WALTHAMSTOW: Campaigners vow to halt EDL march

9:50am Friday 22nd June 2012 in Where I Live By Daniel Binns

An EDL march in Harrow An EDL march in Harrow

CAMPAIGNERS opposed to a proposed march by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) have vowed to make the borough a no-go area for the group.

The EDL announced online earlier this year that members intend to hold a demonstration in Walthamstow on Saturday August 18.

The group describes itself as an "inclusive movement" opposed to Islamic extremism, but critics say it is racist and divisive.

The We Are Waltham Forest campaign, set up in response to the proposed march, has now said its members will try and stop the event from going ahead with a counter-demonstration the same day.

The comments come after the group's first meeting, which it said was a big success attended by more than 100 residents.

The campaign is also planning a fundraising music concert on Friday June 29 at the Orford House Social Club in Walthamstow.

An EDL statement said: "Further details (of the march) will be given nearer the time.

"We are currently working together with the Met Police liaison team.

"It is not our intention to inflame tension, but to exercise our democratic right to peaceful protest."

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Comments(19)

Techno3 says...
10:58am Fri 22 Jun 12

This group of anti-fascists are no doubt well intentioned but they would be far more credible if they spent less time socialising in the Village and making speeches to the converted. Perhaps they should spend a bit more time working to defeat the anti-democratic would-be religious fascists who are already out on the streets of Waltham Forest harrassing the public and trying to introduce their version of Shariah law.

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Gary Rumain says...
4:15pm Fri 22 Jun 12

Typical fascists, denying others their right to free assembly and speech.

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merry_christmas says...
8:05pm Fri 22 Jun 12

I may not agree with all the EDL stand for but they should have the right to march.

There was a march last year via a radical muslim group so the EDL should also be allowed to march.

I respect anyones right to protest - as long as done in a peaceful way

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Brisbane says...
10:38pm Fri 22 Jun 12

So the protesters want to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest, but seek to make WF a no-go area for others seeking to do the same. What hypocrites.

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G_Whiz says...
11:12pm Fri 22 Jun 12

I think we should embrace All kinds of Extreamism, Muslim or Fascist. Apparently going by population prediction, growing guettos, less jobs, weak governments and courts....it's our future!

I so wish i was just being sarcastic!

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FairPlay1942 says...
4:59pm Sat 23 Jun 12

Look on Facebook at the EDL page and Print their Mission Statement.
What do the local police think of this?
The French don't allow the Burka, why should we. A motorcyclist must remove his helmet when going into a bank and many public places, why not a Muslim person. How does anyone know who is behind the mask? Man, woman, hiding weapons or what?

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FairPlay1942 says...
5:02pm Sat 23 Jun 12

Look on Facebook at the EDL page and Print their Mission Statement.
What do the local police think of this?
The French don't allow the Burka, why should we. A motorcyclist must remove his helmet when going into a bank and many public places, why not a Muslim person. How does anyone know who is behind the mask? Man, woman, hiding weapons or what?

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mdj says...
9:49am Sun 24 Jun 12

A few years ago now I saw a big parade go down Hoe St; some of its placards directly urged people to kill a writer whose work they disapproved of. The police did not intervene. So we obviously have a robust tradition of tolerating free speech in this borough. What are the EDL likely to advocate that would be more outrageous than the murder of a British citizen who had broken no laws?

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ASLEF shrugged says...
10:02am Sun 24 Jun 12

Funny the EDL never organise anything when the football's on.....

Seen it all before, BNP, NF, Blackshirts, ignore them and eventually they'll split after an internal dispute and the dregs will form a new group.

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Arthur22 says...
11:57am Sun 24 Jun 12

The EDL have as much right as any legitimate political group to protest in any town or city they wish too, this is what freedom is all about.
To stop or impede a lawful protest, is anti freedom, anti democracy.

Who is organising this anti EDL protest, it's the UAF, controlled by the SWP,Socialist Workers Party and that should tell us all we need to know.

They will, in the coming months use scare mongering tactics to inflame locals and will look for violent confrontation and make our streets a battle ground. The UAF should be made to have their protest on a different day, so that this is avoided.

Their, we are Waltham, is a lie, they are the UAF, SWP, with a smattering of anarchist out to cause as much trouble as they can.

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Walthamster says...
9:07pm Sun 24 Jun 12

Fifteen or 20 years ago I would have supported the anti-EDL group without question, same as I did with Rock against Racism and the Anti Nazi League.

These days I'm more concerned about sharia thugs abusing women in the street, here in Waltham Forest: http://www.guardian-
series.co.uk/news/wf
news/9768051.WALTHAM
_FOREST__Campaigners
_to__shame__kerb_cra
wlers/?cmpid=cmt

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I.Ride says...
12:26pm Mon 25 Jun 12

Soo a group called "The We Are Waltham Forest campaign" want to protest against the EDL for voicing their opinions which they have every right too do. Why? Ive seen people who are in this group and they basically are just those who are not English and dont like English pride because it makes them feel threatened. English people (Born and bred English, not those that have a British passport) go to other countries and learn and respect their culture, this is ours its in the name. The EDL represents alot of things like being against muslim extremism but many more are just trying to build up our british pride which the government of today allowed to be damaged by allowing so many wasters to come and scroung in this country. We need to sort this country out, first stop letting people come into this country who have nothing to offer and are just going to claim a living! Then get rid of all of the dirty illegal immigrants and stop benefits unless you are English born and bred or you have had a british passport for over five years, like Australia. People need to realise England is one of the most powerful countries in the world, The government need to start using their power. This country has alot of its own problem stop helping others soo much with theres!!

