Wootton Bassett, Anjem Choudary, Islam4Uk have been alive on the internet this week and in the media, and the action didn't all just stop because it was Sunday. we appear to be moving fast towards some major developments.
Action - or perhaps more accurately rumours of action - from Wootton Bassett.
Since Saturday late morning (on my research) there have been rumours that Anjem Choudary was marching today. There seems to have been no evidence of Choudary turning up, but on latest news there was quite a gathering of the English Defence League.
Plans were denied by the Wiltshire Police on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday, when they stated: "Following consultation earlier this week we were assured by the leader
of Islam4UK that the required seven days notice to the police will be
forthcoming if any march is to be formally proposed. This position has
not changed and no such notice has yet been received." The police were apparently present in WB in significant numbers but primarily in expectation of the EDL and others.
Wootton Bassett fury at todays march rumours. is in the local paper, timed at 4.21pm. Nothing had happened by then, except a gathering of a group that looked like football supporters (the EDL doubless).
The other reliable news iduring the pm was from twitter. Searches on "EDL" and "Wootton Bassett" show that some people phoned the Islam4UK phone line and received a denial of any plans. The EDL put out a call to gather in WB at 12noon, and at 13.59 they claimed 150 present. There are a few reports of them, with a note of hundreds lining the streets, but very little else. That is all.
[Update: There is now a piece on Metro: Tensions run high ahead of planned ‘Islam’ march]
Which makes the "news" that has been coming out on a few BNP related sites rather interesting to say the least.
Derby Patriot -- a BNP linked blog has this: Choudary marching in Wootton bassett TODAY with a whole sequence of events given, details of how the media were kept out, the cctv cameras shut down, Anjem Choudary and friends kept away, and the EDL and BNP triumphing! It was apparently updated regularly until 5.30 but the fiction seems to stopped then. [Update: now detailed to 21.15]
I have screen prints of all these should the "news" change.
The stories above were repeated on LeeJohn Barnes blog here and here. It would appear that the rumour surfaced early on his blog:
Just had a phone call from someone saying that Choudry and his mob will be marching through Wootton Bassett tomorrow - I dont know if it is true but someone from Luton has rung me and said his mate inside the mosque where Choudry goes has said that Choudry and his followers are going to march tomorrow.
There was a comment added to say that Choudary neither lives nor worships in Luton. Nor in fact is he welcome in any mosque here. But i guess that is news to the BNP and EDL. Anyway wher
The "news" was repeated on various other far right sites. eg "Sarah maid of Albion", Calling England,
Well, it would seem that Wootton Bassett has been on media lockdown, and that even twitter is not bringing us the news. Meanwhile, Anjem Choudary has been free enough to draw our attention to the next piece of news, which is that ....
The Islam4UK Wootton Bassett march is officially cancelled.
There was speculation this morning - in fact to be honest on the basis of Choudary's PR record so far it was always a good guess - that the March was due for cancellation. The Star has a story: HATE MARCH CANCELLED BUT RADICAL CALLS STUNT A 'VICTORY'
Omar Bakri-Mohammed claims that just talking about the sickening stunt was “a glorious victory." And we can reveal that Muslim leaders were never serious about marching through Wootton Bassett. They only wanted to cause public outrage and hurt to the families of dead squaddies by parading through the Wiltshire town carrying pretend coffins.
From his bolthole in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Bakri-Mohammed, 51, gloated: “Without spending a penny we have forced the issue of British soldiers and their occupation of Muslim lands to the top of the public debate. We have achieved the target already. We have exposed the British Government’s foreign policy for what it is."
The news was confirmed this evening, with reports first on Sky: Muslim group cancels Wootton Bassett march. and then on the BBC Islamists cancel Wootton Bassett protest plans
Their Islam4UK site has a statement. Apparently:
Having successfully highlighted the plight of Muslims in Afghanistan globally and having successfully engaged with thousands of ordinary people through our website and via blogs, phone calls, emails etc... on the reality of the conflict and our collective responsibility, we at islam4uk have decided, after consultation with others including our Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, that no more could be achieved even if a procession were to take place in Wootton Bassett and in light of this we would like to announce today that there will no longer be a procession through this market town.
Predictably the EDL site says: Anjem Choudary has been forced to give up by the EDL . I guess that probably the big facebook page opposing it, and the many other smaller groups, would like a share of the credit. And Derby Patriot has just put up a video with backing music of Jeruslem, islam4uk defeated. It begins with the claim that "Today was the first step in winning the fight against Sharia law in England."
My own feeling is that that Anjem Choudary is laughing, even if he is wondering what will happen tomorrow. For with the cancellation of the march comes another emerging story ...
Rumours of a ban on Islam4UK.
In an article, War on Hate, in the News of the World this morning, came the news of the clampdown on Islam4UK and al-Muhajiroun, and strong powers to restrict web sites, fund raising, membership and addressing meetings of proscribed groups.
Home Office lawyers have been secretly scouring the rule books to find ways of making the two groups illegal. An Whitehall insider said last night: "The decision to proscribe the groups was made a few months ago - well before the march was even announced. We have been monitoring the output from the websites and comments made by senior members and have come to the conclusion that they are clearly acting outside the Act. A file is being prepared for the Home Secretary and all that remains now is for him to act." The action will be applauded by forces families and moderate Muslims demanding that extremists are denied the oxygen of publicity.
The report was later picked up by CNN: UK to ban controversial Islamist group. In the course of writing their article they spoke to Anjem Choudary and told him of the plans. His response:
Choudary -- informed of the government's plans by CNN -- said the Home Office could not shut him down. "We're not going to stop because the government bans an organization," he told CNN by phone. "If that means setting up another platform under another label, then so be it." A ban "will just make the use of those names ... illegal, but Muslims everywhere are obliged to work collectively to establish the Islamic State and Sharia law in the UK or wherever they are -- those things can't change," he added. Asked if he was surprised or disappointed by the decision, Choudary said "No, not at all, we expect this and much more than that."
One of their responses was to remove a significant part of their website, leaving only a statement with regard to the cancellation of the WB march and an earlier letter to soldiers families. On the statement about the march they speak about the possible proscription, and state:
... islam4uk and Al-Muhajiroun do not call for any violent or military activities rather we are an ideological and political movement who have always stated that we live among you under a covenant of security where the life and wealth of those with whom we live is protected in return for our life and wealth being protected.
That will certainly take some thinking over in the light of previous al-Muhajiroun statements. Its not what we have been reading recently.
So what now?
Its going to be an interesting week ahead as some this settles down. And of course we still await the conclusion of the case at Luton magistrates court where some of Choudary's followers are on trial for the their protest at the Royal Anglian Regiment homecoming parade in Luton last March. That will probably come tomorrow.
I plan to return to the wider implications soon. The court case, the proposed march in Wootton Bassett, the whole way that al-Muhajiroun and their related organisations have existed in the UK (and with whom we have become very familiar in Luton), and raised many issues for freedom of speech. Dare I say it they also raise questions about our working with the BNP and EDL. I fundamentally disagree with all of these, and yet if I don't engage with them, can I expect to influence them?
I have to remind myself that my long term goal is not being right, not winning, not observing a conflict, but reconciliation. There is a lot to think about.
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This is the sixth in a series of related posts:
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