Category Archives: Nottinghamshire

2013/05/24

Possible EDL demo in Nottingham tomorrow

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

Hoping to exploit a horrific murder for political ends, individuals associated with Nottingham EDL are calling an “unofficial” demo in Nottingham’s Market Square tomorrow (Saturday 25th May) at 1pm. Steve Ryan, a Nottingham Forest football hooligan, has been touting an attempt to milk social tensions generated by the murder of a soldier in Woolwich, according to a poster on Nottingham Indymedia. Local Muslims have been warned to stay away from the city centre out of fear that they will face violent racist “revenge” attacks and anti-fascists are calling for a counter-mobilisation.

We are sceptical about whether many EDL will turn up as most will be going to Newcastle for the EDL’s national demonstration there. However, some bully boy “patriots” might spend enough time in Weatherspoons to get the courage up to have a go at any non-white people who happen to be in the area. If you’re in the Nottingham are tomorrow please go and support the anti-fascists who will be making sure the EDL are not welcome in the city.

Here’s the Indymedia post:

Members of the EDL (the English Defence League) are attempting to arrange an unofficial “demonstration” tomorrow (Saturday) at 1pm on the market Square.

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Muslims in the area have been urged to refrain from entering the city centre by Mosques because of a high chance of violent confrontations.

Similar attacks have been occurring up and down the country since Wednesday’s event in London.

This information is public and has been taken from the social media site Facebook.

Please spread the word that the EDL may be meeting tomorrow!

(Please note that there will be another Demo taking place on the market square against Monsanto @ 2pm….)

Please join us, bring banner making materials, noise makers and energy to let them know that their fascism will not be tolerated and people will not be intimidated!

 

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2013/05/03

Bad day continues for BNP

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

The bad news keeps coming for the BNP who have seen their vote collapse across the East Midlands, even in previously strong areas such as Charnwood and Amber Valley. The results are now in from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and they’re not good for the BNP.

The Fuhrer gets the news

The Fuhrer gets the news

In Amber Valley, the Invisible Councillor’s stay in the wilderness looks set to continue. Cliff Roper blogged excitedly about UKIP not standing in his Greater Heanor ward a month ago but it didn’t help him out. He managed to get 336 votes (12.5%) but that was nowhere near winning. Adrian Hickman failed in Heanor Central only managing 5.5% in a ward that the BNP got 12.5% in in 2009. In Ripley the party’s results were even worse with Alan Edwards getting a pathetic 2.6% in Ripley East & Codnor and Ken Cooper only scraping 63 votes (1.5%) in Ripley West & Heage. There have been some boundary changes in the area but the BNP got 7.2% in Ripley and 6.3% in Heage last time around so this is a significant drop in their share of the vote.

The BNP were  standing 6 candidates in Charnwood and 1 in the nearby ward of Glenfields, an area of north Leicestershire they have previously done well in. It was not to be this time around though. Peter Cheeseman’s share of the vote in Glenfields slumped from 16% in 2009 to 3% and the party’s share of the vote was halved across Charnwood. The best results came from Cathy Duffy in Syston Fosse (11.4% compared with 25.6% in 2009) and Robin Derrick in Thurmaston (10.5% compared to 19.6% in 2009) although in both wards their share of the vote had dropped dramatically.

Things weren’t looking much better for the newly formed (and probably soon to demise) British Democrats either. Kevan Stafford, a former BNP candidate got 7.4% of the vote in Loughborough South (the BNP did better with 12.4% in 2009) and we are very happy to announce that nasty islamophobe and former BNP councillor Graham Partner lost his seat thanks to a massive desertion by his voters. Partner won the Coalville ward with 27.7% of the vote in 2009 but only managed to get 7.4%, less than a third of his previous share, this time. Good riddance!

In Nottinghamshire the re-emergence of Broxtowe BNP seems to have been dealt a fatal hammer blow. Broxtowe organiser David Wright only got 78 votes (2.6%) in Beauvale and fellow activist Alex McConnell did even worse in Eastwood, only managing to attract 57 votes (2.1%). The BNP got 19.7% in Beauvale in 2009 so this is shockingly bad.

