In a statement, the company confirmed to Tell MAMA that both accounts “had been subject to an ongoing investigation due to the nature of some of the content posted.”

Multiple content violations concerned the use of hate speech, which fall foul of the platform’s Terms and Conditions.

The ban is permanent, meaning that neither Mr Robinson nor Britain First can return to TikTok.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines clearly outline what is not acceptable on our platform. Content that seeks to promote hateful ideology has no place on TikTok and the accounts belonging to both Tommy Robinson and Britain First have been permanently removed for multiple violations of our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. We’re continuously enhancing our efforts to ensure that individuals and organisations seeking to promote any form of hateful ideology cannot establish a sustainable presence on TikTok.”

Recent investigations exposed their activity on the platform.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and Britain First have been banned from all other major social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Tell MAMA welcomes this ban, as all social media platforms have a duty to protect its users from hate speech, and ban those who breach its policies.

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The findings appeared in the latest Good Relations Indicators published this week by the Executive Office which oversees the coordination of policies and programmes to promote tolerance, peace, and fairness in Northern Irish society.

There were 609 recorded racially aggravated hate crimes compared to 576 recorded sectarian crimes in the previous year.

This trend repeats across hate incidents, defined as a non-criminal incident which is perceived, by the victim or witness, to be motivated by hatred, prejudice, or hostility to a person’s perceived protected characteristic (be it race, religion, or gender identity). Racial hate incidents decreased by 2 per cent, from 1,054 reports in 2016/2017 to 1,025 reports last year, as reports of sectarian incidents saw a slight decrease, from 995 reports in 2016/17 to 879 reports in 2017/18.

Hate incidents flagged as religiously motivated rose by 104 per cent, from 44 reports in the previous year to 90 reports in 2017/18.

Not all hate incidents will satisfy the criminal threshold nor receive a police response but help the police and partner agencies understand where hatred and racism are impacting communities.

Figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) last year, however, found that 83 per cent of recorded hate crime did not result in a prosecution or warning to offenders.

Superintendent Emma Bond of the PSNI told the Guardian last year that improvements to its force training will ensure that officers present the strongest evidence to the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland. Adding, that some victims of hate crime seek non-criminal justice outcomes, which includes restorative justice.

Amnesty International UK, however, suggests that this criminal justice gap owes in large part to the role of loyalist paramilitary groups and those linked to such domestic terrorist groups.

Attitudinal surveys found last year that growing number of people in Northern Ireland are concerned about rising racial prejudice over the last five years – a concern which cuts across all age groups, according to the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, where 93 per cent of individuals polled did not self-identify as a person of colour.

The survey also found that more than half of people in Northern Ireland would not accept a Muslim (52 per cent) or an Irish Traveller (56 per cent) as a relative through marriage. A similar figure would not accept a Muslim as a close friend (47 per cent). In broader terms, a quarter of people polled would not accept a work colleague from a minority ethnic background.

Despite wide acceptance that migrant workers provide an economic boost and that negative media coverage taints perceptions of migrants, there were many polled who believe that such workers put a strain on health services and that their children put a strain on local schools.

Such a contrast in attitude was evident in the in the Good Relations Indicators, as a clear majority (80 per cent) believe that Protest and Catholic communities add to the diversity and richness of Northern Irish society. This belief drops to 68 per cent when asked if minority ethnic communities increase the richness and diversity of Northern Irish society.

Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International UK said: “This scale of racial prejudice in 2018 should shock us to our core”.

Minority ethnic communities account for 1.8 per cent (32,400) of the resident population in Northern Ireland, per the 2011 Census.

More than eight hate crime incidents were reported to the PSNI every day in 2016. But the PSNI reported that Northern Ireland had bucked the trend of rising hate crime following the EU referendum result.

High-profile examples of racist or Islamophobic hate crime in Northern Ireland last year included graffiti which read “EU rats out” along with a swastika and the dumping of pig parts outside of an Islamic centre in Belfast.

Following his release from prison, Paul Golding has continued to focus his outreach in areas of Northern Ireland, in areas like Ballymena, with a renewed Northern Irish chapter of the far-right street defence movement Britain First.

Credit: @BritainFirst/GAB

DUP MLA Paul Frew condemned a Britain First video where the group targeted Romanian and Bulgarian communities in Ballymena last week.

Britain First is hoping to use anti-discrimination laws in Northern Ireland to sue Facebook after the social media platform removed its official pages last year.

Paul Golding still faces legal issues in Northern Ireland related to alleged comments made at a Britain First rally last year, as does Jayda Fransen.

Britain First had a public fall out with the controversial Belfast City Councillor Jolene Bunting last July.

Generation Identity, a far-right ethnopluralist and ethnonationalist group targeted a statue in Belfast earlier this year as part of a wider protest calling for a ban on the burqa.

Tell MAMA verified six incident reports in Northern Ireland last year but encourages Muslims in the region to continue to report incidents of discrimination, vandalism, and Islamophobia.

The PSNI is one of many police forces in the UK which have partnership agreements with our service where such partnership work provides added support for victims, and, where needed, to improve police accountability.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Paul Golding, 36, the leader of Britain First, was convicted of one count of religiously aggravated harassment, as Jayda Fransen, 32, the deputy leader, was convicted of three counts of religiously aggravated harassment.

The verdicts were handed down today (March 7) at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.

Tell MAMA now calls on Facebook to remove the account of Britain First which boasts more than 2 million ‘likes’ following this verdict.

The court heard how Mr Golding and Ms Fransen confronted people they believed were the defendants in an ongoing rape trial last May. All the people harassed were innocent members of the public.

They filmed the abuse and placed the video footage on the Britain First website and through their social media channels.

One such video featured Ms Fransen confronting one of the rapists, Tamin Rahmani, but misidentified his brother, Faiz, as Shershah Muslimyar, who was later convicted in September 2017 alongside three others.

Faiz Rahmani spoke of his fear in court after wrongly being labelled a ‘Muslim rapist’. According to Mr Rahmani, Ms Fransen said that ‘Muslims rape British kids’.

Mr Rahmani’s partner, Kelli Best, gave evidence in court, attributing the loss of her daughter, who was born stillborn, to the racial abuse Ms Fransen directed at her in her home.

In evidence, Best said that Fransen’s racist remarks included: ‘Dirty Muslim rapist, come out, we’re not going to leave until you’re gone, come out. Dirty scumbags.’

Mr Rahmani told the court that he lost his job as a result of the campaign, having also been shunned by his peers.

Another witness, Elena Viraq, who was in the pizza shop when Fransen and Golding arrived, claimed the incident ruined her family’s life.

The judge said: “This was a campaign not to highlight a terrible rape but a campaign to draw attention to the race, religion and immigrant background of the defendants.”

He added that their words and actions “demonstrated hostility” towards Muslims.

Jaswant Narwal, from the CPS, said: “The prosecution case demonstrated these defendants were not merely exercising their right to free speech but were instead aiming religiously-aggravated abuse at innocent members of the public. The victims suffered the distress of the abuse followed by additional stress when the footage was uploaded to the internet.”

Fransen, who gained added infamy after being retweeted by Donald Trump on November 29,2017, was previously convicted of religiously aggravated harassment in November 2016 after abusing a Muslim woman in Luton during a self-styled ‘Christian Patrol’ in January 2016. She was slated to appear Belfast Magistrates’ Court on April 6 over comments allegedly made during a Britain First rally last summer.

Paul Golding was jailed in December for six weeks after breaching a High Court order preventing him from entering any mosque in England and Wales. Following his release from prison, Golding threatened ‘traitor’ politicians and journalists in a video uploaded to the Britain First website and social media channels.

The group, which has never discarded its ‘street defence’ image, took its members on an ‘activist training camp’ in the Welsh mountains in June 2016. Members were said to have learned self-defence, martial arts, knife defence, and basic survival skills. The group held a similar training camp for self-defence combat sports in April 2014.

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It took the jury just 59 minutes to find Darren Osborne, 48, guilty of the murder of Makram Ali, 51, and the attempted murder of nine others.

The 48-year-old had a ‘warped’ hatred of Muslims which was rooted in the ‘material he had watched on TV and online’, according to Jonathan Rees QC for the prosecution. The online materials were from far-right sources which included circulars distributed by Tommy Robinson, the founder and ex-leader of the English Defence League, via the far-right Canadian outlet Rebel Media.

Mr Osborne had used internet searches for Britain First and the English Defence League. He used Twitter to engage with the deputy leader of Britain First, Jayda Fransen, via an automated direct message.

One internet search took him to a misleading article headlined “Proof: Muslims celebrated terror attack in London” on the Infowars website.

Devices used by Mr Osborne, which included two iPhones and an iPad revealed that Osborne searched out various tweets, one such tweet, made by Tommy Robinson two days before the Finsbury Park attack read: “Where was the day of rage after the terrorist attacks. All I saw was lighting candles.”

Following the London Bridge terror attack, Mr Osborne is said to have browsed a tweet which read: “We have to go back to Churchill, Churchill never told us to hold vigils and sing songs, he told us to fight.”

Within hours of that attack, Osborne researched more Britain First materials online, and the murder of Christians in the Philippines.

For his long-term partner of twenty years, Sarah Andrews, however, Osborne was an ‘unpredictable’ man, who she had never considered a racist until he watched the BBC drama Three Girls in May. He then began research far-right materials online. In her mind, the documentary had such an impact on Mr Osborne that she likened it to a form of ‘brainwashing’, according to the judge.

His outward hostility towards Muslims meant that his daughter stopped bringing her Muslims friends home to visit.

But when it came to hiring the large Luton box van in Cardiff on 17 June, he was described as “polite and well-mannered”.

The outward hostility and racial hatred of Muslims Mr Osborne displayed at home would resurface again two days before the attack. At Hollybush Pub in Pentwyn, near Cardiff, Osborne burst into paroxysms of anti-Muslim rhetoric, stating that ‘all’ Muslims ‘were terrorists’ and that he was going to ‘kill all Muslims’, according to Callum Spence.

Mr Spence, a Royal Engineer, told the court that Osborne had mumbled ‘all our families are going to be Muslim. They are all going to be terrorists.’ He then claimed to be a serving soldier but could not disclose to Mr Spence which regiment he belonged to, insisting that he ‘will find out tomorrow’.

Andrew Parker, the landlord of the Hollybush pub, described Osborne’s ‘agitated’ state, adding that he ranted about Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party.

Osborne approached the bar and requested a pen as he ‘wanted to send a letter to Parliament’. CCTV footage presented to the jury showed Osborne writing a note which would later appear in the van following the attack.

The letter included statements about ‘feral’ and ‘inbred raping Muslim men’ who are ‘hunting in packs preying on our children’. He appended this section of the letter with a racist statement about Muslims ‘climbing’ back on ‘ya camels’.

He vented about the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham, directing his rage at Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, whom, like some sections of the UK press, insisted that he was a ‘terrorist sympathiser’. The letter also blamed London Mayor Sadiq Khan for the terror attacks last year.

The ideological curve is most apparent when Osborne wrote: “islams ideology doesn’t belong here & neither does Sharia law.”

He expressed his desire to kill Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, adding that killing the Mayor of London would be akin to a ‘lottery win’. To kill Jeremy Corbyn in Mr Osborne’s mind would mean ‘one less terrorist on our streets’. Another target was the Rochdale Labour councillor Aftab Hussain.

His original target was the ‘Al-Quds Day’ march, on June 18, expecting that Mr Corbyn would attend. Mr Osborne changed targets after road closures prevented from being close to the march. He then drove to Forest Hill, south London, asking a member of the public where the nearest mosque was at around 20:00 pm.

Learning that no such mosque existed in the area, he settled on Finsbury Park and was able to follow a motorist to the location in under thirty minutes.

When Osborne took the stand, he offered none of the racist bravado or conspiracy theories he spoke of days earlier. Here was a man who attempted to blame the attack on a man named ‘Dave’. The prosecution argued that his contradictory statements were proof of a ‘fabricated’ defence from a man who lacked the ‘courage of his convictions’.

This pattern of calculating behaviour is consistent with his statements given in the immediate aftermath of the terror attack.

Footage from the body camera of PC David Jones, the attending officer who is said to have handcuffed Mr Osborne in the aftermath of the attack, confirmed that Osborne was the sole driver and that Mr Osborne had claimed to have ‘lost control’ of the vehicle. He added that he had drunk a ‘couple of pints’ before the attack.

The loss of control and consumption of alcohol were proven false. Osborne had no trace of alcohol in his system, despite being described as a ‘functioning alcoholic’ who had been out of work for years and had previous convictions for violence. A ‘ticking time-bomb’ to some.

The injuries Makram Ali sustained after collapsing were described as ‘catastrophic’ as the Home Office pathologist Dr Simon Poole believed that Mr Ali was still alive when Osborne struck.

A group of Muslim men, dressed in traditional Islamic clothing, rushed over to assist, when Osborne struck again, injuring nine.

Commander Dean Haydon, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “From our investigation, it was clear that Osborne had planned to come to London with the intention of carrying out an attack against the Muslim community.

“Only he will know, but if Osborne’s aim was to create divisions and hate between communities, then from what I have seen, he has failed in that respect. The way that the local community in Finsbury Park – of all faiths and backgrounds – came together was astounding and this reaction was the same across London and the UK.”

Sue Hemming, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Darren Osborne planned and carried out this attack because of his hatred of Muslims. He must now face the consequences of his actions.”

It would be short-sighted, however, to frame Osborne’s act of murderous terror as a response to terrorism or even child sexual exploitation.

His murderous intent was ideological, believing Islam to be an ideology which is incompatible with the UK, and calling for the banning of Sharia Law, arguments unrelated to either event. Osborne wanted to be a martyr for his ideological beliefs. He tried and failed to flee the scene, shouting: “I want to kill more Muslims”.

In short, Darren Osborne’s ideological conviction to ‘kill all Muslims’ went beyond words and turned into an act of terror which left one man dead and left others injured. The Prime Minister remains correct in her assessment that anti-Muslim hatred is a form of extremism.

The pathway to radicalisation is not linear but Osborne’s trajectory towards such thinking and actions in a few short weeks is alarming but not uncommon. Perhaps owing to how the violent rhetoric of some which trade complexities for binaries of racial division and hatred can overwhelm more vulnerable minds. There is a growing awareness among experts about the role mental health can play in the radicalisation process.

