Tag Archives: halal

Now EDL jump on Skegness bandwagon

Following in the footsteps of the National Front and the BNP, the EDL went to Skegness to demonstrate against the halal slaughterhouse on Saturday. About 40 members of the far right group turned up carrying English and British flags and pictures of cows on sticks. They’re obviously not that clued up on how halal slaughter works.

Louth EDL and a muppet: Which is which?

Louth EDL and a muppet: Which is which?

According to their spokesman, the demonstration was not about race or religion, just about cruelty. Someone should’ve told the people who turned up with an English flag emblazoned with “No more mosques”. Someone should probably have reminded them that the English Defence League is not an animal welfare organisation! We have never seen these people oppose veal, foie gras or fur. The EDL claims to be concerned with what it paranoidly calls “creeping Sharia”, something which is all about religion (and many would say is a coded reference to race as well). The organisation’s mission statement says that “No one should be made to consume halal produce unwittingly”, suggesting that halal food should always be labelled and that people should have a choice whether to eat it or not. In reality, the EDL’s actions suggest that they are opposed to halal and the freedom of choice to consume it or not.

Flag with No More Mosques logo and slogan

Flag with No More Mosques logo and slogan

Perhaps even more so than the openly racist National Front and BNP, the EDL are hypocritical when they oppose halal slaughter without saying anything about kosher slaughter. The EDL spokesman in Skegness complained about pre-stunning. In fact, figures produced for the Food Standards Agency in 2011 showed that that 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered in the UK for halal meat were stunned prior to their deaths. Kosher slaughter prohibits pre-stunning, so by the EDL’s own criterion, kosher is worse. But the EDL has a long history of pandering to Jewish islamophobes such as Roberta Moore, former head of the Jewish Defence League, and Rabbi Nachum Shifren, and the organisation has held a solidarity demonstration with Israel. The EDL leadership don’t want to upset the small number of Jewish islamophobes it has brought into the fold. The organisation knows that it can make more political capital out of hatred against Muslims.


BNP is exploiting slaughterhouse issue

The fascist British National Party will hold a demonstration outside Skegness’ halal slaughterhouse today. In the absence of a genuine animal rights movement, the BNP is exploiting the real concern of local people about the treatment of animals for its own racist and divisive political agenda.

The BNP only campaign against halal slaughter, not the almost identical kosher slaughter or animal rights abuses committed by white British farmers, because they have identified racism against Asian Muslims as a vote winner.(1) Genuine animal rights activists, such as Bristol Animal Rights Collective, have called the focus on halal slaughter “a sign of racial and cultural discrimination” and stated that they “hope [fascists] will be shown that they’re not welcome in Skegness or the animal liberation movement!”(2)

The BNP’s supposed stance against animal cruelty is hypocrisy. The party has given active support to fox hunting in the past. When the Hunting Bill banning the hunting of foxes with dogs was given the Royal Ascent, the BNP announced that “BNP supporters were devastated by the news” calling fox hunting “a sport which has an important role to play”.(3) The BNP is only interested in recruiting people and winning votes, not the plight of animals.

Unlike the BNP, East Midlands Anti-fascists are opposed to ALL animal cruelty.(4) We do not make distinctions based on the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrators.

Under the coalition government’s regime of austerity, ordinary people are suffering due to wage freezes, job losses and cuts to public services. Because, unlike the main parties, the BNP have no history of mismanaging the country, some people are tempted to give them their support. However, the BNP’s divisive policies offer no solution to the current crisis, only serving to divide the working class along racial and cultural lines and making it easier for bosses to exploit us.

East Midlands Anti-fascists oppose the BNP and other fascist groups because we believe the only way we can change our everday lives is by working together: workers and the unemployed, women and men and people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is corrupt politicians and leeching company bosses who are holding us down, not immigrants or Muslims.

We want to shut down the Skegness slaughterhouse and all factory farming. We also want to shut down the anti-working class policies of the BNP.

