EDL leader agrees with Breivik, threatens Britain's entire Muslim population
Jai | 19.09.2011 10:34 | Anti-racism | World
The English Defence League’s Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka “Tommy Robinson”) recently gave an interview to the Norwegian media (see: http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/edl-leader-breivik-dared-to-come-forward-with-his-opinions/) and made the following dubious statements about the mass murdering Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik:
“We share some of his opinions, and his fear, but not what he did in Norway 22 July. I do not think he is insane. I think that his approach was insane…Breivik dared to come forward with his opinions, and was tough, in some regards. People need to understand that Breivik is not alone in these feelings.”
Yaxley-Lennon previously appeared to make a threat at the end of his interviews with the BBC’s Newsnight (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeKcniwh5io) and CNN (see: http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1107/25/ctw.01.html) shortly after the massacre in Norway, which was immediately noticed by Newsnight host Jeremy Paxman and CNN anchor Becky Anderson. Curiously, Yaxley-Lennon is also on record as making exactly the same claim about Far-Right anti-Muslim terrorism occurring in the United Kingdom “within the next 5 years” several months before Breivik’s attacks in Norway (see: http://exposingon.tumblr.com/post/8403583310/stephen-lennon-saying-there-is-only-five-years).
More recently, British counter-terrorism officers have confirmed that they are now investigating and monitoring the EDL in the same way that they investigate potential Islamist terrorists, and that this is a direct consequence of Breivik’s murderous actions (see: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/267644/Terror-squad-targets-EDL).
Furthermore, Paul Ray aka “Lionheart”, one of the EDL’s original founders who is being investigated by the Norwegian police for his links to Breivik, has now stated that Breivik is indeed part of a wider Far-Right movement, including possible cells in the UK (see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8723953/Norway-killings-British-mentor-says-Anders-Behring-Breivik-was-not-a-lone-wolf.html). The Norwegian police are expanding their investigations in conjunction with Scotland Yard to possibly include the questioning of a number of British citizens (see: http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/britons-may-face-breivik-probe-quiz). Multiple photographs of various EDL supporters brandishing guns have also recently surfaced, and some examples can be seen via Hope Not Hate here: http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/1341/the-guns-of-the-edl.
2. Yaxley-Lennon makes threat against Britain's entire Muslim population:
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, recently convicted of leading a violent brawl involving 100 football hooligans as he chanted “EDL till I die” (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-14278957), deliberately broke the terms of his bail conditions and attended the EDL’s demonstration in London on 3 September 2011 (comprehensive details of the day’s events can be read here: http://exposingon.tumblr.com/post/9802926071/the-day-the-edl-didnt-come-to-tower-hamlets and here: http://www.edlnews.co.uk/edl-news/edl-tower-hamlets-updates). In order to evade the police, Yaxley-Lennon came disguised as a Jewish rabbi. He subsequently removed his disguise and gave a speech to the gathered EDL supporters; the full 10-minute version of his speech can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWBRmuqsl5Q.
The most incriminating part of Yaxley-Lennon’s speech can be heard via Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j7IX_5a_9M&feature=share. Not only does he appear to be conveniently ignoring (or bizarrely unaware of) the fact that the British citizens murdered by terrorists on 7/7 included a number of Muslims (in fact, Yaxley-Lennon’s speech indicates that he does not even regard British Muslims as British citizens at all), but in an explicit accusation of collective guilt and consequently a warning of retaliation against his targets en masse, Yaxley-Lennon also openly threatened Britain’s entire Muslim population:
“EVERY SINGLE MUSLIM watching this on Youtube, on 7/7 you got away with killing and maiming British citizens, you got away with it. You had better understand that we have built a network from one end of this country to the other end, and we will not tolerate it, and the Islamic community will feel the full force of the English Defence League if we see any of our citizens killed, maimed or hurt on British soil ever again.”
