford was visited again", they say, referring to the last fateful visit by the National Front.

NaziSpotter


red green& black antifa union jacks would be nice,

11.02.2010 07:26

petitions,facebook groups calling for ban under racism laws not aimed at banning democratic expression would be good like one Nottingham, but with more universal support,some blocked universal support because it might stop all processions.
Antifa england have the right idea with union jack vprominent& proud on their webpage.
In USA stars & stripes is used to chase nazis on demos by anarchists & others
Lets Reclaim the union jack, britpop,mods,world war2,its been ours for a while
5thmay election likely to have tories in,
Stopping this attempt at racial war alon the lines of Bosnia by these people, would be easier than stopping 10,000s of people from getting into london with its myriad of myriad of transport systems
Nice report, thanks for the warning, Nazis want Rahowa, holy racial war+dictatorship
anarchists want social & economic direct democracy, isnt it weird how the corporate oligarchs seems to be more up for stopping the latter??

red,green & black in the union jack


Outsmarting The Police

11.02.2010 12:43

A recent searchlight investigation has discovered that the BNP's Chris Renton, who already runs the EDL's website, has tightened his grip on the EDL's inner circle. Most crucial of the new BNP stooges running things to help a Bradford riot on its way, is "police liaison officer" Sean Corrigan, who is a BNP Gold Member from St Albans.

If Sean Corrigan deliberately misleads police as to the tactics and the numbers turning up, the cops will be outnumbered, misinformed, and would not be prepared for the customary "last minute change of plan" when an unprecedented number of drunken nazis turn up in much greater numbers than expected, from different directions, attacking anti-fascists from all directions (Thornton Road, back of Adlermanbury, Ivegate, and behind the city hall (the Jacob's Well Car park - free parking for fash scum on bank holidays and weekends), as well as from the Interchange.

All the police will be monitoring is the interchange and outside Lloyds/ChinoThai and the Asian-run shisha bar (which no-doubt will have its windows smashed up by fash for being a Muslim-owned business). It's not rocket science to see the likes of the British Freedom Fighters doing their own thing, and throwing a spanner in the works.

To be honest, a Bradford far right rally of any proportion is just impossible to police, let alone two thousand bank holiday Nazi pissheads out for a fight.

You would think the West Yorkshire police would not be stupid enough to trust a maverick BNP manipulator, but Corrigan wasn't put in that position just for a laugh. With a slick young operator at the helm of the EDL's "war desk", outsmarting the cops to lay seige to Bradford City Centre will be a piece of piss.

All of the post-riot head-scratching, hand-wringing and recriminations will no-doubt be covered by the Conservative Party post-riot enquiry, with Muslim youths getting the direct blame for an ultra-violent Nazi invasion which could have so easily have been banned by the council, the police and the home secretary, but was allowed to happen under the flimsy premises of "free speech".

For fuck's sake!

Triksikelist


hmmm indeed

11.02.2010 21:19

yet again an unknown individual ( is it the infamous and multi named 'demestos'? is it possibly a well known Sheffield charecter as this post is copied from projectsheffield? or is it Searchlight? who knows! ) uses Indymedia to call for the state to ban political activity, albeit from the right.

gipton is right to be concerned .. indeed IF some of the article is correct (and much of it is correct even if much of it is bollox) then i wonder whether 'bradfordian' is as much part of the possible state agenda as Anjem and TK/EDL? Anjem spouts off his Islamist provocations, EDL screams back and demands the state ban Sharia etc and 'bradfordian' steps up with a call for a state ban on political activtiy! Bingo .. will the real 'bradfordian' ( let alone demestos etc!!) step forward and take credit for this? i doubt it very much

the facts remain the same. that while it is still unclear who EDL are they represent a large and frustrated and angry minority who can not understand that while british soldiers are dying in the East, some young muslims in Bradford boast of their hate and opposition to this country. That they are also a possible provocation is another issue.

what must we do? oppose fascism and division. and that means opposing Islamists as much as the BNP. It means we must undercut support for the EDL. we can not oppose the english 'fascism' by defending islamist 'fascism' ( p.s. 'fascism' used in the most general sense) Above it it means we must resist provocation from wherever

and what to do in bradford?
- while allowing these people their right to demonstrate make it absolutely clear that no fascists will be allowed to make attack or provocations and will be dealt with if they do.
- do our utmost to stop any racial conflict .. this is what the state wants .. we can not let them have it .. so we must stop the UAF/HnH misdirecting people into thinking this is a 'white' versus 'asians' issue .. it is not
- specifically demonstrate against division .. and so say to extremists in the EDL and the Islamic community they have no place in our community ..

