The Travails Of Tommy Robinson
'Malatesta' | 06.11.2010 07:53 | Anti-racism | South Coast | World
Rock On Tommy!
It has been quite a week for Tommy Robinson AKA Stephen Yaxley-Lennon of the English Defence League who seems to be under increasing pressure. Last weekend the EDL travelled to Amsterdam where they were faced with hostility from the Dutch authorities, police, local community, football fans and anti-fascist protestors. They were there in part to show support for Anti-Islamic politician Geert Wilders who had publicly distanced himself from them earlier that week. The few EDL who made the trip were massively outnumbered by a disappointed press corps all looking for a scoop: what the media saw was a large amount of counter-demonstrators who, following a truncated speech from the EDL leader, sent the EDL on their way. Shortly after, someone posted footage on YouTube of Tommy and the others running away from angry Dutch counter-protestors. British police had come along to monitor the situation but when the EDL turned to them for protection they were told their safety could not be guaranteed. It can only be assumed that the Met were liaising with the Dutch Van Der Valk and were greatly relieved at the avoidance of an international incident.
Yaxley-Lennon: BNP?
As if that was not enough, Hope Not Hate released an incriminating picture of what looks like Yaxley-Lennon at a 2007 BNP meeting flanking veteran racist Richard Edmonds. It is not unknown for people to change their political views over time but many anti-fascists have long been claiming that Tommy was ex-BNP which was vehemently denied by some EDL supporters. There has been no comment forthcoming from the EDL.
The EDL have relaunched their merchandise site following a brief unprofitable hiatus. Tommy was accused by former EDL colleague John ‘Snowy’ Shaw of pocketing £160,000 from selling dodgy hoodies and burkah masks. Snowy also said that 2nd in command Kevin Carroll’s mixed race daughter is, in fact, a paid actress pretending. Snowy was arrested following the rooftop protest after the Dudley demonstration descended into violence. He has since been booted out of the EDL and Tommy has vehemently denied any financial malfeasance and continues to hawk his merchandise.
Nicked (Again)
Not only that but Tommy was arrested again this week in an ongoing investigation over mortgage fraud. According to the EDL forum it is the 5th time he has been nicked this year and there are noises about holding a demo in his home town of Luton in the new year – ‘where it all began’ – in protest over plod’s behaviour. Tommy is hoping for a large turnout and has said there will be no police liaison this time. This is, in part, due to the resentment felt by the rank and file in having to follow police instructions, being kettled in and bussed out with scant toilet facilities. Tommy is not unknown to the local constabulary having already served a year in jail for assaulting a policeman. EDL forum posters are unanimous in condemning his harassment.
However not everyone is so enamoured by Tommy. The UK Lionheart blog is busy exposing him and the EDL for numerous infractions. The blog is no doubt run by 1 of the disenfranchised EDL members and has footage claiming that Tommy is an ‘Irish republican.’
http://www.lionheartuk.blogspot.com/
Festive Fascism
This week, the EDL warned UK local councils about changing the name of Christmas to Winter Festival. If this occurs then the EDL will descend upon the town for a static demo, something which they will cost local councils £500,000 a pop. However, for most people in the UK, Christmas is less to do with Christianity and more to do with a week off work to relax with friends and family and the chance to get stuffed on turkey and roast spuds. The religious significance of Christmas is not amplified in a country where only 14% of the population regularly attend church. The ‘threats’ look like a cheap publicity stunt.
Meanwhile, repeated exposure of the Welsh Defence League’s connections to known fascists has prompted them to change their name to Welsh Casuals. The Welsh division has struggled to ostracize Swansea Combat 18 for refusing to stop making Nazi salutes on demos. However, Luke Pippen, a Swansea C18 member, helps run the Casuals United Blog with WDL founder Jeff Marsh, which has just made the announcement.
What A Week!
So all in all, quite a week for Tommy Robinson as the pressure builds. Following the rejection by Geert Wilders and the Amsterdam debacle, he has been pictured at a BNP meeting, arrested for the 5th time this year and been the subject of less than flattering footage on YouTube. What next? The EDL will be holding a demo in Preston on November 27th which will no doubt descend into the usual violence and leave the local council with a bill of £500,000.
‘Malatesta’ NB: Copyright free. Pass it on to anyone who may find it useful. All the Malatesta Articles are available here: http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2010/08/
It has been quite a week for Tommy Robinson AKA Stephen Yaxley-Lennon of the English Defence League who seems to be under increasing pressure. Last weekend the EDL travelled to Amsterdam where they were faced with hostility from the Dutch authorities, police, local community, football fans and anti-fascist protestors. They were there in part to show support for Anti-Islamic politician Geert Wilders who had publicly distanced himself from them earlier that week. The few EDL who made the trip were massively outnumbered by a disappointed press corps all looking for a scoop: what the media saw was a large amount of counter-demonstrators who, following a truncated speech from the EDL leader, sent the EDL on their way. Shortly after, someone posted footage on YouTube of Tommy and the others running away from angry Dutch counter-protestors. British police had come along to monitor the situation but when the EDL turned to them for protection they were told their safety could not be guaranteed. It can only be assumed that the Met were liaising with the Dutch Van Der Valk and were greatly relieved at the avoidance of an international incident.
