Luton’s football hooligans were allowed to walk on the streets of Birmingham yesterday when the organisers of the English and Welsh Defence League promised their drunken supporters “a great day out”. Banned from Luton, police claimed that they had no powers to ban free speech. No counter protest was planned so this left young Asians, Muslim or otherwise, exposed to taunts, glasses and bottles from the visitors.
Many – well over 1,000 – letters were sent to the Home Secretary with copies to West Midland Police and the City Council’s appalling Rudge all to no avail. The message to a large section of the community is that they are here under sufferance. Both police and council claim they are striving for a cohesive society.Their failure to act will lead to anything but.
The EWDL distance themselves from fascists and the BNP, yet their message is the same. They try to talk about “Islamic extremists” but their literature talks about Islam as a whole. We also know that among society at large is an inability to distinguish between different groups in the Asian community. Following 9/11 it was a Sikh who was targetted for assassination in the US. Make no mistake the intended message of the EDWL does not intend anyone to make a distinction. It is avowedly racist, propped up by their apologists among the police and councillors. Thus was Adolf Hitler appeased.

Now the BBC are planning to invite the BNP onto their Question Time panel, giving yet more oxygen to peddle hatred. The same courtesy is not extended to speakers from left wing political parties although the BBC claims the extension of participation is a matter of equality. It was noticeable how David Dimbleby was quick to silence comments from left when they were raised from the floor. During the European elections the BNP and UKIP were frequently headlined while both left groups standing, the Socialist Labour Party and No to EU were starved of coverage, as were their position on key issues.