We as communities must deal with all those that divide whether they are from the BNP the EDL the islamists or those in actual power who destroy our communities for their interests. Calls for state actions against any political activity are reactionary and dangerous. The state will only act against the EDL if it is in their interests! Any increase in practice or powers of restriction of political activity wil fall on us not them

the article is either naive or dangerous

Durruti02


No More Fascist Trolling Please!

11.02.2010 21:59


Please no more paranoia from Indymedia fascist trolls. And before you speak, I am not domstoss or Searchlight either. Actually I'm female and a vegan!

If the EDL rally does go ahead in Bradford, antifascists will be vastly outnumbered, and the people of Bradford will suffer another riot. It's on a bank holiday as others have pointed out, the footy season has ended, and just about every racist there in the UK will outnumber me, you and plods.

A ban is the only feasible option if riots are not to happen.

Makes me wander if you're actually an EDL fan yourself, campaigning for their right to "free speech". They are only meeting in Bradford for one reason, and that is to create the mother of all race riots.

If the police are outnumbered by 2000 fash, how can each of us take on ten fash? Even Jackie Chan in his kung-fun movies could only handle six assailants at once. We're not superheroes.

Anybody who thinks Pinkham and Wigan Mike are in Bradford for political speeches, you're in cloud cuckoo land.

Indymedia Animal Activist


The Neo-Nazi Trolls Are Back With A Vengance

11.02.2010 22:18


Divide And Conquer neo-Nazi trolls are back pitting anarchists against socialists, and watering down protests against racist football hooligans.

Racist football hooligans are scum, like it or not.

Regardless of what people think of the UAF, please have unity against the fascist scum enemy.

Troll Defragmentor


RACIST LIES ON INDYMEDIA

11.02.2010 22:23


"while it is still unclear who EDL are they represent a large and frustrated and angry minority who can not understand that while british soldiers are dying in the East, some young muslims in Bradford boast of their hate and opposition to this country"......

REACTIONARY RACIST BULLSHIT FROM A SHAMELESS EDL APOLOGIST.

BRADFORD MUSLIMS DO NOT BELONG TO ISLAM4UK.

CAN SOMEBODY DELETE THIS RACIST LIE, PLEASE......

GO BACK TO STORMFRONT, EDL NEO-NAZI TROLLS!

Troll Krusha


Ban D02 as well as the EDL

11.02.2010 22:32

This is bloody well not true D02. I've lived in Bradford all my life and Bradford Asian people have never said such things. You're making that up! Wouldn't surprise me if you were

It's about time you are banned from Indymedia for being a racist troll. Use Stormfront not Indymedia.

Come on Admin, ban D02 for racism!

Timmm


Durruti02

12.02.2010 07:46

Durruti02 said


"We as communities must deal with all those that divide whether they are from the BNP the EDL the islamists or those in actual power who destroy our communities for their interests. Calls for state actions against any political activity are reactionary and dangerous. The state will only act against the EDL if it is in their interests! Any increase in practice or powers of restriction of political activity wil fall on us not them"

I agree and nither is the article is it asking for a ban for the reson you have said above the words have been chosen well in this article Project Sheffield was given a copy..

PS That well known Sheffield Character your words is not the sole person involved with Project Sheffield your attacks upon them is likewise playing into the states agenda as you are repeating the lies told to you by The Middle Class.

PPS If we had posted this artical the fact would be clear ie the name underclassrising.net would be there, for good reson we did not post it to here.

.

underclassrising.net


Not all casuals support the EDL

12.02.2010 17:00

I think it's both naive and somewhat scaremongering to imply that all football casuals support the EDL, there are plenty of hooligans who don't support the EDL, infact there's quite a history of casuals opposing the likes of the BNP. C18 and NF when these groups have tried to organise at football grounds. So the fact that this demo is going ahead on a day where there will be no football matches on is utterly irrelevant. These EDL mugs would sooner go to a demo than the football anyway!

I think it also smacks of liberal condescension when some people refuse to see the reasons that some people who aren't either racist nor BNP would go along to EDL demos, granted there are racists involved, loyalists and nazi's too but there is also a number of younger lads involved who are attracted to the group a) because they are genuinely pissed off with the perceived Islamic fundamentalists (obviously the media hasn't helped this perception of what is a relatively tiny threat) and b) because they want to exact their frustrations on the police.