The ease in which Osborne accessed such hateful materials online is not a call for censorship but a call for an honest discussion about how the far-right continues to exploit sections of the internet. For example, Britain First reaped the benefits of a verification badge on Twitter, before its long overdue suspension from the platform. The extremist far-right movement still benefits from a verified Facebook profile.

In our 2016 annual report, titled A Constructed Threat: Identity, Intolerance and the Impact of Anti-Muslim Hatred, we called on social media platforms and search engine providers to do more to tackle the scourge of far-right extremism online. For example, we called on Google to “review how far-right websites are cheating its search algorithm through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve their rankings on stories related to crime, sexual exploitation, and terrorism”.

He will be sentenced tomorrow morning.

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Whilst there is the real possibility of demonstrations and community tensions, the fact that the President of the United States has circulated far right material, means that it makes a mockery of the country’s counter-extremism strategy which has become one of the bedrocks of Government policy in the fight against extremism and terrorism. If we are hold people to account and standards, then the President of the United States, should also be held to account since in the end, no-one is above the law in this country.

We urge politicians to seriously rethink the invitation to Trump and we understand that the relationship with the United States is much wider than one President at a specific moment in time. Yet, the fact remains that the ‘special relationship’ with the United States will remain and that has lasted for many decades. It will last beyond Trump and irrespective of whether the invitation is withdrawn. At the very least, withdrawing that invitation will mean that we maintain the standards and the framework by which we protect our core values. One of these is that intolerance towards other faiths is not acceptable. By retweeting Britain First, the President has brought into question his adherence to this core value.

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Graffiti was also painted on the wall of the building and in other parts of the town.

Police confirmed that they had been made aware of the pig’s head dumped at the Bangladesh Islamic Community Centre on Greenwell Street, at 23:45 BST on Wednesday, with the graffiti, reported hours later.

Racists then went to spray paint ‘Islamic rapists out’ and ‘Muslim rapists out’ in other locations.

The third act of graffiti has yet to be reported to the PSNI, according to Belfast Live.

Residents and politicians have condemned this act of race hate.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International also condemned the incident.

After news of the hate crime broke, a bouquet of flowers appeared on the doorstep of the Islamic centre.

Members of the far-right party Britain First had targeted the Islamic centre with a flash demonstration in August 2015. Earlier this month, Paul Golding, leader of Britain First, had confirmed that the party intends to register as a political party in Northern Ireland.

The Electoral Commission has yet to approve this request, however, according to the list of registered political parties in Northern Ireland.

PSNI are treating the incidents as hate crimes and are appealing for more information.

Tell MAMA continues to map incidents against Islamic institutions, you can interact with the map here.

You can get advice through our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Paul Golding made the comments during the so-called Northern Ireland Against Terrorism rally in Belfast on August 6.

Britain First hope to return to Belfast for a ‘larger’ rally next month.

Jolene Bunting, the independent Unionist, drew the ire of many after inviting Paul Golding and his deputy Jayda Fransen to the rally but has distanced herself from any potential candidacy.

The rally fell on the same day of a republican parade marking the anniversary of British internment without trial in Belfast, but they were denied entry into the city centre.

Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) separated 50 far-right Britain First supporters and members of the ‘Belfast Says No to Fascism’ group. One arrest was made after an individual threw an object at Ms. Fransen.

During the rally, Ms. Fransen told supporters: “The world is at war with Islam. Every single Muslim is obliged to kill you and your husbands and your wives and your children.”

A PSNI spokesperson confirmed that footage of the rally is being reviewed to “determine if any offences have been committed.”

Britain First has done minor activism in Northern Ireland since 2014, but this shift into the political arena may only serve as a cosmetic attempt at building legitimacy in the region.

On Facebook, a ‘Britain First Northern Ireland’ page became active on August 7, but there’s no indication yet that it belongs to the group. In 2013, Paul Golding wrote: “The Loyalist/Unionist population of Northern Ireland represents the best of British patriotism and loyalty.”

This latest move mirrors the National Front, who registered as a political party in Northern Ireland in 2015 according to the Electoral Commission but have yet to field candidates. Despite being registered in Northern Ireland, the National Front list a PO Box address in Hull as their main address. In 2012, two men were arrested in Belfast following allegations that National Front leaflets had been distributed in the Tates Avenue area. The history of this movement in the region dates back further still.

The Electoral Commission is now assessing the Britain First submission, according to the Irish News.

Tell MAMA has approached the Electoral Commission for further comment.

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Jadya Fransen, posting under the username @JadyaBF, tweeted: “When the Muslim community feel empowered enough to distribute these leaflets, you know your country’s Islamic appeasement has gone too far!” at 10:43 am on March 12, 2017.

The tweet promoted the For Public Purity campaign that Faith Matters exposed as a hoax. Clear indicators of a hoax included the registration of its domain to a server in the United States on March 29, 2016. On Facebook, the page shared an image that first appeared in a Methodist magazine published in 2012. Other concerns raised in the Faith Matters investigation included other examples of stolen images.

Yet, the most obvious example of the hoax concern the For Public Purity logo. The image below demonstrates how it spells the word ‘Lolz’.

Tell MAMA deconstructed the logo of the hoax.

Some 4Chan users did demonstrate a deeper knowledge of the campaign itself. It’s still unclear, however, who was behind the distribution of the leaflets in Manchester in July of last year.

This hoax did not stop the offending tweet gained hundreds of retweets. While some admirably did attempt to point out this obvious hoax, other comments, however, reflected a myriad of unrelated and deeper anxieties and prejudicial views towards Muslims more broadly. In one such example, the user @MissCJWright replied: “dogs impure but raping and beheading is fine??” This tweet also attracted non-violent extremist hate speech.

The 4publicpurity.org domain is no longer accessible, but the Facebook page remains inactive but accessible. This is a problem as it allows non-violent extremists to unabashedly propagate anti-Muslim hatred. In this example, the asynchronous nature of online discussions on Facebook may intensify the proliferation of more polarising and often hateful comments. Perhaps limiting the overall effectivness of counter speech.

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On the 7^th of September 2016, the Polish Catholic Priest, Jacek Miedlar, tweeted at Britain First’s Jayda Fransen, making contact after she posted a video in which she stated, “Allahu Akbar” Migrant opportunists attack police and invade Europe.” This was we believe, the first point of engagement between Miedlar and Britain First.

Jacek Miedlar is from Wroclaw in West Poland and has been suspended by his local Catholic church for his firebrand speeches that mix ultra-nationalism with religious fervour. Wearing the black clerical robe with a hooded top, his speeches are  laced with anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric and his web-site paints a picture of Jews who seek to undermine Poland albeit through historical work through the Holocaust and he regularly uses the term ‘Jewish media’ on his web-site to paint a picture of Jews attempting to undermine the ‘standing of Poland’ in the international sphere. Much of the rhetoric talks about Poland being ‘hospitable’ to Jews and how Jewish media sources are seeking to undermine the state, leaving some readers with a chilling feeling that Miedlar holds some very questionable views on Jews and their place in Polish society.

Miedlar’s web-site also has articles posted by Jayda Fransen of Britain First, where she talks of an ‘approaching civil war’ in the United Kingdom. The interview on his web-site provides Fransen with the opportunity to talk about “Islam being the biggest threat to our nation” and the questions within the interview neither challenge Fransen, but provide her with an open platform to state the following far right propaganda:

“With the Islamization of Britain we meet in almost every corner of our country. Starting from the colonisation of our cities and our towns, and ending with the epidemic gangs who are ruthlessly raping and torturing our children. Islam is used as both a shield and a sword. What does it mean?  Shield to defend against Muslims accused in the case of child molestation and public unrest, which is translated as “cultural misunderstanding.” Islam is also used as a sword in (sic) implementating the culture and traditions such as the presence of Sharia Law and to use churches for Muslim prayer.”

What is also bizarre is the sheer opportunism of groups like Britain First. For years, they have blamed migrant communities such as Eastern European communities for social ills in the country, yet they are now seeking to engage with ultra-nationalists such as Miedlar to recruit from the very communities they have vilified for many years.

We commend the actions of British law enforcement in detaining Miedlar from entering the country and in bringing his politics of division into the UK. The last thing we need is far right nationalism entering our country given that there has been one death because of the actions of a far right Ukrainian extremist who killed grandfather Muhammad Saleem on the streets of Birmingham. Miedlar has no place in the United Kingdom nor should he be allowed to poison the minds of settled Polish communities who work so hard to make a productive life in the UK. They deserve better and we will continue to monitor developments in this area.

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Paul Golding, 34, was served with a court summons by Bedfordshire Police on 2 November  after breaching a High Court injunction granted on August 11.

He will serve half of his eight week sentence.

The three-year banning order had restricted him from entering any mosque in England and Wales “without prior invitation”. 

Britain First had uploaded a video to YouTube showing members inside the Al-Manar Islamic Centre in Cathays, Cardiff on 20 August. In the video, party members made allegations of extremism against the mosque. This was denied by a mosque trustee. 

The Muslim Council of Wales also dismissed the accusations.

Golding, in an interview with IBTimes, days after the “mosque invasion,” insisted that he had not breached the order. The High Court however, detailed how Golding had driven four party members to the Al-Manar Centre. 

James Weston, counsel for the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police, said that members of the mosque found the actions of Britain First to be both provocative and unnerving. 

Passing sentence, the judge remarked that Golding’s actions were an affront to Muslims nationwide. 

Golding handed control of the party to his deputy Jayda Fransen last month. Fransen has faced her own legal difficulties.  She was convicted of wearing a uniform for a political purpose and a religiously aggravated charge in early November. 

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A small number of party members, led by interim leader Jayda Fransen, who was convicted of wearing a uniform for a political purpose and a religiously aggravated charge earlier this month, spent time in the Margate area of Kent. Their task? To feed the ‘English homeless’. In reality, the video is 6 minutes and 41 seconds of party broadcast. Fransen’s hat, of course, carries the party logo throughout.

The video focuses on one homeless man who was given food and gloves. During the video, Fransen opines that: “They are quite quick to look after everyone else that comes into the country. But we’ve got people who are British-born and-bred sleeping rough.” The homeless man responds: “Every homeless person in Kent. Well, Margate mainly, is English. Sorry to say, I’m not racist or anything”.  He adds that you do not see homeless individuals from Czech or Polish communities as “they’ve all got houses”. He laments that ‘they’ do nothing for ‘British people like him’. Jayda Fransen, for her part, shakes her head and continues her interview. Like with any propaganda, she re-affirms the stated position of grievance and the idea that ‘they’ want to ‘put everyone before the British people’.

Fransen then states: ‘If we the taxpayers had any say, we would say, the likes of you, should be looked after before anyone else coming into our country”. The conversation shifts onto homeless veterans. Britain First propaganda is reinforced with a still image of party campaign material.

A serious and often complex issue is reduced to binaries of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

The video has now received thousands of views and hundreds of shares on Facebook. Over on YouTube, it’s gained almost 3,000 views.

By omission, Britain First ignores the work of local charities. This includes Porchlight – which helps vulnerable and homeless people access housing and other support services. Opening soon is the Thanet Winter Shelter. From December, it will offer individuals overnight accommodation during the coldest winter months. Its other aim concerns more long-term support solutions – helping invidiuals to find permanent accommodation.

The council also has emergency protocols for periods of prolonged cold. The Severe Weather Emergency protocol (SWEP) is triggered when evening temperatures are predicted to hit zero degrees celsius or below for three consecutive nights.

On September 5, 2015, the Britain First website had posted footage of their West Midlands members assisting a homeless person in Nottingham. This story, however, did not generate the same level of publicity.

Nor is Britain First the only far-right group to have used this tactic recently. Members of the national socialist National Action group have done similar outreach in Glasgow and parts of Yorkshire.

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So what is new for this group which attempts to use the public as its ongoing purse in order to run bizarre schemes and to promote its extremism and anti-Muslim bigotry? Well, according to Britain First their media team have come up with “a short powerful video exposing Sadiq Khan and his Islamic extremism.” Have we not heard this campaign tactic used before? It is a tactic that we believe Londoners dislike – negative campaigning.

The ‘media team’ that Britain First talk about, is probably a man who has spent his life alone and who has watched too many of their extremist videos spending nights in with his computer and Airfix model set. So their e-mail pitch for last-minute cash states:

“Specifically, we want to push the video as an advert on Facebook, with a budget of around £2,500.

Doing this will cause Khan damage, real damage.

With a budget of around £2,500 we can hit hundreds of thousands of London voters.”

Let us hope that Londoners do cause damage to fascists tomorrow, by ensuring that they elect in a candidate who will do everything in their power to maintain the diversity of London and the heritage of different communities in our trail-blazing city. That is the best response we can give to fascists when we see, hear or smell them.

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On March 9,  an article headlined ‘Electoral Commission: “Keeping London British! Is Offensive Slogan’ made bombastic claims of censorship. But it sounds familiar.

The party made similar claims against Royal Mail in 2014.  Royal Mail can refuse to deliver election materials if they consider it threatening or abusive. Paul Golding ignored this detail as Britain First were ‘victims’ of a greater perceived injustice.

Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (Section 29 2b), the Electoral Commission can reject ballot emblems if they deem it ‘obscene or offensive’. The Electoral Commission reiterated this point to the party. But Britain First accused them of acting as the “Commissar for Political Correctness” in elections. Again, the party reinforces accusations of censorship to party faithful.

This strategy serves a dual function: policies in the age of multiculturalism and ‘PC culture’ have a detrimental impact on the party and its supporters. Britain First rejects the label of ‘racist party’. And argues that they are victims of ‘job stealing’ and ‘welfare stealing’ migrants.  Britain despite Muslims making up less than 5 per cent of the total population in England and Wales. These contradictions are never addressed. Britain First tailors their language and output to reflect the anxieties of those who ‘like’ their page. Reinforcing these anxieties are not always enough.  Presenting solutions can build group identity and raise the potential of donations.

A strategy of targeted donations has paid off in the past. Britain First topped the Electoral Commission’s donations league table for smaller parties last year. In 2014, the party had tripled its donations from 2013 to £159,516 – but spent most of it on campaign work. This is a strategy that extends to supporters in Australia, Canada and the United States.

