Tag Archives: Skegness

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.


No progress for BNP in Skegness

In spite of their hype, the BNP are failing to make progress on the issue of the Skegness halal slaughterhouse. Their last demo was disappointing, turning out only 30 supporters, some of whom were so disappointed with the local organisation that they handed in their membership cards afterwards. Local activists blamed the time of year and lack of advertising for the poor turnout.

No such excuses could be blamed for a similarly poor turnout (we counted about 30 in their photoshoot) yesterday. Thanks to the decision of Johnston Press to give the BNP an advert for their demo in the local newspaper, the Skegness Standard, the fascist party had had all the publicity they could hope for. So no progress for the BNP and, given the rumours suggesting that the slaughterhouse is being run into the ground by incompetent owners, the issue could soon be a moot point.

Thanks to some constructive dialogue with the editor of the Skegness Standard over his paper’s coverage of the issues, most of the East Midlands Anti-fascists’ statement, telling the truth about the BNP’s fake concern for animals, was published yesterday.

Lincolnshire Coastal Branch had better find another issue to exploit fast, because this one is turning into a dead duck.


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


The Skegness Standard responds

We have received a rather haughty response from Philip Murray, editor of the Skegness Standard, who, unsurprisingly, doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. According to Mr Murray: “We don’t support any political group, and never have, and we have carried adverts from groups all over the political spectrum at one point or another in the past.”

This is inadequate. Would Mr Murray give advertising space to an explicitly Nazi Party? Would that be ordinary business as well? Would he be surprised if there were angry protests against him and his paper if he did so? I imagine he would treat such an approach as either ethically repugnant or bad for business, depending on how cynical he was. Giving the BNP an advert is not really much different, however legitimate they would like us to believe they are, given the leadership’s strong links to Nazism, anti-Semitism and racial violence.

Mr Murray continues:

You also ask why we didn’t look to get comment from anti-fascists; it’s simply because we would always look to get reaction from local politicians first because we’re a local newspaper.

This avoids the thrust of the question which was why the Skegness Standard gave an uncritical report of the BNP’s protest. Were there really no “local politicians” who opposed the BNP’s march? It seems unlikely. The only person quoted in the Standard’s front page feature on the BNP march was the regional organiser, Robert Ashton. If this isn’t bias it is extremely poor journalism and either way Mr Murray is culpable.

Clearly Mr Murray is not going to take responsibility for his paper’s lapses so it might be worth going to the next level. Thanks to Worthing’s Porkbolter for this suggestion:

People might also want to ask the CEO of the publishing group that owns the Skegness Standard why it’s supporting fascism. The firm is Johnston Press and the head honcho is Ashley Highfield – email ashley.highfield@jpress.co.uk or tweet him at @ashleyhi


The Skegness Standard supports fascism

The BNP has recently announced that its Lincolnshire Coastal Branch, organised by Grimsby’s Robert Ashton, will be holding another day of action in Skegness next weekend. The BNP will be meeting from 11.30am on Sat 16th March, with the intention of marching to the Heath Road halal abattoir. Last time they met at The Victoria, 23 Wainfleet Road. We don’t imagine they will have moved far but you can call them on 07714009285 to find out. They are even taking the party’s Lie Lorry for a spin around the streets – let’s hope that there are no low bridges in Skegness! Party activists will, once again,  be crying crocodile tears and pretending to care about animal rights but in reality they are more interested in persecuting Muslims.

Interestingly, local paper The Skegness Standard seems to be propping them up, giving the fascists “ground breaking” advertising space for their demo. Readers may remember that after the last BNP demo in January, the Standard gave the BNP a totally uncritical feature article, which will undoubtedly have been a boost for them. Either the people running the paper are totally naive or are sympathetic to the fascists.

We have written to the Standard’s editor, Philip Murray, asking him why his publication is giving support to the fascist BNP. We ask that anti-fascists contact Mr Murrary to find out why his publication is promoting a party led by a holocaust denier that has a racist and authoritarian ideology:

Skegness Standard
Unit 22
The Hildreds
Skegness
PE25 3NU

Editor – Philip Murray
Telephone: 01754 897120 Fax: 01754 610987
Email: philip.murray@jpress.co.uk


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.