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EDL, Chickens & Israel

'Malatesta' | 23.10.2010 08:01 | Anti-racism | South Coast | World

The EDL are a single issue group unable to respond to the political crisis in the UK.

In memoriam Ari Up, The Slits

In a week that has seen the biggest attack on public spending and the threat of thousands and thousands of jobs being lost, the English Defence League (EDL) have helpfully been dressing up as chickens complaining about KFC. Well done. As mentioned on the ‘Malatesta’ blog several times, it is not ‘Islamic Extremists’ who are going to slash benefits, cut funding for universities, axe public sector jobs and pensions; halal meat in KFC is not pushing people out of work to face either a private sector unable to employ them or a benefit system unable to support them. Banning the burkah will not end a global recession caused by a financial elite and paid for by everyone else. The EDL are a single issue organisation who have absolutely nothing to say or contribute to the current economic and political crisis. The EDL’s chicken currently strutting his stuff in front of the Blackburn fast food chain is also a convicted thug - so no surprise there then.

The next EDL demo is on Sunday, 24th October at the Israeli embassy in London. They are meeting at The Hereford Arms, Gloucester Road at 12 then moving off at 2. The idea is to show support for Israel who they see as a bastion of anti-Islam in the Middle East. The EDL has a Jewish division which consists largely of paper members and is run by Roberta Moore. The Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) have condemned support for the EDL and stated that the “EDL actions are violent and intimidatory, attacking police and random Asians. Any Jews thinking that they can shape such dangerous forces and find shelter there are utterly deluded.” Potential Jewish supporters should be aware that despite all the EDL statements about not being Nazis or fascists the leadership is riddled with members of the BNP, Combat 18, British Freedom Fighters and other neo-Nazi grupuscules. See  http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/the-edl-are-nazis/ for a list detailing the fascist connections.

Meshugganahs!
On Sunday the EDL will be joined by Rabbi Nachum Shifren a publicity hungry right winger who has also been criticised by the CST and the Jewish Chronicle for being divisive. Knowing the EDL’s predilection for drunken violence it will no surprise if it kicks off. Despite the EDL claims that it is anti-fascist protestors that start the violence, the majority of fighting on EDL demos is between the ‘chav scrote’ elements and stewards, who can no longer control them, or the EDL and the cops. Plod usually outnumber the EDL and usually fail to contain them, as was seen in Leicester which was a policing travesty where 1,400 cops failed to contain 1,000 EDL. It is doubtful many EDL will turn up for the Israeli demo and anti-fascists will be concerned with other political activities following the announcements by the government this week. The EDL state that they want a peaceful demo and are very keen on excluding Nazi members and the Sieg Heil brigade. However, as this includes most of the leadership it is not going to happen.

The EDL are planning a trip to Amsterdam on the 30th October to support the European Freedom Initiative (EFI) protest there. The EFI are a pan-European coalition of anti-Islamists but no doubt harbour equally unpleasant characters like the EDL. Meanwhile, anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders, the EDL’s political hero, has denied any links with the EDL. If they turn up in Holland to support him, which they might, and there is trouble, which there will be, then Mr Geert is going to be unhappy about being associated with violent thugs as it will damage his much buffed media image. If the EDL hook up with Dutch football firms of a similar bent and it goes off this will damage PR for the blonde poster boy of anti-Islamification and generally discredit the EFI.

Insolvents, Fall-outs & Fluffiness
The far right at the moment are a joke and an unpleasant one at that. The practically insolvent BNP continues to collapse and this week financial ‘wizard’ Jim Dowson resigned. He has probably realised that there is no more money to be extracted from what few BNP members remain and that his recent offer of 20p in the £ to the BNP’s creditors is his final swansong. We wish him good luck with his next financial scam and strongly recommend he helps out the new fluffy fascist party British Freedom and take them to the political heights he took the BNP to. There are 3 strands of the BNP at the moment: the official Griffin BNP which is heading for last gasp territory; the BNP reform group which is getting nowhere as Nick Griffin has outmanoeuvred them at every step; and the British Fluffies, the ‘nice’ BNP, made up of expelled and former BNP members. Batty Lee Barnes and Peter Mullins are involved with the Fluffies as is Michaela McKenzie, former BNP member who sued Griffin and won. However, like most folk owed by the BNP ‘monies are still outstanding.’ What is clear is that any election prospects the BNP have are in tatters. They have no money to stand candidates, their supporters are dwindling, their membership diminishing and their credibility is at an all time low. See you at the hustings. Or not.

The BNP have announced that their annual conference will be somewhere in Derby in December. Given the fact they hold the Red, White and Blue Farcical in Derby which costs £1/2 million to police, it is certain that Derbyshire constabulary will be looking forward to it very much (and probably attending). Griffin has promised that the conference will be “a spectacular combination of political speeches, audio-visual displays, training, policy debates, stalls and entertainment … [at a] four-star venue complete with restaurant, bar and a whole range of suitable accommodation to fit your needs." Ooh, fancy!

Conclusion
So, hopefully the EDL demo at the Israeli embassy will be sparsely attended as many EDL do not care about the middle east or understand it, and the more fascist elements will not be seen dead there. The Amsterdam demo will be interesting but the chances of it being peaceful are slim. Unlike the leadership of the EDL.

NB: Copyright free. Pass it on to anyone who may find it useful.
 http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2010/08/

'Malatesta'
- Homepage: http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2010/08/

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