Notes:

(1) The BNP has stated that “We reject both pro-Zionist internationalism… and the Islamification of our homelands. Which enemy is it in our political interest to be seen to be opposing more vigorously at the moment? To a party aiming to win seats in London, the West Midlands and the former mill-towns of Northern England, the answer should be pretty obvious.”

(2) See the full statement by Bristol Animal Rights Collective here: http://bristolar.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/skegness-halal-demos-a-slippery-slope-to-the-right/

(3) The Real Countryside Alliance (http://www.realca.co.uk/violence/hunting-and-racism) also lists the extensive links between hunting and the far right.

(4) The East Midlands Anti-fascists blog is an independent website set up to monitor and oppose the far right across the region: http://emaf.noblogs.org


BNP fight amongst themselves in Skegness

They may have been hailing their miserable demo as a success in public but privately Lincolnshire Coastal branch of the BNP were fuming. A number of activists were so angry with the mismanagement of the branch and poor advertising of the demo that they handed their membership cards in on the spot!

Posting on the Boston Protest Group page, Dean Everitt moaned about the “crap turnout”. Various explanations were offered such as “People were probably put off by the weather and the BNP” because “BNP means violence to alot of people” and “the BMP [sic] and mismanagement go hand in hand”. The result was that “the bnp who organised it lost a couple of supporters today as they werent happy at all”.

DeanEveritt 120113h

Former BNP member Stu Green was one of those who left in disgust: “after the farce in skegness i handed back my B N P membership card and i wasent the only 1”.

Commenting on the demo, branch organiser Robert Ashton said “it shows we are together of this issue”. As usual, the BNP are lying through their teeth.


Skegness demo attracts 30 fascists

Despite not managing to attract as many people as the even more lunatic National Front did in September, the BNP are hailing their halal demo in Skegness as a success. Their photo depicts just under 30 fascists outside a warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

BNPSkegness Jan13

Unfortunately, the local paper, the Skegness Standard, is helping them along by giving their efforts a feature article. Perhaps this is because a few days ago they decided to publish a letter from an equally unreliable source, the owner of the slaughterhouse, who claimed the BNP’s publicity was helping him find trade. This is probably some hack’s idea of “balance” although of course no anti-fascists or genuine animal rights activists have been quoted.

According to the branch organiser Robert Ashton, the meet-up was intended “to send a coherent message to the community regarding the party’s campaign against ritually slaughtered animals”, something he seems unable to do:

The photograph will document our visit and show we were here at the abattoir in Skegness, it shows we are together of this issue

…whatever that means. Maybe that they don’t agree on much else?

However pathetic their demo, it is a major success for the BNP that they were able to semi-publicly organise a demonstration and leafleting session unopposed. In the absence of a non-racist animal rights campaign, the BNP are being able to lead the campaign against the slaughterhouse. In the absence of an organised local anti-fascist movement, they are able to take their poisonous message to the streets freely.

The branch say the party will be back for another demo in Feb or March to “gain strength for its party locally”. Let’s hope that next time they do not have such an easy ride.


BNP demo re-direction point revealed

The BNP will be meeting at The Victoria on Wainfleet Road for their Day of Action against Skegness’ Muslims from 11.30-12.00 this Saturday. According to our source, the landlord knows about the event and is supportive. The pub is not far from the halal slaughterhouse on Heath Road.

The Victoria can be contacted on 01754 765124.

Don’t forget to let the BNP know you’re coming: 07714009285.


BNP to hold Day of Action in Skegness

Lincolnshire Coastal branch of the BNP have announced that they will be holding a “Day of Action” against the Skegness halal abattoir this weekend. They are meeting at 11.30am on Saturday 12th and advise interested parties to call 0771 4009285 to receive re direction point details.

The local BNP have been trying to exploit objections to the opening of a halal slaughterhouse for their own racist agenda since the summer and party leader Nick Griffin popped over for a demo in October. The BNP do not protest similarly cruel processes routinely carried out in factory farming or kosher slaughter, which is essentially the same as halal, choosing to focus solely on Muslims. They are not genuinely interested in animal welfare; they are just jumping on a bandwagon in the hope of getting support.

