A right-wing group, which claims to protest against militant Islam, is planning a Lincoln demonstration this summer, The Linc can reveal.
The English Defence League (EDL) wants to protest against plans to build a mosque in Boultham Park Road. The mosque was originally rejected by City of Lincoln Council on the grounds that it would cause traffic problems, but an appeal against the decision has been launched.
At previous EDL demonstrations there have been violent clashes between the EDL, police, and anti-fascist protesters. The EDL has also faced criticism for racist chanting at its demos.
A spokesman for the EDL’s Lincoln Division says: “We will be protesting against the building of the mosque in Lincoln and using it as a platform to say no to all mosques in England. You may say that this is against all Muslims [by] saying no more mosques, but it’s not.
“The reason we don’t want mosques in our country is because many of them are funded by an..extremist group, Tablighi Jamaat, which means that they will have a say in what is taught in these mosques.”
However, when asked if this is how the EDL think Lincoln’s mosque would be funded, they said: “I do not think…the Lincoln mosque will be funded by radicals.”
They also insist that the EDL isn’t racist because “there is [sic] muslim members within the EDL…Do you think they would be supporting us if they felt we was [sic] racist or islamaphobic?”.
One member of Lincoln EDL’s Facebook group, writing under the name “Jem England Cook”, said: “Great that all the houses will be worth 50% less around Boultham if these rag heads get their way. Wasn’t it an old chapel they was [sic] turning into a paedo palace? Sums up this fucked up country when they are taking over our religious places. Keep them out of Lincoln full stop.”
Mike Smith, who runs the Casuals United blog and recruits people for the English Defence League, told The Linc: “We can’t help the idiots and Nazis who regularly attach themselves to us on Facebook, which is riddled with losers and no hopers. We only use Facebook to recruit, we take no responsibility for any numpties on there.”
The EDL claims that residents do not want a mosque built in Lincoln and that locals regularly contact the group to say so.
Kieran English, chief inspector of Lincolnshire Police, says: “We have not been approached by representatives of the EDL about these proposals. Should any organisation wish to conduct a demonstration in Lincoln, we will discuss their requests with them.”
The Islamic Association of Lincoln did not respond to The Linc‘s request for comment.
Why so many uses of ‘(sic)’ in this article? I’ve never seen a regional journalist feel the need to use that phrase before when interviewing people on the street, etc.
Is it a very subtle way of saying that the EDL is full of badly-educated members? So this is the first time this journalist has come across people who use the wrong verbs and pronouns, grammatically speaking? I don’t think so.
I’m flattered that you’ve elevated me to “regional journalist”, but I’m actually a student journalist.
I have massively edited many of the comments I have put up, but I’m not going to do it for everything. If you look back through my archive you’ll see other instances where I’ve done this.
Crikey, I may have to get a train ticket back for the counter, nice article Shane gave me a good laugh.
And I think the use of (sic) does some up the level of intelligence in the Lincoln EDL, however in a very biased way.
I live 3 minutes walk from the site of the proposed mosque, I am white British, raised predominantly in Lincoln, I am affiliated with no particular religion. I have no objections to this abandoned space being used as a mosque! I think it’s a brilliant idea! Bring some cultural diversity to this backwater town! I will DEFINITELY be on the frontline showing my LACK of support for the EDL who I believe to be ill-educated, underhanded and thuggish. These ‘people’ should be ashamed of wasting their precious time on Earth on hatred and misunderstanding. As for the mosque being funded by an extremist group – show me proof! I think it is more likely that it will be primarily funded by donations from the congregation – paranoia and Islamophobia is the problem here. The EDL should not even be taken seriously.
Well Dec, I’m a member of the EDL, but not from Lincoln. However, us uneducated plebs, know the difference between, ‘some’ and ‘sum’. What was that you were saying, about the level of intelligence.
I like how you say it will bring “culture” to Lincoln. Just tell me why we should want to have another religious group join the city or local community. I think it is wrong and also ignorant to say that it’s only a good thing to bring any sort of religion into an area since a little bit can be good to maybe change things a little bit,i but with a religion such as Islam; it’s not always a good thing. I don’t know if you have done any research into their religion or infact any religions but they are something that should have been forgot about 100’s of years ago. They are not nice things to have or to be around. They are painfully more ignorant and “thuggish” than a group of working class idiots shouting racist comments. I believe the EDL do have a point. I would personally like to see money go towards things that EVERYONE benefits from not just a select group.
So, when you say, go toward the things that benefit EVERYONE, you mean something you understand and/or agree with? Is this therefore not the opposite of a diverse culture?
Where is the evidence that the EDL are coming to Lincoln? Their website mentions nothing. If you’re basing your report on the views of a handful of idiots on that nutty ‘get the EDL to Lincoln’ group then it’s quite slack journalism, even for a student.
I’m opposed to the EDL in all it’s forms, lets face it it’s just a street front for the BNP as it’s not really acceptable for their members to ponce around in bomber jackets and DMs posting dog $hit through corner shop doors any more.
Despite this let me offer another perspective – This is an attempt by left wing student groups and revolutionary political parties in Lincoln to goad the EDL into coming to Lincoln. There has been no mention of the EDL coming until it was posted on some leftist internet groups and now on this paper.
What a perfect recruiting opportunity for the SWP and Socialist party this would be. Could it be that these groups would relish the EDL coming?
It really strikes me that both sides locally are up for a ruck and want to be on the national news for representing their sides. If they do end up coming and anyone gets hurt these people will have a lot to answer for.
I had seen on several forums and various other places across the internet that the EDL wanted to come to Lincoln. I’d also looked in their official Facebook group, which you can access by clicking on the link in the article, which is entirely different from the group you’ve mentioned.
I decided to confirm whether they will be coming to Lincoln this summer with the EDL’s Lincoln Division, so I contacted them. You can see their quotes in the article. They then put me in contact with Mike Smith, who they described as “one of the leaders” of the national movement, to talk about their plans for Lincoln. They are yet to set an official date, but they said that Lincoln is on their list for a demo this summer.
So no, I’m not basing my report “on the views of a handful of idiots on that nutty ‘get the EDL to Lincoln’ group”.
Are you accusing me of conspiring with “left wing student groups and revolutionary political parties in Lincoln” to create a big fight? Just because you hadn’t seen it anywhere other than “some leftist internet groups”, it doesn’t mean the EDL haven’t been discussing it in places you’ve not looked.
Alix Grimsthorpe, I am secretary of the Socialist Party’s Lincolnshire branch. Can I just clarify that the Socialist Party would like nothing more than for the EDL to announce that they were not coming to Lincoln this summer or, in fact, ever!
That would allow us to concentrate on what we’ve been doing for the last year – namely, opposing cuts in the public services on which tens of thousands of ordinary people in Lincoln rely.
mr nick parker,
the majority of local working class people in lincoln dont support your extremist vile views,now go away with your student freak supporters your not welcome in lincoln,
do you really know of the true communist/socialist principles and how many people they massacred?
red terror off our streets!
which particular view struck you as vile?