Yaxley-Lennon: BNP?
As if that was not enough, Hope Not Hate released an incriminating picture of what looks like Yaxley-Lennon at a 2007 BNP meeting flanking veteran racist Richard Edmonds. It is not unknown for people to change their political views over time but many anti-fascists have long been claiming that Tommy was ex-BNP which was vehemently denied by some EDL supporters. There has been no comment forthcoming from the EDL.
The EDL have relaunched their merchandise site following a brief unprofitable hiatus. Tommy was accused by former EDL colleague John ‘Snowy’ Shaw of pocketing £160,000 from selling dodgy hoodies and burkah masks. Snowy also said that 2nd in command Kevin Carroll’s mixed race daughter is, in fact, a paid actress pretending. Snowy was arrested following the rooftop protest after the Dudley demonstration descended into violence. He has since been booted out of the EDL and Tommy has vehemently denied any financial malfeasance and continues to hawk his merchandise.
Nicked (Again)
Not only that but Tommy was arrested again this week in an ongoing investigation over mortgage fraud. According to the EDL forum it is the 5th time he has been nicked this year and there are noises about holding a demo in his home town of Luton in the new year – ‘where it all began’ – in protest over plod’s behaviour. Tommy is hoping for a large turnout and has said there will be no police liaison this time. This is, in part, due to the resentment felt by the rank and file in having to follow police instructions, being kettled in and bussed out with scant toilet facilities. Tommy is not unknown to the local constabulary having already served a year in jail for assaulting a policeman. EDL forum posters are unanimous in condemning his harassment.
However not everyone is so enamoured by Tommy. The UK Lionheart blog is busy exposing him and the EDL for numerous infractions. The blog is no doubt run by 1 of the disenfranchised EDL members and has footage claiming that Tommy is an ‘Irish republican.’
http://www.lionheartuk.blogspot.com/ Festive Fascism
This week, the EDL warned UK local councils about changing the name of Christmas to Winter Festival. If this occurs then the EDL will descend upon the town for a static demo, something which they will cost local councils £500,000 a pop. However, for most people in the UK, Christmas is less to do with Christianity and more to do with a week off work to relax with friends and family and the chance to get stuffed on turkey and roast spuds. The religious significance of Christmas is not amplified in a country where only 14% of the population regularly attend church. The ‘threats’ look like a cheap publicity stunt.
Meanwhile, repeated exposure of the Welsh Defence League’s connections to known fascists has prompted them to change their name to Welsh Casuals. The Welsh division has struggled to ostracize Swansea Combat 18 for refusing to stop making Nazi salutes on demos. However, Luke Pippen, a Swansea C18 member, helps run the Casuals United Blog with WDL founder Jeff Marsh, which has just made the announcement.
What A Week!
So all in all, quite a week for Tommy Robinson as the pressure builds. Following the rejection by Geert Wilders and the Amsterdam debacle, he has been pictured at a BNP meeting, arrested for the 5th time this year and been the subject of less than flattering footage on YouTube. What next? The EDL will be holding a demo in Preston on November 27th which will no doubt descend into the usual violence and leave the local council with a bill of £500,000.
‘Malatesta’ NB: Copyright free. Pass it on to anyone who may find it useful. All the Malatesta Articles are available here:
http://malatesta32.wordpress.com/2010/08/
'Malatesta'
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Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
So if they protested the police...
06.11.2010 09:21
Anchoredwunderlust
EDL are infiltrated up to their eyeballs
06.11.2010 10:58
Seriously though, by now the EDL must be riddled with state agents - spies, agent provocateurs and just common or garden grasses. The OB have all the evidence they need to compromise a lot of people. The EDL are masters of rioting in CCTV covered city centres without disguising their identities, taking their phones to demos and I'm sure their ISPs are being looked into as well. People have been sent down for a lot less. If you're setting yourself up as the public leader of a movement that regularly organises public disorder you are basically asking for the plod to throw the book at you. They could probably send him down for a very long time indeed.
But, of course, Tommy and the other EDL leaders serve an important purpose for the police. One, they are leading a basically pro-establishment street movement at a time of crisis for that establishment. They are useful stooges for the state in taking people's eyes off the latest crisis of capitalism and laying the blame on scapegoats of choice, the Muslims. Two, they can be used to gather information on far right movements and individuals. You can be sure that the state want to keep the EDL exactly where they them. They give them enough room to make them look like a threat whilst always keeping them under control. As long as they know that they can lean on key people and disrupt the EDL whenever they want they are happy.
The state have an easy time with corrupt leaders like Yaxley-Lennon and Griffin. Because they can't stop themselves from dipping their porky fingers into the till they give the police the rope to hang them with. Expect to see more stories about the EDL/BNP's accounts/merchandising/slush funds corruption soon, unless the leaders strike a deal with the OB!