The Lincolnshire Coastal Branch is run by Robert Ashton, a “sales and marketing executive” who runs UK Indoor Cycling in his hometown of Holton-le-clay, Grimsby. He reckons the local BNP have had record numbers of enquiries since the news of the slaughterhouse’s opening was announced. We will see what this translates into on the street on Saturday.

Robert Ashton gets the Griffin treatment

Robert Ashton gets the Griffin treatment

The BNP are not the only fascist group to have a go at latching onto the issue. The National Front went as far as holding a poorly attended national demo of has-been Nazis while confined to a park in September. Other campaigns against the slaughterhouse have distanced themselves from the far right’s fake concern, which is clearly seen as a major setback and embarrassment to their cause.


Some fascists went to the seaside

The National Front made it to the seaside on Saturday, attracting around 40 assorted fascist dregs from all over the UK to their much-hyped national demo against the reopening of a Skegness slaughterhouse.  They were confined to Tower Gardens by the police, out of the way of the general public or any opposition, where they made speeches to each other.  They are, of course, claiming the event as a great success, with fantasy claims of 150 attendees being made – think of a number lads, any number! – but were disgruntled about being kept out of the town centre and in the park, well away from anywhere most locals were likely to have seen them. They weren’t too happy about the leaking of their redirection point either.

 

Pondlife in the park

 

Although the demo did not bring the NF the outreach opportunities they were hoping for, the abattoir remains a contentious issue in the town.  We must be on the lookout for further attempts (including, certainly, from the BNP) to exploit this issue for their own ends.

 


Redirection point for NF Skegness demo – leaked

Some people just can’t be trusted to keep a secret! We have received info on the redirection point for the NF’s demo in Skegness tomorrow (Saturday 15th), which is trying jump on a bandwagon around the proposed reopening of the Heath Road abattoir on halal lines.

The motley crew of fascist losers will be meeting at the large car park between the boating lake and the beach, between 10.30 and 11 on Saturday morning.  They will be redirected from there to a nearby pub (unfortunately we don’t know which, but there are several likely options), and aim to be out of the pub and shuffling off to their demo before midday.

The large car park by the lake can be seen on the following map :

 


View Larger Map

 

We’re grateful that the far right is as full of grasses and gobshites as ever, and we’re happy to share this leaked info with a wider audience!

 


Look who’s going to Skegness

As the NF work themselves up into a frenzy about the importance of their national demonstration in Skegness, we thought it might be good to let the world know what a bunch of Nazi dregs will be turning up on Saturday.

Kev Watmough

Aging Nazi from West Yorkshire, renowned for grassing up his fellow fascists and running away whenever militant anti-fascists turn up to give them a kicking. Kev is the man behind Nazi hitlist website Redwatch, which posts pictures and the personal details of people who turn up to anti-racist and trade union events in the vain hope that other fascists will do something about them. He has quite a history of involvement with fascist groups in Leeds and Bradford, including the BNP and Combat 18. More recently he was the leader of Nazi groupuscle, the British People’s Party, best know for paedophilia and bomb making. Oh yeah, and opposing hip-hop… no, seriously.

In recent times the BPP seems to have imploded over the involvement of one of its few remaining members with a Chinese Nazi. Obviously such dangerous race mixing could not be allowed by Kev. Because, like most far right factions these days, the BPP has hardly anyone in it, in recent times Kev has been cosying up to the National Front, North West Infidels, Combined ex-Forces and anyone that’ll have him. Needless to say, his reputation as a grass mean that he has many enemies even within the fascist movement, such as the author of the “White Lies!” blog:

This blog deals with Kevin Richard Watmough who has systematically damaged the movement here in the UK and will expose him for what he is. A Liar, A Cheat, A Rapist and long time Agent Provocateur.

 

Shane “Diddyman” Calvert

Best mates with Llama abuser, John Snowy Shaw, and number 2 in the North West Infidels, Shane Calvert AKA Diddyman, has been getting excited about a weekend in Skeggy. Best known for climbing on a roof in full camo gear to say that paedos should get the noose or something, Blackburn’s Diddyman was also recently arrested for smashing up his ex’s house in Hartlepool. Probably realising the NWI are going nowhere, he has been trying to make links with the NF (also going nowhere) so that they can at least have a bit of company on their pointless journey.