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William Young says...
2:12pm Mon 25 Jun 12

This comment appeared here earlier, hoping to smear football lovers:

"ASLEF shrugged says...
10:02am Sun 24 Jun 12

Funny the EDL never organise anything when the football's on....."

Perhaps you may recall that the recent EDL demonstration in Luton, attended by many thousands of patriotic anti-islamofascism British people was on MAY 5th 2012, the same day as the FA Cup Final.

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Localimmigrant says...
4:32pm Mon 25 Jun 12

The problem with the EDL is that they really aren't just against Islamic extremism - you don't have to scratch the surface very deeply to know that.

They're actually really very similar to the "No To Prostitution Campaign" group - they just want to make a fuss and get some publicity because someone is pulling their strings. Neither group represents the communities they purport to.

Would I stop them marching? I'd prefer they didn't, but stopping them is down to the police.

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William Young says...
4:41pm Mon 25 Jun 12

@Localimmigrant:

I don't think it's fair to generalise about people as everybody has a different standpoint. I know that as a fervent EDL supporter I am very much against the extremes of the islamic theopolitical doctrines, but am very happy to share the planet with the gentle people who adhere to the humane, polite, thoughtful, law-abiding aspects of the religion, whom I believe make up the vast majority. It only took a few Nazis to create mayhem (you are unlikely to meet any Germans who are objectionable - they are by and large a very dear, kind people), and it is only taking a few islamofascists to deform our country.

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FairPlay1942 says...
10:28am Tue 26 Jun 12

Maybe, this one statistical comparison will show you why Pakistanis want to live in the UK.
Human Development Index Pakistan 0.527 UK 0.939
DEFINITION: The human development index values in this table were calculated using a consistent methodology and consistent data series. They are not strictly comparable with those in earlier Human Development Reports.
SOURCE: Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme
Pakistan Ranked 136th. UK Ranked 15th., 78% more than Pakistan
What I can't understand is why the immigrants want to accept all possible hand outs from our welfare system and at the same time they want to lower the standards in our country and bring it down to the same level as theirs?
Why are they allowed to?
Why does commonsense not prevail?
If you go to live in another country you would expect to respect the laws and customs of that country and you would expect to be punished if you didn't.
In many countries, you would be instantly jailed/deported for defamatory acts like burning the country's flag.
When confronted by rioting, armed immigrants and unarmed white peaceful English demonstrators, the police arrest and charge the soft, easy whites because they fear for their safety and will not tackle the immigrants.
Why is this tolerated by our politicians?
The UK is famous for it’s apathy regarding politics and, to me, it looks like only the EDL are actively trying to raise these matters into public awareness. The turnout for Council Elections is particularly low and this allows an organised minority to get one of their members elected and wreak havoc. If it’s the National Front then it’s all headlines in the newspapers, but if it is another minority group, no one notices or says anything.
We must cast our future votes more carefully than we have in the past, both at Council and General elections.

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Arthur22 says...
12:47pm Tue 26 Jun 12

The question people ought to ask, is Waltham Forest the next Tower Hamlets which is now an Islamic enclave.

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William Young says...
1:06pm Tue 26 Jun 12

It must be clearly understood that islamists are indoctrinated (brainwashed) from birth to believe in an entity called "allah" who they think owns the world, and that they alone have the right to claim this whole world "for allah". The sooner we all understand this clearly and start to treat the islamists (the insanely political 'muslims', not the nice, ordinary, peaceable folk who probably detest the lunatic islamists) with the suspicion and contempt any fascist, expansionist, foreign aggressor (i.e. Hitler) deserves the better. We and our lily-livered politicians have had ample warnings about this, and yet many people still swallow the lie that anyone who finds a foreign aggressor unacceptable is a "racist". Islam and islamists are not a race, just as catholicism and christianity are not races - they are ONLY religious points of view, and therefore the fragile opinion of an indoctrinated minority.

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ClifftonX says...
9:57am Wed 27 Jun 12

I have to say, driving down Lea Bridge Road last week, how depressing it was that the mosque has separate women's and men's entrances. It is a stark reminder of how much we have moved on in the west over the last hundred years, and how much Islam is dragging us back to the dark ages.

How long before dogs are banned on the streets, or pork not sold in supermarkets as some of out inhabitants find it against their religion?

As a frequent visitor to the middle east, I can tell you that, with the exception of Saudi, I see more Christian symbols in the shops there at Christmas and Easter than I do here. The reason is that they respect others religions and accept that other faiths deserve their place.

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