If we want to realistically combat the EDL and the far-right calling for the government to clamp down on political organisations is the last thing we should be doing because you know that if they clamp down on the EDL then socialist and anarchist organisations will be targetted under the same legislation. We should be building solidarity in our communities and opposing all right wing groups regardless of their ethnicity or religion.

Villa anti-fash


@timm

12.02.2010 17:03

classic .. yet more calls for bans! those who use indymedia are becoming more interested in shutting down debate as the situation on the ground gets worse

specifically 'timm' what did this bit mean ..

" .. Bradford Asian people have never said such things.."

so 'timm' where or what do i say that is in any way refering to anyone from Bradford, let alone an asian from bradford???

my comments about how best to stop those who desire division are purely mine .. it seems you are making things up






D02


the point is clear

12.02.2010 17:30

Yet again the above comments all appear to be from the same person and all calling for more and more bans .. ( just noticed Villa Anti Fasc's comments .. yes spot on mate :) )

The deluded so called 'anti troll' comments above speak for themselves and do the author and antifascism a diservice

Ok, lets look at what the OP says again

1) " .. some people to suspect the EDL are state-funded either by special branch or MI5/6. .."

2) " .. An emergency government or police ban is an absolute necessity to prevent World War III from erupting in Bradford.."

3) " .. the silence from officialdom is deafening..."

4) " .. If the EDL aren't banned from marching in Bradford as a matter of national security.."

First off we have a confusion - IF the EDL are the state ( see 1) ) then why the fuck should or would the state ban them??? ( see 2) 3) and 4) ) .. makes no sense

And 2, 3 and 4 are clear calls for the state/police to ban political activity. As Villa Anti Fasc states and history teaches us as anarchists and revolutionaries any increases in state powers or increases in the use of state powers will NOT be used against loyalist groups like the EDL but will be targeted against those who oppose the state.

If the OP is genuine (and i am not convinced) then i assure you i do sympathise. The presence of the EDL in Bradford will as you say attract a large amount of racist and fascist scum who will i also agree seek to use the occasion to cause race riots. They must be stopped from doing this, but if as it probably is a provocation we must equally not fall for that trap, nor as some idiot leftists will do wind up asian youth to get them kicking off and getting nicked.

But we cannot get distracted into calls for state bans whether genuine or dodgy. As Villa Anti Fasc also argues we need to create community unity against division from every quarter.

And the argument shows no comprehension of the feeling in 'middle england' that is the backbone of the EDL ( whether they are genuine, MI5 or a nazi front), that of disempowerment and frustration and anger. IF this and other EDL demos are banned do you think it will get rid of them???????? Don't be daft it will just add flames to the fire.

The call for the state to ban the EDL is the logic of the ghetto politics of many liberal anarchist who are so detatched form the mass of people that when the shit hits the fan they realise they have no one to support or fight for them. And instead of understanding, as community activist anarchists and militant anti-fascists, that we need to be based in our communities and have the muscle to deal with 'fascists' they can do nothing to beg the state to take action when it is the state that is the cause of our problems

We need to get our heads out of our ghetto politics and realise that IF we want a country of the kind we do, it will only be built in our heads and our squats, but with the involvement and support of ALL people.


btw why does this thread not appear on 'view all posts'??

DO2


this is what the EDL say why they want to march btw

12.02.2010 17:33

"Based on the "Generation Jihad" programme screened on bbc2 08/02/10 its clear that the Yorkshire region of the country is heavily populated with Islamic Extremists with the pure intent of non-intergration and with the aim of destroying us, The English Defence League will no longer tolerate this, We shall march through Bradford City Centre and highlight this issue as the spineless pathetic joke of a government seem to thing it viable to harbour these murderous scum on our streets and put all of our security at risk, The English Defence League will protest where they want when they want and will not tolerate islamic extremism in our country any more, We once again urge the government to do something about this huge huge issue and address the deterioating situation on the streets of the once Great Britain before the whole situation gets out of hand, We are here, We are going no-where, We will never ever surender! EDL Leadership team."

D02


alan lake and EDL

12.02.2010 17:38

bradfordian is a bit behind the news .. alan lake and the EDL appear to have fallen out significantly .. on the basis he seems to be anti-Islam and they are anti-extremist

D02


the edl are anti-islam

12.02.2010 20:15

The edl ARE ANTI-ISLAM.

They don't chant NO MORE MOSQUES" just for the hell of it. The EDL do not want any Muslims, extremists or moderates, to practice their religion in the UK.

reginald


The EDL Are Racist Scum - No Two Ways About It!

