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

[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.