Like other far-right parties, Britain First seeks mainstream credibility. Jayda Fransen, deputy leader, sought that in the Rochester and Strood by-election. It mattered little that the party achieved just 56 votes. Fransen had posed for a photo with the BBC’s Nick Robinson (who later apologised for his error). The extra media attention had little to do with local issues in the Rochester and Strood area. Britain First wanted national attention for their anti-mosque campaign in the neighbouring constituency.

Jayda Fransen also admitted that the mayoral campaign is a PR move to increase their public profile. Fransen wrote:

‘The benefits to standing in the London Mayoral Election will be immense: Each Mayoral candidate is entitled to a two-page spread in a booklet that is delivered to 10 million people in London, 45% of which are still ethnically British.

Each Mayoral candidate will no doubt receive a lengthy Daily Politics interview and a plethora of other high profile media attention.

Contesting this election will cement Britain First as a powerful force on the “Right” of politics and will massively increase our public profile.’

Some of the top comments from some Britain First supporters to Electoral Commission story had the intended outcome. And it included:

‘OFFENSIVE? I don’t live there but such an insipid attitude offends me. If London isn’t British, then what is?’

‘London IS British. Whoever objects to that slogan is obviously some left-wing pond life.’

‘well if you guys don’t tell people to say it you are not breaking the law … so … Keep London British … stop the dismantling of the Westminster system and only recognise British law …’

The post How Britain First uses ‘victim narratives’ to boost support appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The circular hyped up the publicity that individuals and political parties will get through a two page platform in which to highlight their positions. The booklet will be delivered to homes in London. What is interesting is that the Britain First bulletin also played on issues of race by suggesting that,

“Each mayoral candidate is entitled to a two-page spread in a booklet that is delivered to 10 million people in London, 45% of which are still ethnically British.”

The bulletin also suggests that mayoral candidates will receive a ‘Daily Politics’ interview, though our call to media outlets will be to investigate comments and statements made by individuals like Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen and to hold them to account for them. Media outlets cannot give these individuals an easy ride so that their messages of separation, based on race and religion, be allowed to resonate within our united capital.

You would also think that any group would carefully consider the statements it made against other mayoral candidates. Yet this is the statement made against Labour hopeful, Sadiq Khan MP.

“Labour has chosen a Muslim career politician with strong sympathies for his fellow radicals and extremists, – Sadiq Khan.”

The statement not only opens up Britain First and its leaders to potential civil legal action, it shows the kind of dog-whistle politics that they are playing and no doubt, if the Labour hopeful did take any legal action, Britain First who rail against ‘the politics of victimisation’, would then simply play out this position.

The e-mail bulletin finishes with a call for £30,000 for the campaign. Anyone even considering donating, should think carefully about supporting a group who seek division rather than a united London. That is the choice ahead, whether we support the politics of hope or the politics of hate.

The post Britain First Send out Libellous Statements Against Labour Hopeful Sadiq Khan appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Well, if you don’t remember it, you certainly missed a media circus where press journalists were commentating on the actions of a handful of men who were shaming couples holding hands and suggesting that women were inappropriately dressed. One of these individuals was the convicted extremist Jordan Horner, who later apologised for his actions.

At the time, we made clear that any ‘faith-based’ patrol or any vigilante group was contrary to the rules and criminal and civil laws of this country and that such groups of individuals were a serious risk to community relations. We stated that they could possibly spark off serious unrest in areas and that action needed to be taken to send a clear message that the State would not tolerate any behaviour which intimidated citizens walking our streets. The ‘Muslim Patrol’ was neither Muslim nor required and many Muslims saw these actions as running contrary to their faith and further denigrating Islam in the eyes of many.

Well, cut to the 23rd of January 2016 and we have Britain First conducting another of their Christian Patrols. This is not the first time that Britian First have attempted to inflame tensions in areas.

However, this time it was conducted in Bury Park in Luton and was intimidating and meant to inflame tensions which would then be captured on film and create the notion of ‘them and us.’ Just as predictably, young Asian men rose to the bait with Britain First activists agitating and further adding to the growing tensions because of this extremist far right group.

Sadly, it is now 2016 and these inflammatory actions continue with Britain First trying to paint themselves as ‘defenders’ of Christian values, something that they are far from. They continue to walk into areas, stir up unrest and walk away leaving local communities to pick up the pieces. It is also interesting to note in the video of their agitation, that their actions lead to a young female policewoman finding herself in the middle of groups of testosterone laden young men looking to fight. Is this really the ‘patriotism’ that our country needs – the answer is a resounding no.

Lastly, it is high time that action is taken against Britain First and the way that it seeks to create and foment disturbances in communities. We are very concerned that their actions may lead to serious unrest or physical assaults and this is the last thing we need for our country and our communities.

The post ‘Christian Patrols’ Just as Divisive as ‘Muslim Patrols’. But Where is the Outrage? appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The electronic flyer, another in a monotonous campaign to obtain donations from members of the public, are becoming more and more bizarre and desperate. Could Britain First be having real problems raising funds for their ‘campaigns’ which usually consist of turning up at town centres, parading around for a few hours and getting back onto coaches to warm up their cramped calves and the chilblains on their feet?

The flyer then goes onto state that a:

“…..conquest by the cradle is engulfing our country,”

It seems that Britain First believe that we are in serious risk of being taken over by toddlers and if that was not bizarre enough, they go onto suggest that:

“…native British people now make up only 75% of the total population.”

Well there you have it, off comes the veneer of attempted respectability and back comes the politics of race driven by this fascist group. Apart from fixating on ‘wombs’, ‘cradles’ and ‘native British people’, Britain First is not far forward in its political evolution from the banality of race politics and the amoeboid simplicity of its arguments.

The post Extremist Far Right Group Britain First State ‘London is Finished as a British City’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The circular which was sent to subscribers makes the usual call for ‘donations’ and openly suggests that far right Britain First sympathisers are

“happy to go into the most militant Muslim areas and carry out dangerous Britain First operations.”

Are these the same ‘militant Muslim areas’ that has seen them previously go into the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets and stand outside the East London mosque, whilst posturing and being abusive to worshippers? To describe Tower Hamlets as a ‘militant Muslim area’ shows how deluded this group has become and how they are part of the problem and not a solution for communities in our country.

The bulletin goes onto highlight a video of Paul Golding undertaking a ‘self defence’ class and with the bulletin suggesting that,

“our activists have stood in the face of mad Muslims and crazed leftists.”

This extremist group simply seems to have forgotten that its actions have been instrumental in creating fear and counter-extremism in some areas.

However, there are two elements in the circular bulletin that are deeply worrying. The first is that two young girls are shown wearing the extremist far right sweatshirts of Britain First. This is deeply worrying and raises into question safeguarding issues. We will no doubt be passing on the pictures to the relevant authorities, given that young children are included in material related to this extremist far right group.

The bulletin goes onto suggest that Britain First will be providing martial arts training to its activists in Krav Maga and Thai boxing. The end of the bulletin makes a chilling call showing the extremist far right rhetoric and mindset of this group. It states,

“The fact is that our people are not breeding.”

“The situation is only going to have one outcome: civil war.”

Given that Britain First is becoming more militant and aggressive in the make-up of its material, we urge authorities to continue to look carefully at this material and to act against the group where appropriate. The only thing that will make ‘Britain First’ globally is hard work, communities working together for a better social and economic future and where citizens value and safeguard our collective safety. Groups like this are a hindrance to these laudable objectives and simply serve their own deluded extremist ideologies.

The post Britain First Electronic Bulletin Shows Young Girls Promoting Far Right Material appeared first on TELL MAMA.

It’s the kind of thing that happens up and down our country with no problems. Now what if the small bunch of volunteers were ambushed by Muslims holding up placards and taking pictures of the group whilst touting Al-Muhajiroun flags? Surely, the Daily Mail and the Star would be up in arms about how ‘Christians were being ambushed by Muslim extremists?’

Well flip to this situation today. A group of Muslims whose idea of supporting better community relations is to hold a stall where people can turn up and talk about Islam. Sound anything untowards – not at all. Add to this that the group of Muslims also hand out water bottles and help the elderly by carrying their shopping to cars and sometimes to the Church where they want to pray. You would get the impression that they were stalwart citizens and that they were generally caring and law-abiding young people.

Well not according to the extremist far right group, Britain First. Today, a group of 5 Britain First sympathisers, (some of whom looked like a hard trek up a mountain could seriously affect their health), turned up, abused the Muslim volunteers and then decided to take the following photoshot. This was after they carried on with their abuse against the volunteers.

To add insult to injury, they then posted the picture up on the Britain First Facebook page, with the following statement: “WELL DONE TO OUR NORTHERN ACTIVISTS WHO CONFRONTED ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS IN DEWSBURY! OCS.” (Note the caps since they get all shouty – something that seems to be an associated trait with the far right).

Such language is potentially dangerous to the well-being of the Muslim individuals in the picture. The three individuals who were volunteering should report in any anti-Muslim statements either to us or directly to the police, through 101. We would also urge them to try and get legal advice given what has been said about them.

In the meantime, if anyone has any further information on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The post The Only Extremists We See Are the ‘Britain First’ Sympathisers Here appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Their latest begging bowl of a mailshot shows how extreme the rhetoric of this extremist group is becoming. “Traitors” who “give away our homes, jobs and heritage,” will according to them, find “good old fashioned British justice at the end of a rope.”

The mailshot then goes onto suggest that Britain First is a “Declaration of War against the establishment.” They go onto state that they are, “poised for battle“, with their tin pot saucepans on their heads.

And just to complete the fact that Britain First base their policies on race, this statement sums it up: “Each Mayoral candidate is entitled to a two-page spread in a booklet that is delivered to 10 million people in London, 45% of which are still ethnically British.” Britain First reverts back to the ‘lineage’ fascist ideology, much vaunted by the Nazis in Europe.

Not to be outdone in the smear stakes, the mailshot then turns its fire on Sadiq Khan,  the Labour Party’s candidate, with the following statement, “Labour has chosen a career politician Muslim with strong sympathies for his fellow radicals and extremists – Sadiq Khan.” The link – well you have to stretch it quite a great deal. By advocating for the release of Babar Ahmad and representing a constituents family, Sadiq Khan is now supposedly an Islamist sympathiser. There is truly no level that this group will not stoop down to.

And finally, at the end of this rabble rousing ode to Goebbels, what do Britain ask for? Your time? Your efforts – oh no, that will not do. You can guess what they ask for. A whopping £30,000, all accounted and costed for as though it was done on the back of a fag packet. If they aim to govern London, we think that all Londoners should give them a short sharp shock and put any of their literature where it belongs – in the recycle bin.

The post Hanging, Give us Your Money & Sadiq Khan – A Cacophony of Hate From Britain First appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Yes, these ‘Templar Knights’, these defenders of Jerusalem, (which we will come to later), have managed to find a problem with Haribo sweets and have picked a fight. In a desire to challenge the ‘Halal’ element of Haribo sweets, Britain First have mounted a campaign to put the ‘G’ back into Haribo Funny Mix sweets, since the removal of gelatine means that practising Muslims can be sure that there is no pork gelatine in the sweets.

So these battalions of righteousness have taken the fight ‘against the evils of Halal’ to the Haribo Funny Mix sweet packets and we will no doubt be trailing their campaign with some interest. You never know, after the Haribo Funny Mix, they might just start on the Refreshers!

However, not to be outdone, the Templar Knights of Peckham have been advertising a Britain First march in Burton that is to take place in October against what they have termed a ‘mega mosque.’ To advertise the mega mosque, the Templar Knights have thought that Burton is in fact, Jerusalem, and have managed to place a picture of the Dome of the Rock mosque on the Al-Haram Al Sharif, as though it were in Burton. Yes, they simply have lost their way again.

Our simple advice to anyone looking to follow or support the work of Britain First would be this. If their idea of social change is attempting to wave a packet of Haribo sweets around or place mosques in Jerusalem in the location of Burton, some 3,000 miles away, do you actually feel confident in their abilities to do anything to ‘Take Britain Back?’ Ladies and gentlemen, we rest our case.

The post Britain First – Fighting Over a Packet of Sweets appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The material itself was emblazoned with a crown on the sweatshirts and t-shirts which raises an important question when the insignia is placed next to our flag – the flag of the United Kingdom. The misuse of the Crown is an insult to what this country stands for, which is about pluralism and about all communities being part of our national identity, which we should be proud of. This needs addressing since the ‘Crown’ and all it stands for belong to us as citizens and is not to be hijacked by an extremist far right group.

Furthermore of concern is the fact that Mastercard and Visa are providing services to this extremist and far right anti-Muslim group. Any transaction processing company should not be engaging with this group, nor should it be associating its brand with this group.

Recently, we had extensive news coverage on the closing of bank accounts involving a number of organisations who served or engaged with Muslim communities. The reasons that are coming out regarding HSBC’s decision, are allegedly based on the ‘level of risk’ of such groups and we are aware that the groups involved have stringently denied any involvement in extremism and there are challenges underway to HSBC’s decision. Yet, a legitimate question can be asked as to how banking and transaction facilities are being provided to a known extremist and far right group which some call a ‘political party’ – Britain First.

We call on Mastercard and Visa to remove their services and any association with Britain First. Nationally, we have a Prevent strategy which focuses on tackling on extremism. It talks about reducing the capacity of extremist groups to function and in tackling their resource base as one way of tackling the dissemination of their ideology. Surely, this is one example of where Prevent can be implemented to show the wider public that extremism in all of its guises will be tackled.

Either way, we hope that as members of the public, you can write to the Press Office of Mastercard (UK) and Visa (UK) and make clear your displeasure as to why they are providing services to this extremist group. You can contact the following individuals by e-mail:

Mastercard

Kedesh Mather: Kedesh_Mather@mastercard.com
James Thorpe: James_Thorpe@mastercard.com

Visa

enquiries.europe@visa.com

The post Mastercard and Visa Should Not Provide Services to Extremist Far Right Groups appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Nothing could have prepared us for the cringeworthy sentence at the end of what was an HTML mailshot by the self- appointed leadership of Golding and Fransen.