With only Northamptonshire left to declare, the news is grim for the far right who have seen voters desert them. No doubt this is in part due to a surge in popularity of the slightly more moderate UKIP but also undoubtedly because the BNP has failed to offer anything to voters in times of austerity except a racism that is increasingly out of touch with the public. Infighting in the far right has meant that many of the party’s activists have given up in despair or left for other pointless groups, leaving the BNP unable to contest elections effectively. We will doubtless see many more desert following these appalling election results and hopefully the knives will be out for Griffin again.

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2013/04/09

More East Midlands far right candidates

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

The nominations are in for Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire County Council elections. In all three counties there are fewer BNP candidates than in 2009 suggesting the party’s support has collapsed across the region.

Lincolnshire

  • Holbeach – Robert Malcolm Brian West (BNP)
  • Louth Wolds – John Atty (BNP)
  • Skegness South – Robert John Ashton (BNP)
  • Spalding East & Moulton – Anthony John Williams (BNP)

BNP had 23 candidates in 2009

Northamptonshire

  • Brickhill & Queensway – David Peter Robinson (BNP)
  • Clover Hill – Victoria Hilling (Eng Dems)
  • Corby West – Marc Gordon Riddell (BNP)
  • Croyland & Swanspool – Terry Spencer (Eng Dems)
  • Delapre & Rushmere – Mark Andrew Plowman (BNP)
  • Desborough – Kevin Sills (Eng Dems), Clive Skinner (BNP)
  • Hatton Park – Rob Walker (Eng Dems)
  • Irthlingborough – John Elvis Whitestone (BNP)
  • Kingsthorpe North – Peter James Whitestone (BNP)
  • Kingswood – Stella Wright (BNP)
  • Lloyds – Gordon Riddell (BNP)
  • Oakley – James Andrew Gordon Campbell (BNP)
  • Towcester & Roade – John Hughes (BNP)
  • Windmill – Derek Hilling (Eng Dems)

BNP had 12 candidates in 2009 and English Democrats had 4.

Nottinghamshire

  • Beauvale  – David Michael Matthew Wright (BNP)
  • Eastwood – Alex McConnell (BNP)

BNP had 15 candidates in 2009.

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2013/03/31

Far right humiliated in Nottingham

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

In spite of national call outs and attendances by the North West Infidels, Paul Pitt of the South East Alliance, Casuals United, the English National Resistance, Nottingham EDL and the EVF, barely a dozen people bothered turning up for Tony Curtis’ demo at Nottingham Uni yesterday. After plotting up at a nearby Toby carvery the pitiful crowd weren’t even allowed onto the campus and had to stand around in the road outside listening to Tone the Moan. Casuals United reckon they go where they want but as usual they meekly went exactly where the police wanted them. They didn’t get close to the event they were supposed to be protesting or speak to the general public so the whole thing was a waste of time.

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This is further proof that without the EDL these hangers on are nothing. It looks impressive to have alliances of about 10 different groups until you realise that each group has about 3 people in it and most of them are keyboard warriors. These big mouths spend more time designing elaborate logos and posting on Facebook than actually doing anything in the real world.

This is the second humiliation this week for Curtis who foolishly thought he could hold his own against “the left” on Indymedia. When his badly thought through arguments were torn to shreds he quickly surrendered, pretending he’d been banned, even though as one commenter pointed out, you can’t be banned from Indymedia. As one poster noted “typical fascist, making loads of noise but unable to back it up when effectively challenged”.

Part of Curtis’ whingeing was about being called a racist. Well here’s a tip – if you don’t want people to think you’re a racist it’s probably best not to give Nazis a hug. Curtis was recently pictured with his arm around Shane Calvert, leader of the NWI who are notorious for calling for the killing of “Pakis”, the gassing of Jews and murdering of immigrants. Calvert was recently in attendance at the neo-Nazi White Pride Worldwide event and regularly does demos alongside the National Front. Other NWI activists include Liam Pinkham, who likes to pose in jackboots giving a stiff-armed salute.

Paul Pitt, Shane Calvert and Tony Curtis yesterday

Paul Pitt, Shane Calvert and Tony Curtis yesterday

Shane Calvert

Shane Calvert

NWI member Liam Pinkham

NWI activist Liam Pinkham

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2013/03/26

Far right demonstration in Nottingham on Saturday

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

Far right activists, led by Casuals United and Tony Curtis of the English National Resistance, will be holding a demonstration against a Muslim conference in Nottingham this weekend. They will be protesting outside the East Midlands Conference Centre at 1pm on Saturday 30th March.

