By admin on April 9th, 2010
In February, the Irish Sunday Tribune ran a piece on the emergent Irish National Party, giving undue attention to a group that was little more than one Dublin based paediatric nurse and a couple of impressionable hangers on. The group identified as a moderate party in favour of immigration reform and quickly created a small media frenzy.
As a reporter covering the Irish far-right for the last 18 months, I couldn’t understand why the group was getting so much coverage. I had previously gathered information on the INP and decided against giving them the oxygen of publicity, there were bigger and more dangerous far-right formations out there to be dealt with.
When the group arranged to appear on a national radio chat show, Coleman at Large, I joined the INP leader David Barrett on air for a frank discussion. Barrett was confronted with a few choice anti-semitic quotes I had gathered from his Facebook, and confronted with pictures of his fellow party member performing a straight armed salute.
Continue reading Exposing the Irish National Party →
By admin on April 6th, 2010
LAST week BNP youth leader Mark Collett was suspended from the party for allegedly threatening to kill Nick Griffin.
Collett (29) was detained by police following claims by the BNP that he was involved in a plot to harm both Griffin and party financer James Dowson.
However, sources close to the BNP have stated that the plot is a work of fiction to cover up what is little more than an internal bust up over finances.
In a statement last week the party declared that their security team were investigating “alleged financial irregularities”. The statement went on to claim that Collett, head of publicity, was “conspiring with a small clique of other party officials to launch a palace coup”. The co-conspirators turned out to be BNP staff manager, Emma Colgate, and head of elections, Eddie Butler.
Continue reading Collett arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill Griffin →
By Jonathan Warren on April 5th, 2010
A shop in Dudley is boarded up in anticipation of violence at the English Defence League protest. Image © Jonathan Warren/jwarren.co.uk 2010
Entering the town of Dudley yesterday was like entering a ghost town, an almost militarised ghost town. More than half the roads in the town centre were closed, with police manning the roadblocks. As we made our way to where the English Defence League rally was due to be held we walked past rows of boarded up shops. The marketplace that should have been doing a roaring trade on a normal Bank Holiday weekend was empty.
Continue reading EDL rampage as journalists attacked in Dudley →
By admin on April 3rd, 2010
Anti-fascist demonstrators are meeting in Dudley today to celebrate Dudley’s multi faith and multi racial community.
The event put on by Unite Against Fascism in partnership with Love Music Hate Racism, brings together anti-fascists, interfaith communities, local politicians and young people to celebrate the diversity of British society and demonstrate again the English Defence League. The rascist and violent EDL are also rallying on the outskirts of the city to oppose the building of a new mosque.
The EDL have been targeting Muslim communities with their race hatred and following the EDL march in Bolton two weeks ago, a man was stabbed. EDL supporters also caused a riot in Stoke-on-Trent earlier this year, attacking the local Asian community and police.
Fore more information on the march:
www.uaf.org.uk
http://lovemusichateracism.com/
By admin on March 29th, 2010
Barking and Dagenham’s disgraced BNP leader Bob Bailey may be suspended from his role as councillor for making racially offensive remarks.
His racist rant was made during a planning meeting in July last year, when the predominantly Nigerian Redeemed Christian Church of God, applied for permission to turn an office space at Rima House, Barking, into a place of worship.
Bailey’s outbursts included statements like “There are too many Nigerian churches in this place – you wait and see. Wait until next year’s election. You wait and see” and “We don’t want the amount of black children”.
He claimed to have visited a Nigerian church where he had seen “people eat off the ground.” Bailey then added: “There must be some hygiene regulations preventing this.”
Continue reading BNP leader facing suspension for racist rant →
By admin on March 28th, 2010
Witnesses to last weekend’s demonstration against the English Defence League in Bolton reported deeply disturbing police operational tactics. Greater Manchester Police sought to stymie the Unite Against Fascism counter-demonstration with aggression and brutality, whilst allowing the racist EDL to rally without constraint.
It may be that we have grown so accustomed to police violence on demonstrations that people no longer expect anything different. This might explain why the press paid so little attention to the events at Bolton, and, when they did run a story, displayed a concerning lack of journalistic skill in checking the facts, instead simply regurgitating the police version of events and press releases.
Similar press reporting occurred in the aftermath of the G20 protests in London a year ago and it was only after journalists at The Guardian and on Channel 4 News started asking probing questions about what had really gone on that we found out more about the ‘kettling’ technique and about a series of violent attacks on demonstrators, reportedly involving the Tactical Support Unit, which culminated in Ian Tomlinson’s tragic death.
Continue reading Police protection of fascist movements →