The mailshot was another ‘pass the begging bowl routine’ and this time supposedly to raise funds so that the pair can continue to be leader and deputy leader. The application to the High Court made by the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire some months ago listed the following conditions and it seems that the temporary relief granted by the judge on the particulars of the claim are coming to an end, meaning that a judge will make a decision on them possibly in the next month, which will mean a bar on Britain First:

b) Entering any mosque or Islamic Cultural Centre or its private grounds within England and Wales without prior written invitation;

c) Publishing, distributing or displaying, or causing to be published, distributed or displayed, any words or images, whether electronically or otherwise, which having regard to all the circumstances are likely to stir up religious and/or racial hatred;

d) Using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour thereby causing harassment alarm or distress to any person;

e) That a power of arrest be attached to these conditions.

The final sentence at the end of a tirade of ‘gizza your money’ will simply make you wince at the cringeworthiness of the following statement. Not to be outdone on the melodrama so akin to far right groups, this is the statement that the duo make.

“If we are not allowed to “publish, distribute or display” any words or images, how can we continue as leader and deputy leader?”

Someone pass the sick bag!

The post “How Can We Continue as Leader & Deputy Leader”, Crow Golding & Sidekick Fransen appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The use of pop-ups which ask a question with 2 simple responses, (‘yes’ or ‘no’), confront the reader and get them to engage with the site. Most questions that they ask attempt to play to the morality of ‘Middle England’, the same ‘Middle England’ that Britain First then rails against by suggesting that liberal values in this population belt of the country, are akin to ‘leftist influences’ and in some instances ‘Bolshevism’.

The political schizophrenia of Britain First it should be said, is based on political opportunism and nothing demonstrates this better than further pop-ups that bounce up on the screen within a minute of someone coming onto the Britain First site. One of the pop-ups is inflammatory and uses the grooming of over 1,400 girls in Rotherham in order for Britain First to promote it’s ideological focus on Muslims. The pop-up shows a young girl in a helpless position and the use of the graphic imagery and the way that it leads the viewer and directs them to give their details to the extremist group is worrying.

This is even more worrying given that Britain First are marching in Rotherham tomorrow and have been agitating for the last few weeks using their mail-shots. It seems that even after the killing of Mushin Ahmed, Britain First and its extremism rumble on with no care as to what their actions may possibly lead to.

The post ClickBait Tactics of Britain First Around Rotherham Are Deeply Inflammatory appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We have highlighted how Rotherham has become the touchstone for extremist groups as they hype up their demonstration. We have also highlighted the way that Britain First have blamed South Yorkshire police about changing their route on Saturday the 5th of September. It seems that after the killing of Mushin Ahmed and the history of what has taken place in the town, ensuring peace in the town is of no concern to Britain First.

We have therefore asked some community activists in Rotherham what their thoughts are on the inflammatory actions of Britain First. We have kept their details confidential for fear of reprisals from far right sympathisers and activists.

“The right to protest is a fundamental human right,  linking to the freedom of speech ensured to us all living in  a pluralist democratic society. 

However, I question that right, when it is abused and used to spew hatred, to further break down a cohesive community and even lead elements of a community to become fearful, due to the harm created by such protests and demonstrations.

I further question whether, it is in the interests of the people of Rotherham? To continuously March and demonstrate within a town, force ordinary hard-working people to close their businesses in times of austerity, whilst attempting to indoctrinate people to turn neighbour against neighbour!

I have lived in Rotherham all my life and I have never seen the level of Islamophobia that is now increasing as a consequence of these protests? We have an ongoing investigation, looking at racial hatred as a possible motive to the death of an innocent 81-year-old. To which, disgustingly one of the leading members of Britain’s First suggests is a consequence of the Rotherham grooming scandal. The same leader then wishes to enter the same town, with a group of misguided yobs to blame and vilify the same community of the crimes committed not by them but by vile criminals.”

“We fear that Britain First are not happy until someone seriously gets hurt. We have just seen the death of an 81-year-old and when will groups with vested interests stop using Rotherham for their own political gains?”

“Are such so-called marches going to do any justice for the victims of grooming? The answer is no; let the police and prosecutors do their job on the grooming issues and let the police handle prosecutions on the killing of Mushin Ahmed. Britain First are part of the problem and by no way are they a solution for the people of Rotherham.”

The post Statements from Rotherham Activists Suggest Extremists Stay Away appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Each day shows us an ever more depressing picture of the depths and nature of the far right extremism group, Britain First and their sympathisers and supporters. Yet, just as we had posted about the comments made by Britain First sympathisers about the death of refugees, we have had to write again about the group on the back of reports we have received.

This is the shocking statement that has been reported to us where Paul Golding, the self-proposed leader of Britain First, tried to justify possible reasons for the brutal attack and killing of 81 year old Mushin Ahmed. These are the comments and you can judge for yourself:

2:12 mins – “She (a female officer), said that there was a racist murder in town last week, and the community in Rotherham are saying it is all because of right wing groups………You could say conversely that this murder………was due to the fact that there was a huge Muslim grooming scandal that the Council and the police conspired to cover up and this has caused anger amongst the English people and 2 criminals have now gone out there and done something like that.“

Once again, Golding uses ‘Muslim grooming’ as a way of dividing communities. The statement is purposeful and splits the local Rotherham community along the lines of faith. This is done we believe, intentionally, given the context of the group that we are dealing with and given that most of their material on-line focusses on ‘Muslims.’

Those people reading his statement will be sickened by the posturing and the attempted justification for the possible reasons for the murder of Mushin Ahmed. Instead of condemning it outright and saying that there is no justification for the murder of a grandfather simply going to pray, Golding’s statements appear to lay the blame on the local authority, the police and Muslims. It is a sickening statement and one which deserves nothing but our collective contempt.

Finally, on the 5th of September, Britain First state they will march into the centre of Rotherham . Indications from local residents and from local Muslim groups to Tell MAMA, are that some young people are angry and suggesting that they want to take matters into their hands. We have actively counselled against such action and advised that all residents inform Tell MAMA or the police if they are targeted by Britain First members. Passions are running high amongst young people and we urge local residents to remain within the law and to work with local law enforcement and if need be, us, to ensure the peace in the town. Remaining lawful is key.

If you would like to contact us and to speak about a matter concerning matters in Rotherham around the forthcoming Britain First march, you can call us on 0800 456 1226 or you can e-mail us on info@tellmamauk.org. You can also tweet us @tellmamauk and Facebook us at TellMAMAUK. All correspondence will remain confidential.

The post Paul Golding of Britain First Shockingly Tries to Justify Possible Reasons for Mushin Ahmed’s Murder appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The text below raises the temperature with a threat to march to Rotherham town centre. This coming after communities in Rotherham are trying to get to grips with the grooming scandals, ongoing investigations and the recent murder of a Yemeni Muslim male who was walking to Fajr prayers in the morning.

Text from Britain First to Newsletter Subscribers

“Recently, South Yorkshire Police banned Britain First from Rotherham town centre on our march next Saturday, the 5th of September.

We announced a new route in line with police wishes.

However, since then there have been two separate developments:

Firstly, despite Britain First not being allowed into the town centre to avoid disrupting trade and shopping, the openly violent leftwing vigilante group, the UAF, who regularly burn British flags, will be allowed to counter-protest in the town centre!

The new police strategy of sabotage is clear: Banish Britain First to the outskirts of town and allow the opposition to meet the public in the town centre.

Secondly, the South Yorkshire Police liaison unit have confirmed that the threatened Section 12 is not going to be served on Britain First until the actual day of the march.

What would happen then is that Britain First will have changed its plans in a massive way, then the accompanying legislation and paperwork would fail to materialise.

In other words, we would have been tricked into staying away from the town centre.

On both these accounts, we have scrapped the route the police wanted us to take and we will be going to the town centre.

Britain First will not allow itself to be bullied and sabotaged by Britain’s increasingly political police forces.

Please watch this important video update from Britain First leader Paul Golding.”

The post Far Right Britain First, Rails Against South Yorkshire Police appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Aaqil Ahmed provides some reflective thoughts in his blog about Christian traditional beliefs which reflect on the poor and the dispossessed and this was one of the reasons why he discussed holding a session for Songs of Praise with the team.

Yet, a decision made on the basis of highlighting and discuss dispossession, ethics, religious values and the celebration of faith, has led to far right groups like Britain First attracting the following comments, (below), on their Facebook page, targeting the faith of Aaqil Ahmed himself.

The shocking comments underline the hatred that this group attracts and once again, we urge members of the public to contact Facebook and report in comments that promote bigotry and prejudice. Some information on reporting in comments can be found here.

We have listed some of the Facebook comments from Britain First’s Facebook page on Aaqil Ahmed:

Xander Van Mourik said: “Are you stupid to place a Moslem (sic) in the too (sic) of the BBC. Than (sic) you are naief (sic).”

Fran Hodson said: “I will never look at BBC again having a dirty Muslim in charge.”

Billy Cully said: “Muslims and paedos in the BBC nothing surprises me about what they say, I watch or listen nothing from them, scum.”

Roland Galway said: “Can you expect this Muslim to be objective. Now even the BBC is being taken over slowly by the Muslims. No wonder their (sic) are becoming more biased.”

Key themes always come up in far right web-sites and through such bigoted posts. Here, the faith and identity of Aaqil Ahmed is mentioned, where bigots assume that being Muslim means being impartial. They also perversely, trot out the ‘Muslims are paedophiles’, line that has been promoted by far right groups after Rotherham and we have written about this before. 

Assumptions made that ‘Muslims will take over’ are also reminiscent of the kinds of anti-Semitic tropes that were used against Jews in Germany and within the UK in the 19th and 20th centuries and were a way of trying to keep Jewish communities away from the employment market, leading to many setting up businesses to work and support Jewish communities. The impacts of such discrimination affected Jewish communities for millennia in Europe and were a disgrace. Today discrimination, has sadly, found a voice through the targeting of Muslims, resurgent anti-Semitism, and hate targeted towards refugees and migrant communities, including the Roma in Europe.

The post Britain First Facebook Posts Awash With Bigotry Towards Aaqil Ahmed, BBC Head appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish bigotry simply drips of the Facebook pages of Britain First as the extremist group posted this picture on their Facebook page. No doubt, the reference that they used was as vague as trying to find the genetic make up of Dolly the sheep in the dark with a match.

The post was followed by a range of comments including this one which we did not know whether to laugh or cry about:

Further dubious comments made on the Britain First Facebook page are listed below and we will be calling on Facebook to ban the Britain First Facebook page. They have not done so yet, since their stance has been that Britain First are a political party. Clearly, their activities are drawing in a specific set of individuals, some of whom have extremely disturbing views about Muslims and some of whom espouse violence against Muslims. Given the recent comments by the Prime Minister outlining the Government’s strategy over the next 5 years, we believe that the ground has changed and it is precisely this kind of activity that the Prime Minister wants social media companies to take action against.

Note the following comments on the Britain First Facebook page:

Leslie Bowe states, “Let’s send all the Muslims to Turkey, and all the Turks with them.”

Ryan Fieldhouse plays into the persecution complex of a ‘war that is looming’. He states, “a war is looming…..who with, whatever the time and wherever the place.” Clearly, he seems lost in time and space.

The post Remember this next time you buy your Kebab (from a Turk), say Britain First Facebook posters appeared first on TELL MAMA.

On the evening of 3 April 2014 Paul Golding, the leader of an organisation called Britain First, visited Chafont Hundred, a small town in Essex, along with a group of male supporters. The group’s primary intention was to confront a man called Sajeel Shahid who, according to an article in the Daily Mail, had been a member of a proscribed terrorist organisation and had been involved in training terrorists in Pakistan. In fact, the house that the group intended to visit actually belonged to Mr Shahid’s brother, and at the time of their visit only his wife, Munnazza Munawar, and their three children were at home.

On arrival in the area the group began posting leaflets entitled ‘no hate preachers in Hepburn close’ through a number of doors in the vicinity before approaching Mrs Munawar’s front door. PauL Golding knocked and, although Mrs Munawar did not open the door due to her understandable concern, he asked her to pass a message on to Sajeel Shahid that he should get out of the neighbourhood. He ended by stating that he would return and posted one of the offending leaflets under her door before departing. Mrs Munawar was left in a state of fear for herself and her children.

One member of Paul Golding’s group filmed the whole visit including a number of speeches that he made to camera. The video recording of this incident was subsequently posted on the website of Britain First. In this footage Paul Golding could be seen to be wearing a green bomber type jacket which had a visible emblem on the right hand breast. The others in his group all wore similar jackets which were available to buy on the Britain First website.

Paul Golding was prosecuted for an offence of harassing a person at their home, contrary to section 42A Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 and an offence of wearing a uniform in connection with political objects, contrary to s1(1) Public Order Act 1936. The latter offence required the consent of the Attorney General. After a trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court he was convicted of both offences. He received a fine of £425 and was made the subject of a restraining order to prevent him from harassing Mrs Munawar.

The post Regina (State) vs Paul Golding (2014) – Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Extremist group, Britain First post this article on their Facebook page. The resultant responses are akin to incitement and will be reported to the relevant police authority:

Roger Dyer: “Never mind the noise,can you imagine the stench coming from it? the obvious solution is a bonfire.”

Jason Bailey, from Well, Somerset: “It’s made of wood. Petrol + matches = no more noise.”

Graham Martin: “Napalm it.”

Cain Pinnock, (from London): “petrol station near by is there ”

Grant Hawley, from Milton, Cambridgeshire: “50p on a box of matches. A sound investment.”

John and Vicky McNeil, who works in Senior Sales in Debenhams: “Torch it.”

Mark Whale said: “About time it was blown up (and lists lots of flames).”

Roy Holmes from Walthamstow: “Set it alight while they are all inside praying. B.b.q muslim!”

Just to make sure that when we report this to the Police, they know what Roy looks like, we thought we would list the picture he proudly displays on his Facebook page. Roy Holmes from Walthamstow, these are your comments.

The post How is this Not Inflammatory? Posts on Britain First’s Facebook Page appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Details of the injunction have come to light and the injunction is “to prohibit Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen for a period of 1 year from:

1. Entering the town of Luton in Bedfordshire and its surrounding areas as indicated in the attached plan,
2. Entering any mosque or Islamic cultural centre or its grounds within England and Wales without prior written invitation,
3. Publishing, distributing or displaying, or causing to be published, distributed or displayed, any words or images, whether electronically or otherwise, which with regard to all of the circumstances, are likely to stir up religious and/or racial hatred,
4. Using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour thereby causing harassment, alarm or distress to any person,
5. That a power of arrest be attached to any of these.”