Loyalist fascists

A number of those going to Skegness demonstrate their admiration of loyalist terrorist groups such as “Ulster Volunteer Force”, named after the paramilitaries who carried out bombings on civilian targets in Northern Ireland, and “Johnny Adair” named after the Ulster Defence Association commander also responsible for massacres of civilians. “Johnny Adair” is also a member of Liverpool Irish Fascists.

Miscellaneous Nazis

A number of other openly fascist skinheads have also notified their attendance including Leicester fan of Nazi band, Section 88, Sean Guilford and Ade Brooks, a Manchester NF bonehead and admirer of Hitler-worshipping paramilitaries, the British Movement, and white power gig organisers, Blood & Honour.

As you can see, this bunch are very keen on protecting animals and aren’t racist. Honest.

In good news on Skegness, Bristol Animal Rights have published this excellent statement clearly rejecting the far right’s attempts to use animal rights as a cover for xenophobia and racism:

The focus on halal slaughter is a sign of racial and cultural discrimination. When the U.K homes battery farms and companies like the East Anglian Pig Company (exposed by Animal Equality early in 2012) it cannot be argued that halal is “more cruel” than other practices in the UK. Instead, it gives fire to sentiments spread by far-right organisations such as the British National Party, National Front, English Defence League and others, who disguise racial hatred as patriotism, or in this case, animal rights. They have no interest in genuine animal liberation, only pushing their own political agenda.

They conclude:

We believe that groups struggling for animal liberation should have militant anti-fascism as an intrinsic part of their politics, and wherever and whenever fascism appears it should be met with strong opposition.

There has also been the announcement of a counter-demonstration against the NF’s planned demo.


Skegness slaughterhouse: Not a racist campaign?

We’ve already said quite a bit about the BNP and NF involvement in the anti-halal slaughterhouse campaign. But what about the supposedly mainstream page set up by Tess Turner? The admin of Say No to Halal slaughter in Skegness has said she won’t be demonstrating because she doesn’t “want to be part of something as extreme as the National Front.” However, a quick look at her Facebook page suggests that she does hold islamophobic and racist views.

A recent post complains about how “these barbaric people are all set to take over the world”.  “Our government are letting this happen to our Country,I fear for my children and my grandchildren” she continues. This looks like another reheated counter-jihad conspiracy theory about Muslim takeover of the world, in the mould of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Muslims are a small and widely discriminated against minority in this country and have a tiny influence in rural Lincolnshire. The idea that they are taking over is pure nonsense.

I notice that all of the page’s anger is directed at halal and Muslims rather than kosher and Jews, perhaps because Muslims seem like an easier target and fewer people are willing to defend them.

Further evidence that the page is motivated by xenophobia rather than a principled concern for animal welfare can be found in the fact that, like the BNP and NF, the campaign only focuses on halal slaughter and does not generalise at all to factory farming and cruel practices more widely. In the early days, a number of animal rights activists and vegans joined the group but they were kicked out for “having a go” at the meat eaters who dominate the group.

Turner justified this with some rather tortured logic. “i could quite easily become vegetarian it wouldn’t bother me”, which begs the question of why she doesn’t if she cares about animal cruelty so much? What is her agenda? “but” she continues ,”if a million people turned veggie tomorrow, no less animals would be killed”. That’s just rubbish. In 2011 the average meat eater ate 26.1 animals. If 1m of those went veggie 26.1m fewer animals would have to be killed each year. That sounds like quite a big deal for the level of animal suffering in farming if you ask me.

“If an animal is going to be bred to feed us, the least we can do is give it a good life … and a humane and pain free death” Turner concludes. That’s all well and good in principle but begs the question of why the campaign doesn’t tackle our “indigenous” factory farming practices and production line slaughterhousing? Is it because, in the logic of the National Front, these practices aren’t “alien”? Because they involve British cruelty for British animals? Until these questions can be answered, the “mainstream” Skegness campaign looks rather suspect.