Heads up!

[kat_lair]

Have just spent some time educating myself about the English Defence League who are organising an anti-Islam demonstration right here in my city (Manchester) this Saturday.

The EDL claims not to be far right, fascist or racist, simply opposing Muslim extremists and terrorists, not Islam per se. So hey, that's okay then right? Who doesn't oppose terrorism? If only it were that simple...

- Even if some members of EDL are sincere in their 'we're not anti-Islam, honest' belief, a group like this is likely to attract many who are and has in fact already done so, e.g. a number of EDL supporters throwing Nazi salutes during demonstrations.
- Despite both BNP (British National Party) and EDL officially distancing themselves from each other, there are links between the organisations, e.g. known BNP supporters being spotted at demonstrations.
- EDL has also been linked with other, more unambiguously anti-Islam groups.
- Group was founded by and centres around individuals linked with football hooligan networks, many which of course have their own far-right leanings.
- EDL is openly defining itself as a 'street-army' which together with its links to football hooliganism and tendency to target communities with existing tensions,  make the likelihood of and willingness for violence high.

Some links:
English Defence League  - official website. Enter at own risk.
Who are the English Defence League? - BBC article
Businessman bankrolls ‘street army’  - Searchlight article
Do we ignore the fascist presence of the English Defence League? - A blog entry from an 'armchair Labour supporter' (lol, are there other kind?). A nicely critical look that acknowledges shades of grey from both sides of the barricade.


Demonstration taking place in Manchester this Saturday with expected counter-demonstrations from anti-fascist groups. A major security operation by the Greater Manchester Police is surrounding the event.

I kind of want to take my camera and go document.

Comments

[broadwayyy.livejournal.com]

That makes me so unbelievably angry. I wish I didn't have to go in to town on Saturday because I don't want to face those narrow-minded twats, and have to walk by something like that with my best friends (80% of whom happen to be Muslim) who've never been here before, and say "Well, welcome to my city then."

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Have just checked their website (yeah I know) and they're meeting in Weatherspoon next to Piccadilly Gardens around noon with the demonstration with speakers, '2min silence for fallen war heroes' and singing of national anthem (I'll be surprised of more than 3 will know it) scheduled to start at 17.00. UAF counter demonstration is happening at 13.00. So yeah, that might be an area to avoid if you want a peaceful Saturday.

[bluesbell.livejournal.com]

That is absolutely disgusting.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The problem is that they are so deceptively clean in their approach (website extolling how they are definitely NOT racist etc.) that people not knowing how to dig deeper will quite easily believe it. Most of these groups are experts at selling half-truths and twisting things. Here it is made to look that if you oppose EDL you are in effect supporting Muslim extremists. It's the old either-or, black-and-white thing - offering easy answers and simple solutions to complex problems. Shades of grey are hard, most people don't like them.

[teithiwr.livejournal.com]

Arrghghg! Things like this reduce me to inarticulate anger. I just don't get how people can be so stupid. *fumes*

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

The scary thing is that a lot of these people aren't stupid but in fact very, very smart.

[pushkin666.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately these organisations have been garnering more and more support over the last few years.

And of course by using the banner of opposing fanatics and terrorists a lot of people won't dig any deeper. They take things at face value .

But even worse are those who do dig deeper and know full well what they're about but agree with it.

The other way they get away with it is that people look at the supporters and think "oh it's just football hooligans, thugs, people that don't understand etc etc". Not so.

A lot of the people supporting such groups are middle and upper class educated people who agree with everything organisations like the EDL and BNP put forward.

Lets not forget how many people supported Mosley and his British Union of Fascists when it first started up!

Grr. I hate this sort of thing and be prepared for some serious trouble in Manchester on Saturday.

I do hope that you're not going to go into town with your camera.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

*nods* A world of yes to all that. It is exactly why groups like this shouldn't be dismissed as harmless trouble-makers or dumb bigots. The fact that many people with views such as these are extremely intelligent makes them all the more dangerous, convincing and potentially dangerous.

Good education and IQ doesn't exclude anyone from being a bigot. Recently a high level Finnish academic has been making posts with a rather definitely anti-Islam and misogynist slant (I'd link but it's in Finnish).

I'll see how I feel on Saturday though I have to say I'm tempted, not to go and get into the thick of things but to take photos, because the opportunity for interesting shots is too good to be missed.

[trialia]

These people make me so furious. I want to just bitchslap the lot of them and tell them to GTFO off my side (by what their name implies - fuck you, idiots).

And I have to go into town tomorrow. Fuck.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Well yeah. And the problem is that most of these people (from both sides) are not interested in sitting down and talking, because running around and shouting slogans is so much more fun.

Any problems babe? I didn't have any issues and took a shitload of photos, now posted.