This is a pro-active and extremely welcome move by the Chief Constable for Bedfordshire coming hot on the heels of a meeting with Muslim communities in Luton who expressed real concern around the actions of Britain First on Saturday. Yet, what is also of significance, is the fact that Britain First cannot enter any mosque without prior written permission and their ‘mosque invasions’ may well be at an end. Also, what may be at an end could be the extremist and deeply anti-Muslim rhetoric that they have espoused and the injunction highlights that Golding and Fransen may well be arrested if they continue with such actions.

True to form, this duo of the fringe right have taken to ask for donations in order to pay for their ‘defence.’ Judging by past calls for finance, they may be looking at a couple of hundred pounds and offers of pints to console them.

We welcome and salute the actions of Bedfordshire Police and their Chief Constable. Such examples show clearly that authorities are willing to take action to maintain law and order in communities and to ensure that communities are not targeted for hate, intolerance and prejudice. Bravo!

The post Golding and Fransen Served with High Court Application for Injunction Banning them from Entering Mosques & Luton appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Angie Dunn, a member of non-teaching support staff at Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, is under a police investigation after bosses at the school reported the incident to police – who are also considering the possibility that her Facebook account was hacked.

Dunn allegedly shared a Britain First meme that invited users to register their ‘offence’ at the niqab.

A statement on Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College said: “It has come to our attention that an alleged issue involving a member of staff’s use of social media. We must stress this does not represent the views of Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College.

Prejudice and racism in any form is not acceptable in or out of our school and any such behaviour is taken very seriously. Our responsibility to pupils and parents is our top priority. Please be assured we will be conducting a formal investigation into the matter”.

On June 24, a letter sent to parents and carers said: “Prejudice and racism in any form is not acceptable in or out of our college and any such behaviour is taken very seriously. That is why the matter has been reported to the police for investigation as a hate crime”.

The post Member of staff at Bradford school under police investigation after allegedly sharing Britain First meme appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The two ‘endorsements’ relate to the comments ‘Dynamite the hell out of it…grrrr’ and ‘Accidents can have a funny way of happening ;)’.

But the individual calling for the use of dynamite qualified her remarks by stating ‘I didn’t say I wanted to. Read it again then judge me’. Britain First also ‘liked’ that comment. So the idea of a total endorsement is not strictly true. Yet, the tone her entire comment reflects a fatalistic sense that civil war is looming. Others posted ‘it’s nothing a can of petrol and match wouldn’t solve’ and sought to justify it as ‘taking back your country by any means necessary is not terrorism. It is defence’.

The comments raise some interesting questions: why would an individual post them and why do they gain popularity?

It could reflect how people navigate the internet. John Suler’s influential ‘Online Disinhibition Effect’ breaks down internet behaviour into six factors. For the sake of space and relevance, I will focus on just two.

One is how people attempt to decompartmentalise their identities into ‘online’ and ‘real world’ personas. Behaviour in the online world is considered inconsequential. If anything, the extreme nature of the comments are the blunt end of insecurities around Muslims. Some may never act on these comments offline. Or, some consciously (or otherwise) blur the lines of incitement.

Suler contends that online discussions are asynchronous, which means interactions do not exist in real time. Therefore, it might take hours or several minutes for counter speech to emerge, and is already drowned out. A lack of real time discussion potentially increases the toxic sense of online disinhibition that may encourage individuals to ‘like’ toxic comments.

Facebook’s current policy encourages dialogue between parties in relation to hate speech. Rather than report, the emphasis is placed upon hiding comments from news feeds or directly messaging the person responsible before reporting to Facebook’s Community Standards team.

Nor is it Facebook’s responsibility to police the platform (it is simply too large and free speech is important). The fundamental issue remains the threshold for removing online hate speech. For example, the above comment ‘it’s nothing a can of petrol and match wouldn’t solve’ was not considered in breach of Community Standards policy.

A failure to proactively deal with these comments (when reported) creates a toxic platform where these comments are popularised and potentially encourage others to post similar remarks. Greater dialogue between organisations (like ourselves) and Facebook can help strengthen the platform so all users feel safe.

The post Online Behaviours Which Threaten Mosques appeared first on TELL MAMA.

However, this theme of Labour ‘allowing migration’ and then ‘protecting paedophiles’ – in this case ‘Muslim grooming gangs,’ is a common theme that cuts through a range of far right groups. More sickeningly, the second graphic below had to be doctored by us for the sheer depravity of it, though the text on the sweatshirt makes clear how low these groups will sink in order to agitate and to raise community tensions. Once again, the Labour Party is accused of being a gateway for paedophilia, carried out by ‘Muslims’ as the crescent symbol implies.

Sadly, we will see more of these stomach churning graphics in the next 4 weeks as electoral campaigns ramp up. Yet, it is important to recognise the twisted and convoluted arguments that far right groups are throwing up in the hope that they can damage the Labour Party. No doubt their impact will be minimal, yet it provides an insight into the sheer depravity of these groups who will stoop to lower depths to promote their hate.

The post The Far Right’s Obsession with Labour & Paedophiles appeared first on TELL MAMA.

One of the worshippers who spoke to a member of the TELL MAMA team said:

“I am just trying to pray and want to come and do my Jumu’ah prayers and I feel frightened and just angry that such people want to play games outside the mosque. All we want is to be left alone to pray and get on with our lives, but this is just getting out of hand, where we have police and groups of people shouting at each other.”

The Regent’s Park mosque administration has on many occasions made clear that people should peacefully attend and worship at the mosque and the doors are always open to those who want peace, spiritual guidance and worship. They have taken a strong stance against any form of political gathering and this includes agitation by groups associated with Anjem Choudhary or Britain First. The mosque management has also made huge efforts to work with other communities to place the mosque in the heart of local communities in Westminster and Camden and such demonstrations, no doubt, affect worshippers and many who have worked hard to build community relations in the area.

We just hope that both of these extremist groups – Britain First and Anjem Choudhary’s brigade of followers realise that they are not wanted. They are remnants of a past which survived on agitating each other – and they represent all that the majority of people do not want. However, sadly we may see more of their inflammatory actions before we see calm heads prevail.

The post Britain First & Anjem Choudhary’s Motley Crew Play Off Each Other appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Coming to the defence of UKIP, Britain First urges individuals to add their name and details to ‘complaints’ about the portrayal of what the first 100 days under a UKIP administration may look like. Britain First states:

“1840 patriots have complained to Channel 4 and OFCOM about the biased and ridiculous show called “100 days of UKIP”, a typical example of leftwing scaremongering. Please fill in below and hit “Complain” to join them.”

Guess the last thing that UKIP needs is Britain First’s sympathisers supporting them, though what is interesting to note is that Britain First believes that UKIP is worth defending and supporting by its actions. We live in interesting times!

The post Britain First Asks Sympathisers to Complain to OFCOM About ‘100 Days of UKIP’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Forget the fact that a far right group attempts to make political capital out of antisemitic attacks and forget the fact that scratch the surface of these extremist groups and their antisemitism boils over. However, the sheer fact that they assume that their vile politics has any place within Jewish communities in the UK beggars belief and shows a political naivety that Neville Chamberlain would have been proud of.

Antisemitism, as we have said many times, is a sad reality and something that needs tackling. As the Chief Rabbi recently said, it is a light sleeper and has historically slept lightly in Europe. Yet, thankfully, things in our country are not as bad as in countries like Hungary and other states. This is acknowledged by respected antisemitic monitoring groups like the Community Security Trust.

What groups like Britain First fail to understand is that Jewish communities have long memories of when extremist far right groups targeted them when Muslim communities were not really the focus. They have not forgotten being chased down streets, being abused and spat at, or when their cars were keyed and when racist propaganda was left through their letterboxes. They have not forgotten when Jewish girls were bullied, when their institutions suffered arson and when these groups marched down streets and spread fear in the elderly. Simply put, they have not forgotten what the far right are about!

Let us also not be fooled by the fact that groups like Britain First, whilst trying to spin that they care about antisemitism, are the branches of the Jew, Black, LGBT and Muslim hating fascistic roots which provide the ideology that keeps such vile groups alive. This is the ideology of hate, of blaming others whilst believing that groups of people are the cause of ills in society. This is also the ideology that uses fear, a mob mentality, nationalism and pseudo science in their desire to use young minds as cannon fodder simply to feed their narcissistic egos. Whilst Paul Golding is no Hermann Goering, the ideological traits, it can be argued, are there for people to see.

Let us be clear. Britain First is no cuddly yet offensive party. It is a street movement that relies on fear, intimidation and malicious thuggery. Its intimidation of the elderly is well documented and its desire to spread fear well known. So next time they attempt to play the ‘we can help fight antisemitism routine,’ we hope that local communities can show them what they think of them by finding the nearest recycle bin in which to put their leaflets.

Finally, if anyone out there managed to receive one of their leaflets, we would be very interested in taking a look at it.

The post Extremist Group Britain First Parade in Golders Green Promoting ‘Britain First Patrols’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The text below refers to Muslims and is then corroborated by further posts by Susan Sharpe, listed below. The comments are inflammatory and deeply troubling.

Facebook have responded back to us stating that the posts do no violate their community standards. Frankly, if these statements by Ms Sharpe do not violate their standards, then Facebook have a long way to go in developing better standards. Furthermore, the question really comes down to this. How can a social media platform, built to generate profits, social engineer and shape moral issues in our communities, when it is we, as people, voters and communities, who should shape what moral values are in our society.

We would urge all members of the public to report this statement into Facebook and to show Facebook that we collectively find the statements unacceptable. (There is a function to hide the comment and then to report it into Facebook as hate speech). https://www.facebook.com/britainfirstgb/photos/a.346633882148546.1073741826.300455573433044/672233022921962/?type=1&comment_id=672418102903454

The post Anti-Muslim Bigotry Seems to be Acceptable for Facebook’s Community Standards appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The video posted on their Facebook page highlights comments from Jean Marie Le Pen. In this recent article, Jewish leaders were reported to:

“have called on Le Pen, 85, to be stripped of his parliamentary immunity as an MEP after a controversial play on words linking “oven” with a celebrated Jewish singer in a video posted in the FN’s website.”

Jean Marie Le Pen is no stranger to making comments which have infuriated Jewish communities and which have been deemed to be antisemitic. The Anti-Defamation League has posted this on its web-site:

“Le Pen has repeatedly made statements that attempt to diminish or deny the Holocaust, once remarking that the Nazi gas chambers were “a mere detail” in history. He and his aides likewise have consistently espoused anti-Semitism. In February 1997, for example, Le Pen accused President Jacques Chirac of being “in the pay of Jewish organizations.” More recently, Le Pen has toned down his anti-Jewish sentiments, while focusing his oratory against Arab immigrants from North Africa.”

Stomach churningly, Britain First added this comment to the video showing Jean Marie Le Pen:

“We need more politicians in Britain First like this.” 

Frankly, this says everything about Britain First.

The post Britain First Facebook Page Praises Jean Marie Le Pen appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The years brought far-right protests, a series of high court battles that resulted in lost decisions for both Dudley Council and Dudley Muslim Association, and a rejection of a larger proposal in 2011.

Kurshid Ahmed, from Dudley Muslim Association, noted that the plans had divided parts of the community.

“One must remember the Muslim community in Dudley is an integral part of the wider Dudley community and have rights to a place of worship… as any other community,” he said.

A look at the Census reveals that Dudley’s Muslim population has increased since 2001. But it remains the largest religious minority (4.1 per cent or 12,902 residents). Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region (63.5 per cent of residents) yet the number of residents not disclosing their faith is higher than the Muslim population (6.3 per cent). So the argument for a larger mosque is not unreasonable.

At the council’s development control committee, prior to approval, the Committee chairman, Cllr Qadar Zada said: “No-one has said much more than just about the mosque, very few times have I heard about the enterprise and training centre in one of the most deprived wards in Dudley.”

Labelling the approved proposal a ‘mega-mosque’ is sensationalistic and ignores how non-Muslims benefit from the plans. Focusing upon the size of the mosque and minaret potentially feeds into far-right paranoia of what constitutes a ‘mega-mosque’.

The redevelopment includes an enterprise and education centre, a sports centre, a two-storey car park and the mosque benefits from three prayer rooms.

Another example of problematic reporting is found in today’s online edition of the Express & Star (November 12). The image (cropped to highlight just the mosque) distorts the entire proposal. It takes the reader several paragraphs to learn of the sports and community facilities.

Other councillors raised opposition to the mosque as went against the ‘historical character’ of Dudley. In the end, the plans were approved at a vote of 5-3. Supporters of the mosque packed out the town hall as a small protest took place outside.

Britain First made their presence felt outside amid a visible police presence. A video captures their deputy leader Jayda Fransen (a candidate in the Rochester and Strood by-election) shouting: “You guys won’t get your mega mosque if we bury a pig on the grounds of it….Let’s see you worship upon ground that is infested with swine….you are going to stand on swine infested ground and worship your false prophet are you?”

Public opinion in Dudley was not uniform in rejection or approval – the council received 885 letters of rejection and 370 in support – but a petition in favour of the proposal was handed to the council with 1,718 signatures.

After years of campaigning, bluster and arguments on both sides, a deprived area of Dudley will now flourish in redevelopment.

The post The Dudley mosque campaign appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The years brought far-right protests, a series of high court battles that resulted in lost decisions for both Dudley Council and Dudley Muslim Association, and a rejection of a larger proposal in 2011.

Kurshid Ahmed, from Dudley Muslim Association, noted that the plans had divided parts of the community.

“One must remember the Muslim community in Dudley is an integral part of the wider Dudley community and have rights to a place of worship… as any other community,” he said.

A look at the Census reveals that Dudley’s Muslim population has increased since 2001. But it remains the largest religious minority (4.1 per cent or 12,902 residents). Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region (63.5 per cent of residents) yet the number of residents not disclosing their faith is higher than the Muslim population (6.3 per cent). So the argument for a larger mosque is not unreasonable.

At the council’s development control committee, prior to approval, the Committee chairman, Cllr Qadar Zada said: “No-one has said much more than just about the mosque, very few times have I heard about the enterprise and training centre in one of the most deprived wards in Dudley.”