Demo organiser Tony Curtis: Hate speaker?

Demo organiser Tony Curtis: Hate preacher?

In response to our previous article asking why they were coming, they have now seen fit to reveal that they are protesting the invitation of Haitham al-Haddad to speak at the conference. Previously they just told their followers to blindly follow their command to oppose the “hate preachers” and none of them asked questions. Blind obedience seems to be as alive and well in the far right as it was in the days of “just following orders” 1930s Germany.

The decision to oppose al-Haddad is not unreasonable, given that he has reportedly described Jews as “the enemies of God, and the descendants of apes and pigs” and believes in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He has said that should a woman refuse to sleep with her husband, “angels will curse” her and has written in favour of the prohibition of musical instruments. That he is speaking at a family event and passing on these bigoted ideas is very disturbing.

But it is the utmost hypocrisy for former EDL members to be protesting this man. After all, Tony Curtis has supported the NWI recently, even though leader, John “Snowy” Shaw also believes in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and extreme anti-Semitic ideas. Why is Curtis protesting a Muslim hate preacher but not the hate preacher in his own midst? We can also point the finger at Jeff Marsh, leader of Casuals United, who set up the the openly Nazi Welsh Defence League. Even the former leader of the EDL’s Jewish Division quit claiming that the organisation had been taken over by Nazis. The EDL has courted Jews when it has seemed politically useful but is now turning back to anti-Semites for support.

Casuals United leader Jeff Marsh's Welsh Defence League: very tolerant of Jews

Casuals United leader Jeff Marsh’s Welsh Defence League: very tolerant of Jews

It’s also hypocritical for the far right to criticise al-Haddad’s sexist ideas and lack of respect for a woman’s sexual consent. EDL members have been exposed for promoting rape as a weapon against their enemies and local members were exposed by us for their misogynist and sexually predatory posts. Some of these men will be turning up to “oppose” al-Haddad’s views on women at the weekend, but their own are equally disgusting and backwards. Why aren’t Casuals and Curtis booting them out of the ranks? Maybe because they aren’t brown or bearded enough.

Al-Haddad should be opposed by the vast majority who find his views abhorrent, not this ragtag bunch of far right misfits whose own ideas are just as disgusting. It would be best if both al-Haddad and the racist, sexist, homophobes of the far right were sent packing.

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2013/03/21

Far right threaten Muslim conference

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

Thanks to the anti-fascist who posted a heads up about a possible EDL demo on Indymedia:

Nottingham EDL are trying to shut down a Family Retreat conference at the University of Nottingham for the sole reason that it is being held by Muslims. Calling the organisers “Jihadis” and the event a “hate speech conference” they are encouraging supporters to contact the East Midlands Conference Centre to get the event cancelled and are threatening to hold a demonstration if it goes ahead. In fact, the family event is a very apolitical one, focused mainly on doctrinal issues within Islam. But then the speakers do have beards…

It seems that the EDL only have issues with the event because it is organised by and for Muslims. Of course, if a Muslim group were to protest and try to shut down a Christian event, the EDL would be baying for blood. Apparently, it’s alright when it’s the other way round though. It seems they are only in favour of their own freedom of speech but want to silence others.

The conference is scheduled to take place from Fri 29 March – Mon 01 April at the East Midlands Conference Centre on Nottingham University’s main campus.

East Midlands Anti-fascists have done a bit more digging and found that this is part of a larger campaign by Casuals United who are inviting not just the EDL but all the explicitly fascist groups, like the NWI and EVF, to harass universities into cancelling events.

East Midlands top dog Tony Curtis is claiming to be organising a demo against the family event sometime over Easter weekend, saying that one of the speakers condones the rape of children and the killing of gays. As usual, he doesn’t provide any evidence and given he was also claiming that calling people ‘pakis’ is not racist recently, we aren’t very convinced by his claims.

Casuals United are claiming that:

Main speakers are hate preachers who call f0r female genital mutilation, gays and non Muslims to be killed and who praise terror attacks.

They also say that “This is the same mob below that we stopped at Reading Uni” referring to a talk that was due to be given by Abu Usamah at-Thahabi that was stopped by a student anti-extremist  group (not the far right). However, at-Thahabi is not scheduled to speak at the Nottingham event so it’s unclear what the link is.

