A decision is due later today over the planned English Defence League (EDL) march in Bristol, planned for the same day as the city’s Pride march.
As reported by Bristol24-7 earlier this week, the official spokesman for the EDL Tommy Robinson said the group wanted to change the date of their march to avoid a conflict.
The backtrack came after Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, had called for their march to be banned.
“We didn’t realise about the Pride event being on the same weekend,” Mr Robinson said. “So we will be changing our date, we don’t want to clash with that.
“There is a liaison meeting with the police tomorrow and we’ll say we don’t want to do our march on the same weekend.”
However, at a meeting with Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset police the following day, the EDL said their spokesman was wrong and the group still wanted to march on July 14.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the EDL said: “Members of the Gay Pride are more than welcome to come and participate in the EDL march if they so wish, and we will also be having a transexual speaker from our own LGBT Division.”
The EDL is due to finalise details with police and council officials today over the timing and route of their march in the city.
A council source told Bristol24-7 the aim was to ensure the two marches were kept as far apart as possible, and that the EDL would be routed through areas that would make it as easy as possible to control.
More than 900 people have now signed an online petition calling for the EDL march to be banned, stating: “The EDL must not be able to bring their message of hate and division to places where diversity is a strength not a weakness.”
Lead petitioner Adrian Probert wrote on Bristol24-7: “The EDL are not welcome in Bristol. They do not represent the values or views of a progressive diverse city which celebrates all of our beliefs, cultures and lifestyles.
“Their message of hate has appeared in many cities across the country and has caused violence, damage and fear in local communities.
“Yes those cities banned the marches and they came anyway but the point is do we welcome them as a city or say publicly no we dont want you here.”
And the decision was…? Awaiting a follow-up news post please
Its good that the EDL is reaching out to all people to draw attention to the harassment, intimidation and violence people who do not conform with Islamic ideology sometimes experience when living in close proximity to a large community.
Gay people have been subjected to numerous violent attacks and campaigns of harassment. Similarly Sikhs, Hindus and of course white people are targetted. Infact the statistics show that the vast majority of racist attacks in England have white victims and the perpetrators are of immigrant descent contrary to what the liberal media would like you to believe.
Its good that working class people finally have a voice after so many years of being ignored.
Unlike the hypocritical middle class students and MPs who throw insults at the EDL, most people who go on EDL demonstartions have grown up side by side with the large Muslim communities which have come to dominate many British towns and cities.
I went on the last Luton demonstration and met an EDL chap who spoke fluent Urdu. I myself was first warned in no uncertain terms of the dangers of aspects of Islam by Sikh friends back in the early 90s in Birmingham. There have been riots between Sikhs and Muslims in Birmingham and although at that time I had no problem with muslims my Sikh friends were extremely wary of them.
The EDL are open to people of all races, faiths and sexualities. They have black, Sikh and Muslim members. I note however there has been a split in the so called anti-fascist movement whereby the Jewish Hope-not-Hate followers will not mix with the pro-Muslim UAF, perhaps you're getting them confused.
The EDL have one Sikh member (who has been excommunicated by the British Sikh community) and one Muslim member (who, in keeping with EDL tradition) is a football hooligan who was fined last year for sectarian chanting. All the other members are white, many of whom are homophobic, many of whom have criminal convictions for violence and a small number of whom are convicted paedophiles.
You're correct Paul R. Arry is indeed getting mixed up. The Jewish Hope-not-Hate followers are indeed wary of the faux Left anti semite UAF Islamist supporters. Also, Peter Tatchell was threatened by muslims at Tower Hamlets for having a Gay and Muslim Unite banner. He was also accused of being a fascist (a much discredited lazy term to stifle debate) by the UAF when he complained.
I think the EDL need to be clearer about which gay racists are allowed to attend their march. It seems that Jewish Gay Racists are now okay with the EDL (despite them being the target of English fascists for the last 100 years), but presumably Muslim, Hindu and Sikh gay racists would not be so welcome. Perhaps they could clarify matters further.