Labelling the approved proposal a ‘mega-mosque’ is sensationalistic and ignores how non-Muslims benefit from the plans. Focusing upon the size of the mosque and minaret potentially feeds into far-right paranoia of what constitutes a ‘mega-mosque’.

The redevelopment includes an enterprise and education centre, a sports centre, a two-storey car park and the mosque benefits from three prayer rooms.

Another example of problematic reporting is found in today’s online edition of the Express & Star (November 12). The image (cropped to highlight just the mosque) distorts the entire proposal. It takes the reader several paragraphs to learn of the sports and community facilities.

Other councillors raised opposition to the mosque as went against the ‘historical character’ of Dudley. In the end, the plans were approved at a vote of 5-3. Supporters of the mosque packed out the town hall as a small protest took place outside.

Britain First made their presence felt outside amid a visible police presence. A video captures their deputy leader Jayda Fransen (a candidate in the Rochester and Strood by-election) shouting: “You guys won’t get your mega mosque if we bury a pig on the grounds of it….Let’s see you worship upon ground that is infested with swine….you are going to stand on swine infested ground and worship your false prophet are you?”

Public opinion in Dudley was not uniform in rejection or approval – the council received 885 letters of rejection and 370 in support – but a petition in favour of the proposal was handed to the council with 1,718 signatures.

After years of campaigning, bluster and arguments on both sides, only a High Court judgement will determine if building work will start. Dudley Council is bidding to buy back the land, a decision opposed by Dudley’s Muslim Association.

The post The Unvarnished Reality of the Dudley Mosque Affair appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This video (from Team EBF – Exposing Britain First) highlights anti-Muslim rhetoric by far right extremist Paul Golding. Laughably, Golding attempts to ‘separate’ “local Dudley English people,” from Muslims which can be a dog whistle for racism as well as anti-Muslim hate since a majority of the people filmed outside the Dudley mosque in this video seem to be British Muslims of South Asian heritage.

Following on from Jayda Fransen’s vomitous rant that we reported in to West Midlands Police, true to form, Paul Golding follows in her steps as he reflects that if pork material is buried in the grounds of the Dudley mosque, the Quran (he says), states that the mosque cannot be built. Sheikh Golding has been up too many nights reading something, though clearly not the Quran.

Golding states that “we will do anything to stop this,” and “we will buy a pig unless the whole thing is scrapped.” Pigs beware we say, Golding is on the march and we expect some form of a fundraising internet campaign from Britain First to raise funds for the porcine material.

Golding goes onto say, “Worse case scenario is that we will find out where the mega mosque is and we will bury a pig in the ground.” Golding was followed on by his mumbling counterpart who repeated the same words as if in some kind of tantric trance.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ‘patriots who aim to protect the nation.’ God help us all we say.

The post We Will Bury a Pig, (on the Site of the Dudley Mosque), says Paul Golding of Britain First appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This is the latest from the Dudley mosque meeting that took place to decide whether planing would be approved for the Dudley mosque. The planning decision-making process has been a long and turbulent one and was approved this evening.

The video shows a shambolic state of affairs after the mosque planning decision was made with Britain First activists agitating outside and both sides irritating each other. However, what is noticeable is that 2:50 mins into the video, Jayda Fransen is heard shouting the following:

“You guys won’t get your mega mosque if we bury a pig on the grounds of it….Let’s see you worship upon ground that is infested with swine….you are going to stand on swine infested ground and worship your false prophet are you?”

The following statement has been reported into West Midlands Police this evening. If there is an anti-Muslim hate incident on the Dudley mosque with pork material placed on the grounds, no doubt West Midlands police will want to speak to this Britain First agitator.

The post Let’s see you worship upon ground that is infested with swine says Jayda Fransen of Britain First appeared first on TELL MAMA.

When asked what led him to join Britain First, he mentioned that the initial thrust of the group was against extremists and people like Anjem Choudhary. The need to counter extremism appealed to him, though over time, “with money being thrown around,” and the group receiving funds, it became less about extremism and more about income.

It also seems that social justice around the homeless was something that appealed to Matthew and this, he says, was manipulated by Paul Golding, who had suggested that helping the homeless would be something that Britain First would help on. Yet, sadly, the focus just became Muslims and went against the principles that Matthew believed the group was against. Extremism became a fixation on Muslims and less about helping and protecting others.

His final comments are heartening. He stated in an on-line interview with us that he wanted to see, “Everyone of all faiths standing together united against extremism and those wishing to cause division.” Matthew also attended the Crayford mosque and apologised to them regarding the demonisation that Britain First has undertaken towards Muslim communities.

The post Matthew Lester, Former Britain First Member, Turns Back on Group appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Rochester and Strood by-election on November 20. Candidate is Jayda Fransen (deputy leader). Britain First are running on a single issue – a proposed ‘mega mosque’.

From the ‘illegal’ campaign leaflet:

“I have campaigned hard against the huge new mega mosque that is going to be built on Rochester’s doorstep and that is why I am standing in the Rochester and Strood by-election. If this mega mosque is built, Medway will be flooded with more Muslim immigrants.”

Here’s what Britain First are not telling people about the new mosque:

• The new mosque only has a capacity of 400 so hardly ‘mega’. In Medway, the Muslim population is over 5,000 (just 2 per cent of the local population).
• The proposal does not affect constituents in Rochester and Strood – Canterbury Street, Gillingham is part of Gillingham and Rainham constituency (current MP is Rehman Chishti)
• The proposal is to replace an existing mosque and it will also include a restaurant, shops and mortuary prior to Islamic burials. To imply it’s just a mosque is disingenuous.
• Sound restrictions mean there will be no audible call to prayer
• Worshippers will privately buy their own parking spaces to ensure less disruption
• The current mosque on Canterbury Street was attacked in the aftermath of Lee Rigby’s murder

Britain First are using the Rochester by-election to align themselves with UKIP. The Telegraph quoted Ms Fransen: “There’s only two parties in this election who are worthy of the people’s vote, and that’s Ukip and Britain First.

“Ukip are going to sweep up, and we are one hundred per cent behind Mark Reckless. That’s going to wipe the smile off their faces!”

On October 28, a photo Ukip activists alongside Ms Fransen flooded social media. But Ukip rejected any association in a statement to the Independent.

A recent Britain First ‘day of action’ in Rochester attracted 35 supporters as 70 people counter-protested. Police recorded zero arrests.

The incoherent and single issue campaign implies Britain First is using the by-election for two reasons: a) to jump on the rising support of Ukip and b) continue their ongoing anti-mosque campaign in Medway.

Britain First has used the time to effectively harass peaceful worshippers in the area over the new mosque. In the previous by-election, Britain First encouraged support for Ukip.

Social Media

Britain First are the most popular British political party on Facebook, when not posting racist and/or anti-Muslim memes, the group finds other ways to increase its online presence. Take the image below. It has over 70,000 online shares:

There is nothing on the image to suggest it originates from Britain First and many will share it unaware of Britain First’s true intention. Britain First routinely exploit the tragic murder of Lee Ribgy and the horrific abuse of women and girls in Rotherham.  The group captions Rotherham as the ‘Islamic paedophile capital of Britain’.

Again, Britain First appeal to national sentiment and the ‘feel good’ factor by encouraging participation on their social media channel. How many of the 66,247 likes and 1,946 shares would consider themselves far-right white nationalists? It remains to be seen. But this strategy ensures an active social media channel.

Repetition is key to the online Britain First strategy. Between Nov 4 and Oct 1 2014, Britain First posted 21 images encouraging people to either join as members or become party activists.

This Britain First image exploited the horrific murder of Alan Henning – look closely and note that the image received 14,701 likes and 43,644 shares. The tag also implies Henning is a ‘Holy Martyr’ but there’s little evidence on offer that Henning was Christian – Britain First hijack the religion for their own end.

Ideology

For a background on ideology read: http://tellmamauk.org/britain-first-far-right-fundamentalism-steve-rose/

For background into their mosque ‘invasion’ campaign: http://tellmamauk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Britain-first-mosque-timelime.pdf

For their anti-Roma campaign: http://tellmamauk.org/britain-first-supporters-shout-roma-gypsy-streets-south-yorks/

The full list of our Britain First monitoring is found here: http://tellmamauk.org/tag/britain-first

The post Britain First ‘Mega Mosque’ Campaign in Rochester and Stroode By-Election Shows Desperation appeared first on TELL MAMA.

What is particularly of concern is the rhetoric used in the intimidating march in Hexthorpe. Chants of ‘Roma Gypsy – off our streets‘ are repetitively made and which if made against other communities, would probably have seen a more robust response from local police officers, who seem to stand by and let the demonstration and statements continue.

Such statements are not only clearly discriminatory, they are intimidating, menacing and threatening. Targeting the Roma community in Hexthorpe with such intimidating statements should not be tolerated and what exactly do Britain First supporters mean by suggesting that Roma community members should be ‘off our streets’? Do they mean ejecting people, intimidating them or generally driving them away?

We would not accept such talk about other communities. This should also be the same when the Roma community are targeted.

(We would like to thank @edlnews for bringing this to our attention)

The post Britain First Supporters Shout ‘Roma Gypsy – Off Our Streets’ in South Yorks appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The latest disappointment comes from Australia. With 800 police officers, Australian officials raided the homes of numerous Muslims, detaining 15 people and only charging one person over fears of a ‘beheading’ plot (for which no hard evidence has been presented). Whether or not the evidence for the plot is accurate is beside the point: what matters is 800 police officers served 25 warrants and only charged one person. This sends a clear message­: Muslims have been, and continue to be ‘suspects’.

The dangerous backlash to these raids has been a spike in anti-Muslim hate crime, many reported by a new group on Facebook called the Islamophobia Register of Australia. A mosque has been desecrated, boys playing football were threatened by an older man, and a young woman was bashed and thrown from a train. All of these incidents happened after the raids. We see similar patterns in Britain; the brutal murder of Drummer Lee Rigby is used as the glue that holds Britain First together, a far-right political group with a strong anti-Muslim agenda.

Ineffective policing – especially the kind that requires 800 officers to serve 25 warrants and leads only to one arrest, or the desperately low hit rates of Section 44 and Schedule 7 searches, arrests, and detentions – is much more than a waste of resources. This is ineffective policing because it in fact increases the incidence of crime by generating a national discourse in which Islamophobic comments are rendered legitimate and justifiable: Almir Colan, of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said to Guardian Australia that ‘we want the prime minister to lower the rhetoric and concentrate on responsible, productive language.’In fact, some of the PM Tony Abbot’s backbenchers have called for a burqa ban in Australia, though he distanced himself from any such policy. Part of the problem is the media itself; in both the UK and Australia, ISIS makes for juicy headlines that inspire fear across populations. The far-right, such as Britain First in the UK and the Australian Defence League, rely on news coverage to justify their claims about Muslims. Just as Britain First supporters speaking about Rotherham replaced the label ‘Asian’ with ‘Muslim’ when describing grooming gangs, ISIS is seen by organisations such as the Australian Defence League as a problem with the nature of Muslims. Holding that argument, then, means that ‘all Muslims’ should no longer be welcome in Australia. Such a situation is ripe for hate crime.

In the UK, police forces and the government are taking far-right hate much more seriously than they did even a few years ago, working far-right groups into the general counter-terrorism strategy. Many police forces are working more diligently on prosecuting anti-Muslim hate crime. At the same time, there is an informational exchange between the likes of right-wing parties in Australia with those in the UK, with sources such as UKIP and the EDL influencing the Australian right and both are plugged in to transatlantic anti-Muslim ideologues such as Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer (both of whom influenced the terrorist Anders Breivik).

The far-right and racists are exploiting the suffering of untold numbers of people at the hands of ISIS to terrorise and demonise – albeit in a less violent way – the Muslim community in Australia. While it is certain that the police should be able to raid suspected criminals’ homes or workplaces to prevent an attack, it has to be done responsibly and within the limits of the law. Is deploying 800 officers to serve just 25 warrants for a potential murder representative of a reasonable use of force? The use of such force exacerbates tensions between governments and the Muslim community. This kind of action decreases trust in police institutions and ultimately makes it harder to detect and prevent crime when communities live in fear of institutions.

Given the highly politicised nature of anti-Muslim hate and anxieties about ISIS, it is just as important for the police to tread with care and not to use heavy-handed tactics. If that racist had bashed that young woman harder, or threw her off the train at a different time or angle, there could have been a homicide possibly motivated by the environment created by these raids. After the killing of Lee Rigby, there were 35 mosque attacks with the real potential of a threat to the safety of worshippers. Those 800 cops were out raiding and detaining also to prevent one planned murder. How many cops in Australia are dedicated stopping racists from attacking innocents is another legitimate question to ask.

The post Raids, ISIS, and Anti-Muslim Hate in Australia: Building an Environment for Hate Crimes appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In the early hours of this morning we highlighted how racist and anti-Muslim incidents and attacks in Rotherham were a real concern and we highlighted these here. We have published a detail report on the language of hate and prejudice on the extremist Britain First Facebook page and where there have also been threats made and which have been targeted at Islamic institutions and mosques.

Yet, knowing that such material will inflame the passions of people and agitate an already sensitive situation in this small town, it seems that the extremist group Britain First simply do not care. Cynically, they add-on the bottom of the leaflet, “good standards of behaviour apply.” Well if that was the case, people would not join Britain First is the simple answer.

We call upon members of all communities to remain calm and to ensure that such groups do not get the tension and aggression that they feed off. Such groups do not put the ‘Great’ in Great Britain and are a public embarrassment as are those who have abused so many young people in various grooming scandals. The latter are people who should spend long periods of time losing their liberty and reflecting on the harm they have done, whilst the former simply have no care for the peace which we enjoy in our country.

We ask that the people of Rotherham be left alone so that they can pick up the pieces and build; that they come together against criminality, against bigotry and against intolerance and that never again, should those who abuse people get away with it. There is a responsibility to speak up and there is also a responsibility to speak against those whose main aim is to cause separation, segregation and violence. Not in our name to both groups.

The post Far Right Agitators & Extremist Groups Like Britain First Stoke Up Fires in Rotherham appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Residents of Hexthorpe, an area made infamous by the Daily Mail and Daily Express for having an out-of-control Roma population has seen a high-level of anti-social crime as well as other offences such as fly-tipping and litter, in addition to some violent crimes and drug offences. Local Britain First officers and activists arrived on (Saturday) to distribute leaflets in the village.