If the University of Nottingham event really is going to feature men who promote misogynist and homophobic actions then it should be shut down, by the wider community not a bunch of racist fascists. However, so far the far right’s case for being there looks decidedly shaky.

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2013/03/06

Nottingham BNP in deep cover

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

We’re very pleased that Nottingham BNP have started publishing reports on their branch meetings on their shoddy and garish site. These are a lot more entertaining than the mix of Nick Griffin’s begging letters and reposts of any crime story from the Nottingham Post involving black people, which was all that used to go up. The most recent report has a real gem – Nottingham BNP’s ‘underground’ activities:

The Auk indymedia site and the activities going on at the Sumac centre (once again thanks for the inside information ‘Mole’) were again a good source of amusement and continue to entertain everyone.

It’s seriously doubtful whether they really have a mole taking part in activities at Nottingham’s social centre, the Sumac Centre, or Indymedia, otherwise they would have hinted at the juicy gossip they’d been able to pick up on. Most probably they’re just fantasising about playing James Bond, forgetting that you have to have a certain amount of charm to be a successful spy.

Nottingham BNP activist, Alex 'Beano' McConnell

Nottingham BNP activist, Alex ‘Beano’ McConnell – perhaps on his way to wash dishes for ‘reds’ at the Sumac?

Broxtowe organiser, David Wright, gets into disguise

Broxtowe BNP activist, David Wright, gets into disguise

Given that the Sumac Centre is, according to its website, “run by Volunteers” and is “always in need of more people to help keep the Centre running”, “infiltrating” the Sumac would have to involve putting yourself forward to help run the place. Let’s hope that the BNP really are pulling pints and peeling tatties for their anarchist and left-wing enemies – helping to support an alternative to the fascist dictatorship they desire.

Likewise, the Nottingham Indymedia website is run by a collective that holds open meetings. You don’t need to be a mole to work out what’s going on – it’s all in the public domain. Sorry to smash your dreams of being the next Mark Kennedy lads! With openly organised, non-hierarchical organisations like these, it’s hard to see what the BNP would get out of infiltrating them, even if they were capable of it.

What is more worrying is that the BNP are trying to do some racially-selective social work:

There is also need to get more involved with community projects like operating food banks for our needy etc. [Emphasis added]

This is not really anything new. The BNP have been trying to infiltrate and exploit community projects for years. Now they are hoping to emulate the successes of Greek Nazis, Golden Dawn, whose cynical “anti-austerity” measures only extend to “indigenous” Greeks.

If the BNP are reading this (which they almost certainly are – they crave the attention), we notice that you haven’t managed to find any candidates for the local elections yet. Better stop playing police spies and get back to losing deposits.

2 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Nottinghamshire

2013/02/01

Racist attacks in Bingham

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

A worrying article on the BBC news website, reports that a Muslim family have been forced to leave the Nottinghamshire market town of Bingham following a string of racist incidents.

Offensive graffiti was sprayed on the path outside their house and, in one of the more bizarre racist incidents we’ve encountered, a cross wrapped in ham was left outside their home.

“The first incident was when the big, wooden cross, wrapped in ham, fell into the house after a knock at the door,” Murad Alam told the BBC. He said that names such as “Paki” and “tramp” had been shouted at them in the street. “The kids have been abused a number of times; the eldest had smoke blown in his face by an elderly local gentleman.”

Mr Alam told the BBC that he thought Bingham was generally a nice area: “The week before we moved there, Bingham was named the eighth best place to live in the UK – but that’s if you’re white – there are not many Asian or black faces there. It is a nice, generally middle-class village and I’m sure most of the people there are great, it’s just these choice few.”

Exactly who “these choice few” are isn’t entirely clear. The police seem to have conducted an extensive operation to find those involved, but seemingly without success. A thirteen year-old boy was arrested, but later released without charge.

We don’t know of any of the local far-right are involved, but as we commented at the time of the ham cross incident, “This is exactly the kid of spiteful childish act that the local EDL specialise in. After all, it’s not long ago that Nottingham EDL activists Chris Payne, Nicky Long, Wayne Havercroft and Robert Parnham left a pig’s head on a stick at the site of a mosque in Nottingham.”

Since then Liam Ferrar, of the EDL-associated “Forgotten Estates” group has admitted religiously aggravated harassment after after he left a pig’s head at the door of a community centre on Christmas Day.