13.02.2010 11:37


"alan lake and the EDL appear to have fallen out significantly .. on the basis he seems to be anti-Islam and they are anti-extremist"......

What a load of complete and absolute tosh!!!

A few pretend speeches, and they cling to their premise for rallying, that they are merely "protestors against Islamic extremism" and not

Let's not do the EDL's propaganda for them. There is no justification for the EDL to march in Bradford. Bradford's Islamic community is far less radical than other parts of the country. What Bradford is famous for... is race riots.

Check out UKFightback's video channel for the neo-Nazi truth about the EDL:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRav70KUSw4

The EDL hate all Muslims, simply for having a brown skin and being Asians. They pretend not to hate Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, etc, but most EDL members want a racially pure Britain, especially Wigan Mike, Pinkham and the British Freedom Fighters, who have guaranteed to their mates that they will be attending. And not for the half-baked speeches that pass as their official reason for gathering.

Those who aren't hardcore neo-Nazis are rightwing soccer hooligans so bladdered out of their minds, they kick off with anybody, other soccer hooligans, rival fash, the police, which makes the EDL such a potent threat to public safety in Bradford.

Enough bigging up of the fascist EDL on Indymedia. They do enough of that with their racist pro-war propaganda on Facebook. We are anti-fascist not secret cryptic EDL sympathisers, so let's tell it how it it. Let's not beat around the bush here and be politically correct when calling racist scum, racist scum. Look at the Hitler salutes, listen to their chants of "we hate P*kis", etc.

They are racist, violent scum, and the mini-riot that occured in Stoke is a small taste of the violence to happen in Bradford if the EDL get their way.

Playing down their malicious intent causes complacency which guarantees a low antifascist turn-out. In Stoke, we were vastly outnumbered for whatever reason, so we need to ensure the EDL know that they have no valid reason to invade Bradford with their hatred and violence.

Ant


Lake Not Leaving the EDL

13.02.2010 11:44

"alan lake and the EDL appear to have fallen out significantly .. on the basis he seems to be anti-Islam and they are anti-extremist"

This is so not true. Millionairre Lake is arranging the Wilders EDL gathering in London that will be happening shortly. He has not, and will not leave the EDL.

He has his concerns about the public perceptions towards footy hooligans making the news, but he sees the EDL just as he sees the Swedish Democrats (Sweden's BNP) who he also funds, as his far right toy.

.


@ant reg demestos etc

13.02.2010 12:33

and this is the crux and time for your to retire

you say

" ..In Stoke, we were vastly outnumbered for whatever reason, so we need to ensure the EDL know that they have no valid reason to invade Bradford with their hatred and violence."

"..FOR WHATEVER REASON.." !!!!!! no there is a reason a very clear reason

(and then proceed as always to smear anyone who suggest why the opposition are grossly our numbered by the as EDL supporters! LOLRAOTF!! )


it is really fucking simple .. your Searchlight/HnH/UAF tactics are wrong wrong and wrong again. They fail to comprehend the attraction of the EDL written programme ( whether lie, front, true or MI5) They fail to comprehend what is gping on in society
They fail to understand the opinions of the vast majority fo people
and because of this they fail to gather an alliance against division, and dividing whether EDL mean it or not is what they are doing

The working class of this country are angry and frustrated by ALL those who deny us a voice and anyone who tells us we should support Tories or Labour to oppose the BNP (UAF/HnH) , anyone who calls on the state to ban our voices ( in this case one a have a serious problem with), anyone who calls on the police to attack working class youth is no better than the fascist filth who have flocked to the EDL

D02


@DO2

13.02.2010 15:50

“The working class of this country are angry and frustrated by ALL those who deny us a voice and anyone who tells us we should support Tories or Labour to oppose the BNP (UAF/HnH) , anyone who calls on the state to ban our voices ( in this case one a have a serious problem with), anyone who calls on the police to attack working class youth is no better than the fascist filth who have flocked to the EDL”

Agreed it is also the same for those who repeat the lies of The Middle Class spared them in there anarchist ghettos, just the same as there is no spokespersons for The Working Class and most defanatley not you and your anarchist chums who have physically attacked myself also verbally attacked myself. Tough I disagree with calls for a ban, I very much understand the background and this is where we engage with The Working Class we meet them half way, you keep on bleating about working with us then simple stop repeating the lies told to you by The Middle Class understand the nature of the problem instead isolating them with your actions.. Was it not you saying we should register to VOTE and then deface our ballot papers? How much more anti Working Class can you be? The Working Class have only one choice as far as I can see and that is not to vote let along register.