The video of their day action shows Britain First members slipping leaflets through mail-slots and talking to residents. While residents complain about gangs and intimidating anti-social behaviour, Britain First was clearly in town to provoke and agitate minority residents in the area. They mention a number of ‘Muslims’ (though they are never shown on camera), that have shouted abuse at them and ‘threatened’ them. Further, the Britain First activists are seen in front of a group of youths and eventually began to provoke them on camera.

The location of this ‘day of action’ and the approach that Britain First has taken is quite important. As they did with the management of Star City Vue Cinema in Birmingham, Britain First confronted locals based on reports that they were given from the media. In the video, they used screenshots from the Daily Mail and Daily Express about ‘Roma’ gangs terrorising Hexthorpe. This means that reporting about ‘immigrants,’ ‘asylum-seekers,’ and ‘benefits scroungers,’ in papers like the Daily Mail and the Daily Express have, it seems, a direct influence on far-right activism, giving them legitimacy to make accusations and inflame community tensions.

While it is absolutely true that Hexthorpe has had a problem with anti-social crime in the last year, which the Daily Mail reports is based on lax immigration policies allowing Roma communities into the UK. This ‘day of action’ was directed against the Roma population in Hexthorpe and the Britain First video opens with random shots of ‘brown bodies’ going about their day as if it were some sort of crime. Britain First actually offers no proof of anti-social behaviour by any Roma people in the area, but paints them as such based on their different skin colour. In addition, the Britain First activists handed out anti-Muslim leaflets featuring Drummer Lee Rigby.

Instead of encouraging a dialogue between community groups, or even simply speaking with Hexthorpe residents about what they would like done differently, Britain First activists have stormed in, handed out misleading literature, and called for “immigrants out!” This kind of action serves only to deepen community tensions and the racist undertones that motivate Britain First are clear in the video and through their language which constantly draws on divisions between ‘English’ people and all the other ‘immigrants’.

The post Britain First, the Roma and More Agitation From the Extremist Group appeared first on TELL MAMA.

On August 10, Britain First posted the image to their Facebook page, which drew thousands of shares and comments. But what is the truth behind it?

To understand this quote fully, we must look at the religious makeup of Victorian England, the foundations of which viewed Islam as a violent heresy at odds with the dominant Christian identity. It is worth remembering that England did not have a registered mosque until Christmas Day 1889.

Gladstone’s Christian identity was no different, but he was also a liberal internationalist who often clashed with the conservative mantra of Empire and nationalism, a mantra embodied by his great political rival Benjamin Disraeli.

The quote re-entered the public consciousness in 2009 after an episode of BBC’s Today programme. It did not take long for some anti-Muslim websites to pick up the story.

Gladstone’s true views about Islam are often misconstrued or impossible to verify. Any malice towards Islam is a product of fraught 19^th Century relations between Britain and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1876, a Bulgarian revolt against Ottoman rule brought violent reprisals and thousands died.  When news reached Britain, then Prime Minister, Disraeli, downplayed the tragedy in order to keep good relations with the Ottomans and maintain Britain’s own empire, as he feared the growing influence of Russia.

Disraeli’s blasé approach incensed Gladstone and he did his best to highlight their plight with the pamphlet “The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East.” Gladstone was a humanitarian who sought to defend and protect Christian minorities within the Ottoman Empire. The pamphlet proved so popular that it sold 200,000 copies within one month.

Gladstone rejected Islam as the true path to God but championed the pluralistic notion of freedom of faith. During the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), Gladstone opposed intervention and spoke in defence of faith, as he recognised that Islam is one of the great religions of the world:

“Remember the rights of the savage, as we call him. Remember that the happiness of his humble home, remember that the sanctity of life in the hill villages of Afghanistan among the winter snows, is as inviolable in the eye of Almighty God as can be your own.”

 He went on to argue that God’s love transcended borders and was not limited to “Christian civilisation.”

Nor should we overlook Gladstone’s towering intellect and commitment to scholarly pursuits. During his lifetime, he read around over 20,000 books and owned 30,000 titles. Near the end of his life, he brought a plot of land to build a library upon, with the help of his daughter, and a member of his staff.

The library’s original name was ‘Monad’ – the first number and symbol of unity. A library intended for all as Gladstone believed that strong academia put you on the path to truth. Of the 15,000 books he personally annotated, we can  include ‘The Life of the Prophet [Muhammad].’ In 2011, Gladstone’s Library opened up an Islamic reading room.

With the above context absent from the meme, it merely serves as confirmation bias for those with an anti-Muslim agenda. Two of the highest rated comments in response to the Britain First post generate the desired response:

“That’s the thing, people for years throughout history knew how bad Islam was and still is, they weren’t wrong were they!”

“he was right”

If alive today, Gladstone would likely reject the bigotry, anti-intellectualism, and fundamentalist mindset that refuses to engage with Islam on any meaningful level.

So we can consider this meme well and truly busted.

The post Gladstone and Islam – Anti-Muslim Memes Going Round, by Steve Rose appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The Britain First web-sites states that the flash protest was to highlight the “treatment of women under Islam and the segregation of women at the Crayford mosque.” These new scholars in Islam clearly do not realise that women and men pray separately in the vast and overwhelming majority of mosques and that if they are truly interested in supporting the rights of women, maybe they could support the following mosques that our partner organisation, Faith Matters, collated in the publicly available Developing Diversity directory. Here is a public directory of mosques that want to cater for the needs of women and men in their congregations and have actively taken measures in ensuring better service delivery for their congregations. We suspect that women’s rights and supporting faith institutions that promote and enhance women’s rights are not high up on the agenda of this far right group, but it is a topic that is used and abused by such inflammatory groups.

Not content with intimidating mosque worshippers, Britain First’s Facebook page has just posted up statements and pictures where they, “confronted the Vue Manager over their “Muslims only” policy.” Playing on the recent story about Vue cinema allegedly only letting in Muslims which we highlighted here, Britain First have decided to make this another campaigning theme. Furthermore, they state that, “Britain First will not allow anti-British discrimination to go unchallenged!”

What is interesting to note from the statement above is that the reader can infer that Muslims are therefore not British by virtue of the allegations made against Vue; that the people allegedly not let in, are British and one can assume that the ones entering the cinema are therefore not British in the eyes of Britain First. Forget the fact that there are British Muslims and put aside the fact the strenuous denials by Vue cinema that such actions took place and what we seem to have is a far right group which is fundamentally based on prejudice against Muslims. So their talk about tackling discrimination, is frankly, preposterous.

Facebook Posts

For a group tackling anti-British discrimination, you would therefore assume that Britain First would make an effort not to target mosques and harass elderly worshippers. We have raised their actions many times before here, here, here and here. You would also think that a group tackling discrimination might be active in taking off posts that promote toxic bigotry. Yet, a simple scan of Facebook comments in relation to their Vue cinema posting shows the following and with posts that are clearly racist and anti-Muslim in nature. We think that the statements on their Facebook page show the kind of audience that Britain First play to, so the next time they talk about countering discrimination, just remember these posts.

The post A Legacy of Anti-Muslim Hate Against British Citizens. Britain First Continues to Agitate appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Leon Jennings, 22, told the Mirror, that he and his friends were unable to visit Vue Cinema due to being white and non-Muslim, a serious allegation that requires an investigation. Upon arrival in the car park, staff informed the group that the venue for the evening was only suitable for ‘couples and families.’

Undeterred, they attempted to enter the cinema complex but a member of security denied them entry. The reason? It was allegedly only for families and couples celebrating Eid.

Mark Wilson, Centre Manager at Star City, strenuously denied the allegations:

“Over the past few days Star City has been extremely busy and the volume of traffic has been very high, causing significant traffic congestion and delays in getting some visitors access into the Centre. During the busiest times some visitors have been turned away and there has been some disappointment for some, for which we apologise. However, there is simply no truth in the recent allegations – the nature of which have no place at Star City.”

That message is consistent with a warning posted on Vue Cinema’s website about “additional security and traffic controls” at the Star City location during Eid. The short message went on to detail a “strict admission policy” and family-friendly environment.

Nor does the statement from Vue Cinemas corroborate claims of religious discrimination (it merely acknowledges that people could not access the venue):

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to our guests who tried to gain access to our Birmingham Star City cinema.”

“As a company we welcome customers from all religious and cultural backgrounds. We are investigating this directly with the Star City management team as a matter of urgency.”

The final paragraph in the Mirror piece acknowledges that Star City were “unaware” of individuals being turned away from the venue on religious grounds.

As of writing, West Midlands Police confirmed to some local journalists that the allegations “appear to be unfounded” as they have not received any complaints of racial or religious profiling (but this may change with time).

In spite of this, both the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First jumped upon the story as evidence of another Muslim-led conspiracy.

Some supporters called for Star City to be “burnt down,” others called for a boycott of Muslim-owned businesses and some simply settled for outright bigotry:

“Disgusting! It’s A Taste Of What This Country Will Be Like In A Few Years. Us English Will Be A Minority In Our Own Country! Makes Me Sick!”

“Sick and tired of reading about Muslims!! When is this country going to get rid!!”

In an exercise of confirmation bias, many decided to vent their frustrations online with a variety of offensive and negative reviews of Star City:

“Saw a review on this. Absolutely disgusted! Let’s just blow it up? See how they like it.. Fucking pricks. “

“Disgusting!!!! Horrible racist people, Islam will be the death of Great Britain.”

“Muslims out!!!!!! Now!!!!!”

“would be negative star but that’s not an option… seriously banning all non muslims… it’s ENGLAND NOT PAKISTAN if they want a muslim only shopping centre then they can go fuck off to their own country or the country where their ancestors came from.. makes me sick to be an outcast in MY OWN COUNTRY”

A Facebook group titled ‘Boycott star city – racist shithole,’ which has over 2,000 ‘likes,’ encourages users to leave negative reviews.

Rather than jumping to emotive and abusive conclusions, we must await any internal investigation, before we decide if these allegations are indeed true.

The post Did Vue Cinema Discriminate Against Non-Muslims, by Steve Rose appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The post Britain First and the Intimidation of Mosque Worshippers in England appeared first on TELL MAMA.

March 17 2014: A minority of activists entered the Jamia Madina Masjid mosque in Bolton and Jamiyat Tabligh-ul-Islam mosque in Oldham. Video shows a minority of activists outside the Golden Mosque in Rochdale.

Why? Britain First activists distribute their ‘Muslim grooming ’ leaflets.

https://www.britainfirst.org/video-britain-first-invades-mega-mosques-across-the-north-west/

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=853_1395096979

May 10: Up to ten Britain First activists, some in uniform, protest at ten different places of worship in Bradford city centre.

Why? Activists hand out ‘Muslim grooming’ leaflets and army issued Bibles. In Bradford alone, 100 Bibles were distributed.

May 11: Britain First activists enter two mosques in Glasgow, Scotland. (Glasgow Central Mosque and Cumbernauld mosque).

Why? Activists hand out ‘Muslim grooming’ leaflets and army issued Bibles.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/police-far-right-invasions-bradford-glasgow-mosques-britain-first

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/city-must-unite-to-tackle-mosque-invaders-1-6612884

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6b0_1399927080#LXl60TuGWHmdLc1t.99

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=906_1400143834

http://www.cumbernauld-news.co.uk/news/local-news/far-right-paramilitary-disrupts-worship-at-cumbernauld-mosque-1-3421270

May 19: Four Britain First activists, all uniformed, enter East London Mosque and demand to speak to the Imam.

Why? Activists hand out ‘Muslim grooming’ leaflets and army issued Bibles before abruptly leaving.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=09d_1400519585

http://www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk/news/britain-first-invasion-fail

June 16: Britain First allegedly enter several mosques and Islamic centres, including Luton Central mosque and Bury Park mosque. Yet, the video released by Britain First only shows activists entering a single mosque.

Why? To protest the bail conditions placed upon the ex-leader and founder of the English Defence League (EDL) Tommy Robinson. Worshippers at one mosque are shown in the video being handed ‘Muslim grooming’ leaflets and army issued Bibles.

July 3: Several Britain First activists, all uniformed, argue with worshippers outside the Nasir Mosque in Gilligham. They later visit the Jamia Mosque in Gillingham.

Why? To protest the application for a new mosque in Gillingham, inside Jaima mosque, elderly worshippers were told, “Withdraw your application for a new mosque, ok?

“Otherwise we, Britain First, will run a big campaign against you guys personally and also the council and the Imam, yeah?

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/right-wing-group-threaten-to-19501/

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a68_1403860598

July 14: Three uniformed Britain First activists are filmed entering Crayford mosque and confronting one elderly Muslim male. According to one worshipper, six activists stayed for around ten minutes to harass individuals.

Why? To protest against gender segregation. One worshipper is told, “Inform the Imams that they have exactly 7 days to remove sexist, segregationist signs from outside their building, or we will”.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=78b_1405334328

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11339126.VIDEO__Far_right_group__invade__Crayford_mosque_demanding_removal_of__sexist__signs/

The post A Timeline of Britain First and their Inflammatory Actions in the UK, by Steve Rose appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A group of five men and one woman – including BF leader and former BNP councillor Paul Golding – entered the mosque and, following a familiar script, refused to take off their shoes, and began to harangue attendees and confront the imam who was present at the time. The subject? The ‘sexist and offensive signs’ outside the mosque, which read ‘Brothers only’ and ‘Sisters only’, and divide men and women into separate worship in the mosque (as Charlotte Meredith points out in the Huffington Post, most mosques, Orthodox Jewish synagogues, and Sikh Gurdwaras operate on a similar basis). This isn’t a new concern to Golding – who, as part of the England National Resistance, was campaigning on the same issue last year – but this particular protest took on a new dimension.

Surrounding the Imam, and pushing into his personal space, the BF members warned him that ‘you’ve got one week to take those signs down, or we will’. Another BF member warned that ‘when you respect women, we’ll respect your mosque’. Syed Alam, one of the mosque volunteers, talking to News Shopper, said reported the Britain First members stayed for up to ten minutes harassing members in a ‘very aggressive and threatening manner’. Speaking to Tell MAMA, another imam present reported that they were ‘shouting loudly’ and raising their voices, and had confronted the chairman of the mosque without any prior warning. According to Rahat Alam, another volunteer, the mosque chairman was ‘shocked, but fine’, and that while the mosque community had been shaken by the incident, they had gathered together in solidarity against it. Indeed, as so often happens after such incidents, they responded by expressing welcome to visitors who came in on peaceable and amicable terms.