EDL members should be asking serious questions about who they can trust and whether their security has been compromised.
EDL watcher
EDL Exposed - Tommy Robinson & the Nazis -
07.11.2010 01:53
This photo shows EDL leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon with violent race-hate criminal, Holocaust denier and senior BNP and NF official Richard Edmonds, and with John Pater of an openly Nazi group called the November 9th Society. Richard Edmonds published an extreme right-wing magazine called Holocaust News, which pretended the Nazis never gassed Jews, gypsies, gays and disabled people, and is the person who famously admitted on TV that the BNP are "100% Racist". The Nov 9th Society is also known (ironically) as the British First Party, but takes the Nov 9th name from the date of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's failed 1923 beer-hall putsch in... Germany!
Battle Royale
Known
07.11.2010 12:50
True they have found opposition from many within the far-right for their pro-Isreali stance but again anyone with any sense knows that this is a mere smokescreen and that the EDL couldn't give 2 shits about Jews/Israel etc. They are merely interested in gsining support and using pro-Israel stance as a smokescreen - "we can't be racists/facists/nazi's if we support Israel". - You can if it is merely a cover to be dropped as and when the time arises.
The EDl is riddled through with BNP members/supporters as well as members of other far right groups, Liam Pinkham was a regular attendee of their protests where he was welcomed with open arms prior to his fall from grace over under aged sex with another BFF member's daughter.Wigan Mike co-modded an EDL website along with Jeff Marsh and most of the WDL are Combat 18 (more links between Marshy and Nazism!)
The BNP's Chris renton was an early insitgator also, something that should not be forgotten.
It is heartening that new far-right groups like the EDL have to cover their racism/nazism/facism to gain any support among the public, it shows that facism etc is perhaps less acceptable now than it was, at least openly. The more links are revealed between the EDL, BNP and other Nazi groups the weaker the EDL become. Those taken in by the patriotic-but-not-nazi image will drop away and oppostion will rise.
Makes me laugh to learn the Geert Wilders, as appalling an excuse for a human being as he is has publically distanced himself from the EDL, they fawn and simper over him, he pushes them away, when even your idols embarrasingly refuse to be associated with you, you know the game is drawing to a close!
IHTF
Jeff Marsh and Nazism
07.11.2010 21:17
As for the EDL and Jews, it's not just a political smokescreen, it's also a financial strategy - I think the EDL also pretend they like Jews because they make the time-old racist equation that sees all Jews as wealthy financiers, rather than as just ordinary people (some of whom are rich, some of whom are poor), therefore in the EDL's eyes Jewish people = "potential funding". These patriots have obviously forgotten the days when Zionist terror groups like Irgun and the Stern Gang butchered British soldiers to help establish the State of Israel
Lucky Luke
In Responce to the Nazi Link
09.11.2010 12:42
This is a long shot and I am not expecting anything to come of it, but it seems that it is time for me to set the record straight as I am now looking sheepishly at a picture of myself on the web.
Your work against the far right is commendable and I am not defending the far right but perhaps my story is worthy of print here.
My name is John Pater.
I was a member of the BNP and the British First party. As you know.
What led me to this path and making these mistakes may be of interest to you but what saved me from it and the fact I have woken up should be.
I have seen on the Searchlight website the motto ‘Hope not Hate’. I believe you do not harbour hatred of any one, I hope you don’t. Even those in the BNP and other organisations like it. If that is the case and you can forgive and believe in that hope as I do, there is hope for me and the opposition against the far right.
I left the British First Party, the BNP and all other organisations like it. Indeed I have been threatened by the EDL to keep away from them as they try to represent a front of non racism (hardly a claim to fame).
I left without any statements or reasoning to them because I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t carry around with me a constant hatred, a constant fear and suspicion of everything diverse, I couldn’t bear the burden of such negativity weighing heavy in my heart another second longer. And I just couldn’t cope with the constant barrage of racism, historic distortion and evil ranting at every meeting and on every bulletin.
With the love and support of a beautiful Lady and the companionship of the Lord I have re-discovered my humanity.
This humanity exists in the vast majority of those you oppose (granted not all). If you can reach out to that, if you can try and connect with this humanity then there is hope. Hope that people can accept a better way of living, and a better outlook on their future without the need to perpetuate a sense of fear and destruction spread by these parties.
It is easy to move on from all this hideousness and find a growing harmony.
I am not pitching my services as a reformed character to your efforts as I believe I would not be trusted (rightly so considering my history), and I’m sure you will read this with a high degree of scepticism, but to be perfectly honest I just want my life back, and atone for what I have done in charitable works completely unconnected with any politics what so ever.
But, if my post here is of interest to you and you think there is a chance it could boost your readers/activists resolve to continue with hope in their hearts and perhaps remind others to reconnect with their own humanity within these organisations (and leave them) – or if I can help you in another way...
Please get back to me and we can discuss this further.
Please stop using me to make others I have never met look bad.
Faithfully, In Hope
John Pater
John Pater