M.

M.


Neo-Nazi Fuckwits

13.02.2010 16:32

The neo-nazi EDL have posted this news article on their homepage supposedly as an example of Islamic extremism.

 http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/BOY-13-RAPED-WOMAN/article-1754991-detail/article.html

The story concerns a 13 year old youth (who happened to be Asian) who raped a 20 year old woman. It's a BNP-style racial profiling story, and the case has fuck all to do with religious extremism, but everything to do with prejudice which shows that the EDL are 100% racist rather than just against religious extremism.

Fuck the nazi EDL!!!

Somebody


Facebook Hate

13.02.2010 16:54

The EDL have just set up this Facebook group with some fighting talk entitled "FOOTBALL FIRMS UNITE FOR EDL BRADFORD DEMO" with the photo caption "British Bulldogs" (British Bullshit more like), and a disclaimer that the group, though directly involved with the planned EDL riot has no official links to the EDL: -

 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=328480505521#!/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=328480505521

This is their write-up, as they try to attract some of the country's most dangerous thugs to come to Bradford to beat up Muslims: -

InformationCategory:
Organisations - General
Description:
English Defence League will be holding a demo in Bradford city center on may 30th at 1pm we all know that Bradford is over run with muslims. And on the day of the demo all muslims from the city and from all over England will turn out to fight with the EDL lad. This is a call out to all hooligan firms to unite and turn up on the day to show the racist muslims thay this is our country and we will not be run out by any one !!

please note if you join this group its about the firms joining for bradford anyone coming on thinking they can cause a divide then think again we will be watching and your out
also this group as nothing to do with the edl for any trolls still on here hoping to screencap something thats been said we are a group of footb...all fans that are going to bradford and will watch over our countrymen on there demo (read less)
English Defence League will be holding a demo in Bradford city center on may 30th at 1pm we all know that Bradford is over run with muslims. And on the day of the demo all muslims from the city and from all over England will turn out to fight with the EDL lad. This is a call out to all hooligan firms to unite and turn up on the day to show the racist muslims thay this is our country and we will not be run out by any one !!

please note if you join this group its about the firms joining for... (read more)
Privacy type:
Open: All content is public".

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Just like the BNP used Combat18 to do their dirty work, by using unofficial Facebook groups, the leadership of the EDL can escape blame for the violen racist behaviour and actions of its members.

Clever!

The mood of the group is that they will build up enough "muscle" to give Bradford's Asians a severe beating!

Bee


The EDL's Idea Of Free Speech!

13.02.2010 17:00


EDL Knobheads Wigan Mike / Liam Pinkham's idea of free speech.

anarcho


EDL Rally = One Big Fight

13.02.2010 17:06

Bravo! The EDL admit it themselves. They are meeting in Bradford just to fight (the speeches etc. are just a feeble excuse for racial warfare.

"we all know that Bradford is over run with muslims. And on the day of the demo all muslims from the city and from all over England will turn out to fight with the EDL lads"

leesa


We Can Learn From German Anti-Nazis:-

14.02.2010 01:33

German anti-nazis formed a human chain around Dresden to stop provocative neo-Nazis from entering Dresden.

A similar thing should happen in Bradford to keep the EDL out.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8514246.stm

pips


Communities

14.02.2010 01:37

Do people who live in Bradford want this to happen?

pedant


Orange Order

15.02.2010 00:07


In the Scottish Herald, the English Defence League announced that they were forming alegiances with the Orange Order in Belfast, to bring anti-Catholic and anti-muslim bigots together.

 http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/fears-of-violence-as-far-right-group-admits-it-can-t-control-followers-1.1006331

Irish Republican


The EDL Will March In Northern Ireland

17.02.2010 16:59

The anti-Islam English Defence League, which caused violence in Stoke-on-Trent city centre last month, is planning to head to Northern Ireland for the traditional 12 July parades to “kick some Fenian ass” as they quite racistly put it on their Facebook sites.

Wander if the state has decided to use the EDL to do dirty anti-Catholic work across the sea in Ireland?

Reminds me of the state collusion that went on with the RUC.

Derryman


A shame

10.03.2010 19:01

It is good to see an antifascist article given prominence (for once) on Indymedia. But what a terrible, rambling, politically-confused piece. Anarchist antifascists should be organising to oppose the EDL, not wasting time with ill thought out sub-UAF bullshit about lobbying the state to intervene for us. The politics of this article are pathetic and frankly, bearing in mind its prominence on IM, it is an embarrassment to antifascists.

Smash the racist EDL