As mentioned above, and elsewhere on this blog, Britain First are increasingly adopting ‘invasion’ as a tactic – previously, mosques in the North-West Bradford, Glasgow, Luton, Kent and East London have also been targeted since the campaign, part of ‘Operation Fightback’, began in May this year. Throughout BF have adopted an overtly militaristic approach, not only describing their intrusions in terms of ‘invasions’, but also engaging in combat training for a ‘defence force/activist academy’, forming quasi-military regional ‘companies’ with designated leaders, and describing themselves as having been ‘blooded’ by their activity in the field. Jim Dowson, one of the organisation’s leaders, has also described the group’s actions as a ‘holy war’ or ‘crusade’, defined explicitly as the same (but opposite) concept to ‘Jihad’. Paul Golding, another leader, declared that ‘It’s as simple as this: take action or we will continue our Christian Crusade.’ Even the music on their video reflects this; much of the video is accompanied by martial, Lord-of-the-Rings-style drums and chanting.

This tone is belied by the actual numbers present at many ‘invasions’. As with similarly to this intrusion, their ‘violent actions’ have typically been limited to entering unlocked mosques in groups of four to ten, refusing to leave or take off shoes, and haranguing worshippers and handing out religious literature, before leaving. Nonetheless, the approaches made by the group have certainly adopted a threatening character, with members wearing uniforms of matching hats and dark green tops (‘activist jackets’), driving former military land rovers, and invading the personal space of (often elderly) mosque staff.

Perhaps the most significant impact of these ‘invasions’, however, seems to be the way they claim space. Religious institutions of any faith are typically places of peace, contemplation, and religious observance – as late as the 17th century in England, churches provided legal sanctuary from persecution. Religious institutions are places of peace and refuge from the world. As such, the symbolic impact of a group of people stomping in in matching ‘activist jackets’, threatening to start remodelling the property unless their demands are met represents a fairly dramatic intrusion on a religious space; a claim to ownership of and domination over it, which, whether intentional or not, is fairly threatening. It’s a sudden, shocking action that suggests ‘we can come in here and do what we want, and you can’t stop us’, and that ‘we don’t respect this institution’. As such, even if the rhetoric of ‘invasion’ massively overestimates the actual threat, it still can have be upsetting, as the statements of Syed and Rahat Alam, and the second imam, suggest.

If we take BF at their word, then their concern is about gender equality, and women’s liberation; indeed, the female BF member argued that ‘we fought long and hard for equality’, and would not let a mosque’s own practice impede that. The idea of women’s liberation from oppressive forces is certainly a valuable one, but it’s not clear that, for all of their concern about Islam and women, Britain First listen particularly much to women’s voices. We’ve read accounts from female members of the mosque community who have senior responsibilities in the running it, and see the separate entrances are part of a religious observance that they choose to partake in. Building on Tell MAMA’s research, academics from Birmingham University have investigated the nature and impact of intersectional hate violence targeting Muslim women, seeing the looking at the mutually reinforcing issues of violence against women and anti-Muslim violence, and looking to explain why attacks on Muslim women are so common compared to other forms of hate violence. Others have remarked on the double-glazed extra-strong glass ceiling that seems to limit Muslim women’s employment achievements. Yes, we should care about misogyny and poor treatment of women, and especially in cases where overlapping forms of discrimination; but feminist movements little need groups of uniformed far-right ‘activists’ storming into mosques and delivering ultimatums over the complaints of Muslim women.

The post Britain First and Senior Citizens in the West Kent Muslim Association appeared first on TELL MAMA.

 In the early hours of Monday morning, vandals targeted the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park. London Live reported that stencilled messages included “Blair lied thousands died”, “Four innocent Muslims” and “July 7 truth”.

When Britain First shared the story, the response was anything but pleasant. Despite an ongoing police investigation, and the graffiti removed, many of their supporters instantly blamed Muslims (as a minority pointed the finger at Unite Against Fascism).

The narrative of collective guilt intoxicated some to express the sentiment of revenge and violence:

 “four dead muslims!!!!!!!!! and counting”

 “Only four?….what a shame”

“NO such thing as an innocent muslim. they are all as guilty as hell. IF OUR GOVERMENT DON ACT THEN ITS UP TO US”

“They are very twisted ugly people who should be shot. Send the ugly vermin back to their savelos. There will be a holy war but this time we will win!”

“They should all be put in a house and gassed, then chopped up and burnt”

Others called for revenge against mosques, “muslims man can’t leave nowt alone let’s vandalise the mosques.” That single comment attracted over fifty individual Facebook ‘likes’.

One supporter even suggested spraying Muslim’s directly with pig’s blood to ‘wash them’ away from towns and cities.

Broadly speaking, Britain First’s use of pseudo-paramilitary imagery and language is potentially inspiring more violent fringes. On July 5, the anti-Islam page ‘War Against Islam – UK’ posted a photo of armed loyalists from Northern Ireland with the caption “Free English Army! Armed and Ready!”

This call to arms inspired such comments, “Lets fucking av it you muzrat cunts!!! NO SURRENDER!!!” If the last part sounds familiar, it is the shortened slogan of the English Defence League’s (EDL) “No Fucking Surrender Ever.” One prominent group member lists several far-right groups (including Britain First) among his Facebook ‘likes’.

Online abuse of Muslims (and others) is the cigarette burn of intolerance; the wound might appear superficial and even trivial to some; but it burns at a deeper level.

As we stop to remember the victims of terrorism, the language of vengeance, of abhorrent racism, and violence should not seduce us.  Nor should it tempt us into collective guilt.

Many in Britain will rightly reject this rhetoric but on the fringes, these views are potentially gaining traction.

The post Britain First and the Legacy of Hate of its Sympathisers, by Steve Rose appeared first on TELL MAMA.

News has come in that the Far Right extremist group has posted another ‘mosque invasion’ on its web-site as part of what it regards as, ‘Operation Fightback.’ We believe that enough is enough and the police have to act and to act now against Britain First.

We have heard from a variety of police services that there are no real laws that are being broken and that there is little that can be done. Given the tensions, anger and agitation that these inflammatory events are causing, it is imperative that police forces, the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government provide re-assurance to mosques or look at what mechanisms can be put into place to stop such actions in the future by Britain First.

We have also seen the pathetic nature of these ‘mosque invasions’ and which have terrorized elderly Muslims praying in mosques and who are not aware of what is taking place. Many have not approved their faces being filmed, nor are they aware of how they are being humiliated by these Far Right agitators.

We will be writing to the Home Secretary on these matters in the next few days. We hope that she realises that such behaviour needs to be tackled and if the Government wants to talk about British values, how about tackling these abhorrent groups to ensure that we all understand that hate and prejudice will not be tolerated in our country.

The post More ‘Mosque Invasions’ By Britain First – the Police Have to Act Now! appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Conspiracies and the Politics of Fear 

 Britain First positions itself as a vanguard against a ‘creeping’ Islam, the European Union and non-white invasion. For their supporters, the promise of speaking the ‘unspeakable’ is a seductive proposition.

By fusing the language and iconography of militarism and conquest, Britain First promise to remove the impediments that hinder progress towards a utopian vision for Britain.

One example is the recent ‘invasions’ of mosques in Bradford, Glasgow and London. Despite the rhetoric, there was no invasion. The mosque doors were always open. But their supporters need a different narrative.

The few uniformed individuals who wondered through delivered army-issued Bibles and ‘Muslim grooming’ pamphlets.

A quick read of the pamphlet reveals its conspiratorial nature. It alleges that elites allowed for an “epidemic” of child exploitation by framing Islam as a peaceful faith.

It taps into a wider unease around “political correctness” to claim that most victims are white (or Sikh) but never Muslim. Other pages repeat Islamophobic tropes about integration and supremacy. Yet, it ignores the fact that abusive men are driven by power and control and not religion.

After each successful ‘invasion,’ Britain First’s Facebook is alive with tales of success. Only by externalising Muslims as an existential threat can such actions look heroic.

Among the hundreds of Facebook ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ are comments that range from derision to racism.

Censorship

Censorship is another key theme that entrenches supporters with a siege mentality. Who are the main conspirators? Elites and Muslims, of course. The only solution is to donate to the cause.

Some do whilst others speak in the language of violence:

“Islam is a cancer of the world. There will.never be peace while they exist. It is an invasive parasite that needs eradicating.“

“Their end is coming. All countries in the western world and all other religions are now fighting this cancer. They have no friends and by trying to take over everywhere, they have made massive enemies. Their extinction is long overdue”

“My dad and husband didn’t fight in the forces for the muslims to takeover. My family are waiting for holy war we will fight for our country.”

Britain First claims the BBC form part of the conspiracy, despite featuring on Daily Politics and party election broadcasts.

The party also allow supporters to read their own insular histories:

“Learn your own heritage, culture, history, myths and legends by exploring our growing library of articles – perfect for young patriots and children!”

Outside knowledge is not trusted as Britain First shapes their outlook. As a result, intellectual fundamentalism grows.

Yet, the most disturbing aspect of Britain First is their “Activist Academy.” Last month, activists learnt various self-defence activities, including Muay Thai and boxing.

Online comments calling for the destruction or removal of mosques are commonplace. Rather interestingly, recent comments from Hindu nationalists and ex-Muslims from abroad (who deserve the freedom to leave their faith), proved equally popular. The latter are viewed as experts within a pre-existing and negative anti-Islamic discourse. But they fail to acknowledge that some from the latter group may have been shaped by their own subjective experiences in singular Muslim-dominated cultures.

Speaking about Britain First’s recent mosque ‘invasions’, the Director of TELL MAMA, Fiyaz Mughal, said:

“The recent pictures that Britain First produced showed them entering mosques and attempting to humiliate old men who had just come to pray. This kind of intimidation is not on in our country where we value the right for people to worship in peace.”

Britain First offers one of the most retrograde and toxic forms of populism. Post-European elections, their online and offline presence will remain problematic.

The post Britain First and Far Right Fundamentalism by Steve Rose appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Supporters and activists of the Britain First group came to the Abu Bakr mosque on Saturday the 10th of May at around 3 pm in 2 vehicles. Men and women in the group entered the mosque with their shoes on and they were asked to take their shoes off in the place of worship, yet they refused. Members of the mosque remained calm although some provocative and intimidating statements around ‘Pakistani Muslim grooming gangs’ were targeted at worshipers in the mosque at that time. Members of the Britain First group then added to the intimidating environment by freely roaming around the mosque and stating that they have members of the armed forces in their group. The Committee member also mentioned that they distributed inflammatory leaflets around grooming that were targeted at Pakistani Muslims, as though grooming was just an issue of this specific community.

What is also worrying is that the Committee member mentioned that the response from the local police to the incident was slow though the mosque is working with the Council for Mosques in Bradford so that the issue is escalated through to the right channels.

Statements in the Inflammatory Britain First Video

Statements in this video include comments from sympathisers suggesting that, ‘this is our country,‘ as though Britain is not the home for British Muslims who were the target of the actions of these Far Right sympathisers.

Threats of ‘suffering the consequences‘ are also made in this video, as is the inflammatory statement to a worshipper in one of the mosques to, “save you from hell and to reject the false Prophet Muhammad.”

Worryingly, the Mayor of Bradford is also targeted and activists of the Far Right group visit his home and as they stand outside his premises one states, “the Mayor of Bradford lives in a nice street, not in the Muslim areas of Bradford,” thereby implying that the Muslim areas of Bradford are defacto, not so nice.” Finally, the confrontational attitude of this group is very apparent when they visit another mosque in Bradford which was full of worshipers. The comment, “we don’t care if the mosque is packed,” shows a disregard for the safety and security of members of the congregation by this group. A panic or stampede in the mosque, or even a physical confrontation could have raised tensions levels to a high degree in the town. But what do Britain First care about that?

Community Advice

If you have been subjected to such actions or if you are worried about what to do, we suggest the following:

– Call 101 and log the incident with the police. You can also drop us a line at TELL MAMA so that we can assist in various ways.
– Do not confront this Far Right group. They are looking for confrontation and they will use that to further dupe other vulnerable young men into thinking that they are ‘defending’ their notions of Britain. Thankfully, the Britain that they purport to protect, is not the Britain that we see. The Britain we see is a place where everyone has the right to worship and follow any religion and to live their lives free from such fear and intimidation.
– Keep a log and diary of the situation so that it can be reported in. If the mosque has CCTV coverage scanning the inside of the mosque, please hand the film to the police as evidence and intelligence.
– Remain vigilant and do not confront anyone.
– This mosque safety leaflet that we have produced can also be useful.

–

The post Britain First & the Impact of its Actions in Bradford appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Activists of Britain First came with a camera to record the reactions of the congregation, yet no-one had told these interfaith activists gone wrong that the Zuhr (evening prayers) had finished and that the mosque was pretty empty. True to form, Britain First scored an own goal as members of the mosques remained calm and did not react to the Far Right group.

The two mosques involved were the Abu Bakr and Madni Masjid in Bradford and the following pictures on the Britain First web-site state that the Far Right group ‘invaded’ mosques in Bradford.

Commenting on this group, the Director of TELL MAMA, Fiyaz Mughal OBE said:

“This is shocking and we have seen Britain First agitate in East London in Tower Hamlets and take things into their own hands on numerous occasions. In East London, they drove a large Land Rover type vehicle into Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets whilst wearing what seemed to be bullet proof vests. Now they are agitating on the streets of Bradford in an area where there is a high Muslim population and this does not bode well.

We were also informed that some young groups of British Muslims were patrolling areas in Bradford today and this counter ‘tit-for-tat’ type reaction helps no-one. If a mosque or Muslim civil society group or institution has a visit by any group that is threatening, the key thing is to inform the Police. We need to be the eyes and ears of the Police so that extremist groups like this do not cause counter-reactions since this is precisely what they are looking for. If anyone reacts to them, this will play into their strategy. Stay calm and simply contact the Police.”

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