As if Yaxley-Lennon’s accusations and sinister threats weren’t already disturbing enough, bear in mind that the terms “every single Muslim” and “Islamic community” by definition include Tariq Jahan and his family. Yaxley-Lennon himself is perfectly aware of this, because he publicly made statements in August 2011 expressing alleged sympathy for them (see: http://www.bryanappleyard.com/2011/08/the-death-of-haroon-jahan/) following the wave of admiration and support for Mr Jahan across Britain at the time. Considering Yaxley-Lennon’s subsequent statements in his most recent speech to the EDL, his remarks about the Jahan family last month now seem even more dishonest, hypocritical and opportunistic than they already did.
After Yaxley-Lennon removed his disguise, EDL supporters could be seen openly giving Nazi salutes, and you can see a photo via Hope Not Hate here: http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/1373/1449.
3. Yaxley-Lennon jailed for deliberately breaking his bail conditions:
Yaxley-Lennon taunted the police about the fact that he was deliberately breaking his bail conditions, and stated “I'm meant to sign on at a police station on a Saturday, I'm not doing that. I'm not allowed to go to a demonstration, I'm not doing that. That's what's going to happen and when I go to court if they let me out of court with any bail conditions that restrict my democratic right to oppose militant Islam, I will break them the minute I walk out.” (see: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23983697-60-arrested-in-edl-protest-clashes.do).
It is worth noting the following fact: During both of Yaxley-Lennon’s interviews on Newsnight earlier this year (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9lvhJAzSY and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeKcniwh5io) along with his interview on CNN (see here: http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1107/25/ctw.01.html), he made it explicitly clear that he is vehemently hostile towards Islam as a whole and regards the religion as inherently militant. Therefore, when Yaxley-Lennon publicly uses the term “militant Islam”, he is actually referring to Islam full-stop, not just genuinely extremist interpretations of the faith.
Yaxley-Lennon was later arrested by the police (see: http://www.edlnews.co.uk/edl-news/leader-lennon-on-remand) and has been in prison for the past week. According to his PA, Hel Gower (on record as supporting the BNP and the neo-Nazi “British First Party” – see: http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2011/5/7/edl-has-nothing-to-do-with-bnp-claims-guramit-singh.html), Yaxley-Lennon has gone on hunger strike (see: http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/edl_leader_on_hunger_strike_in_custody_1_3028437). Apparently he is doing this to protest against his incarceration as a so-called “political prisoner of the state” and the infringement of his alleged “democratic right” to engage in what is basically the religious persecution of the entire British Muslim population, despite the fact that he was actually jailed for deliberately breaking his bail conditions.
Adding to Yaxley-Lennon’s woes, the BNP’s Nick Griffin has now publicly spoken out in defence of him (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maHF92Aw7NY), claiming that Yaxley-Lennon is a “political prisoner” and forcefully objecting to his incarceration; the fact that Yaxley-Lennon has the ghastly Griffin’s support is, ironically, a particularly damning indictment of him.
4. Updated on Friday 16 September 2011:
Yaxley-Lennon was released from prison earlier this week. According to “Luton Today” (see: http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/hungry_for_justice_edl_leader_released_1_3048024?commentspage=0), Yaxley-Lennon’s much-vaunted “hunger strike” actually lasted only 24 hours and then he gave up. Furthermore, Yaxley-Lennon went on his “hunger strike” both as a political protest against his incarceration and also due to his alleged objections to the halal meat served in that particular prison.
However, the same article mentions that Yaxley-Lennon has claimed that he assuaged his alleged “hunger” immediately upon his release by eating a meal at the local Nandos restaurant in Luton; according to Nandos (see: http://rateyournandos.com/halal.aspx), all the meat served at that particular restaurant is halal, and they do not even allow non-halal meat on the premises.
As mentioned in the “Luton Today” article, Yaxley-Lennon has also stated that he is going to keep on breaking his bail conditions, and he is still complaining about the restriction of his alleged “human rights and civil liberties” to engage in what is actually religious persecution.
Jai
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