The main indication that the EDL (or one of their multitude splinters) aren’t involved is that whoever is responsible managed to do it without getting nicked withiin a matter of hours.

Even if the organised far-right aren’t involved, these incidents illustrate how divisive racism can be in communities. They also point to an anti-Muslim sentiment which the EDL and others have helped to foster and could all to easily exploit.

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2013/01/27

Nottingham EDL moonlighting with EVF

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

Clearly realising that the EDL now offers less opportunities for excitement than a soggy chip wrapper, several former Nottingham EDL activists signed up to go to the EVF’s demo in Birmingham yesterday. Adam Bilyk, Adam Repton, Ian Firmstone and Jack Stevens all said they were going on the event’s Facebook page.

Adam Bilyk at EVF demo

Adam Bilyk at EVF demo

Adam Repton

Adam Repton

Ian Firmstone

Ian Firmstone

Jack Stevens

Jack Stevens

It’s no particular surprise that they have jumped ship. Nottingham EDL hasn’t been active for a long time. Their website has gone, the Facebook site is being trolled by anti-fascists and has been abandoned and their last tweet (from October) is about the weakness of the East Midlands divisions.

Casuals United caught out lying again

Casuals United caught out lying again

They will have been disappointed by the EVF demo though which was small and completely pointless. Despite mouthing off on the internet about how they were going to steal the EDL’s crown, only 50 racists turned up to stand around in a deserted square for 30 minutes talking to themselves. A few deluded fans have been claiming this as a success and inflating the numbers by fantasy proportions but the fact is they hoped for better. Seems like another tiny far right splinter doomed to failure.

The actual turnout

The actual turnout

3 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Nottinghamshire

2012/12/06

Fascist friendly bands play in Nottingham

By East Midlands Anti-Fascists

Nottingham pub, Ye Olde Salutation, recently hosted two gigs by Belgian record label Pure Impact. Both the label and some of the bands involved (Skinfull, Citizen Keyne) have supported Nazi bands.

Pure Impact gig at Ye Olde Salutation featuring Skinfull

Pure Impact is a Belgian record label which has a dedicated Rock Against Communism (RAC) section featuring openly Nazi bands. As they say “anything that might interest you, we don\’t discriminate.” RAC is a pseudo music genre set up by people like Ian Stuart Donaldson of Nazi band Screwdriver and BNP leader Nick Griffin, in order to showcase white power music and as a reaction against Rock Against Racism. It was the precursor of other Nazi “cultural” movements like Blood & Honour, whose name is derived from the motto of the Hitler Youth.

Skinfull, one of the bands who played at Ye Olde Salutation, is considered a RAC band. They have been banned from events such as the Streetpunk Christmas Festival, because they’ve played alongside openly fascist bands such as Germans, Endstufe, at the far right festival Live and Loud. Endstufe have also released recordings on the Pure Impact label. They have also publicised what look suspiciously like secret neo-Nazi Blood & Honour gigs on their Facebook page. Skinfull’s lyrics are authoritarian, far right and anti-migrant. For example, Love it or Leave it, is a rant against immigrants claiming that they “Take, take, take and no fucking give / Make a contribution to the country where you live” concluding “Britain love it or leave it”.

Skinfull promoted this secret gig on their Facebook page which has all the hallmarks of Blood & Honour

Citizen Keyne, a band that played at Ye Olde Salutation in May, features a singer with an 18 tattoo. 18 stands for the 1st and 8th letter of the alphabet, AH = Adolf Hitler. Both Citizen Keyne and Skinfull have played with Pressure 28, a British Nazi band whose singer is Kevin Gough. Gough has a conviction for distributing anti-semitic and anti-immigrant material likely to incite racial hatred. In 1999 he joined a mob of Combat 18 supporters in attempting to attack the Bloody Sunday demonstration in London. Panorama claim that Gough has links to the BNP and the fascist group The International Third Position. The numbers 28 in Pressure 28’s name (BH) refer to Blood & Honour.

Citizen Keyne singer’s 18 tattoo

Both Skinfull and Citizen Keyne are examples of what German anti-fascists have labelled “Grey Zone” bands – they don’t have the guts to openly admit their fascist leanings but don’t have a problem with supporting Nazis. Anti-fascists need to oppose them and make sure their Nazi links cost them dearly.

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