By Balwinder Singh Rana
February 14 2013
The ‘Sikhs Against the EDL’ would be joining the counter protest called by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF) against the ‘static protest’ being held by the English Defence League (EDL) in Cambridge on Saturday 23rd February. Initially the EDL intended to hold a march but now have announced to hold only a static protest.
This would be the second time the EDL would be turning up in Cambridge in two years. The last time, in July 2011, when they attempted to march to protest against a mosque some 2,000 anti-racists blocked the streets of Cambridge. The EDL were able to muster only 200. The counter protest then was also called by Cambridge UAF and led by Kick Racism Out of Football and Cambridge Fans United.
Since then activists from UAF groups and other anti-racist groups, across Britain, have pushed back the fascist and anti-Muslim EDL and their racist supporters. They suffered humiliating defeats in Norwich and Waltham Forest in last October and November and they also cancelled a planned march in Slough because they said they expected “massive local opposition”.
Meanwhile EDL leader Tommy Robinson (also known as Stephen Lennon and Paul Harris) has been sentenced to ten months in prison for entering the US illegally and his deputy, Kevin Carroll, was arrested last month on suspicion of race hate crime.
However, they are trying to re-group and have announced a number of further marches and protests around the country.
The ‘Sikhs Against the EDL’ group was formed two and half years ago in response to some mis-guided Sikh youth then supporting the EDL. They also used to carry Sikh flag on the EDL marches and use Sikh insignia and emblems in their vile anti-Muslim propaganda.
However, most of those Sikh youth have since left the EDL, largely due to the campaign led by the Sikhs Against the EDL but also after the EDL decided to make an alliance with British Freedom Party (BFP), a breakaway group from the BNP but with equally openly fascist policies.
Balwinder Singh Rana, spokesperson for Sikhs Against the EDL, said, “We must keep up the pressure and we must keep showing solidarity with all anti-racists and Muslim brothers and sisters. The EDL may have been wounded but they have not yet been defeated.”
He further added: “In the current economic climate with mass unemployment and austerity the racists will always try to blame the minorities for all the problems. And when they go looking for scapegoats we are an easily identifiable target. They would also try to divide our communities to turn us against each other. But now is the time for all minorities and white anti-racists to unite together and show to these racists that they would not win.”
By Balwinder Singh Rana
February 14 2013
The ‘Sikhs Against the EDL’ would be joining the counter protest called by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF) against the ‘static protest’ being held by the English Defence League (EDL) in Cambridge on Saturday 23rd February. Initially the EDL intended to hold a march but now have announced to hold only a static protest.
This would be the second time the EDL would be turning up in Cambridge in two years. The last time, in July 2011, when they attempted to march to protest against a mosque some 2,000 anti-racists blocked the streets of Cambridge. The EDL were able to muster only 200. The counter protest then was also called by Cambridge UAF and led by Kick Racism Out of Football and Cambridge Fans United.
Since then activists from UAF groups and other anti-racist groups, across Britain, have pushed back the fascist and anti-Muslim EDL and their racist supporters. They suffered humiliating defeats in Norwich and Waltham Forest in last October and November and they also cancelled a planned march in Slough because they said they expected “massive local opposition”.
Meanwhile EDL leader Tommy Robinson (also known as Stephen Lennon and Paul Harris) has been sentenced to ten months in prison for entering the US illegally and his deputy, Kevin Carroll, was arrested last month on suspicion of race hate crime.
However, they are trying to re-group and have announced a number of further marches and protests around the country.
The ‘Sikhs Against the EDL’ group was formed two and half years ago in response to some mis-guided Sikh youth then supporting the EDL. They also used to carry Sikh flag on the EDL marches and use Sikh insignia and emblems in their vile anti-Muslim propaganda.
However, most of those Sikh youth have since left the EDL, largely due to the campaign led by the Sikhs Against the EDL but also after the EDL decided to make an alliance with British Freedom Party (BFP), a breakaway group from the BNP but with equally openly fascist policies.
Balwinder Singh Rana, spokesperson for Sikhs Against the EDL, said, “We must keep up the pressure and we must keep showing solidarity with all anti-racists and Muslim brothers and sisters. The EDL may have been wounded but they have not yet been defeated.”
He further added: “In the current economic climate with mass unemployment and austerity the racists will always try to blame the minorities for all the problems. And when they go looking for scapegoats we are an easily identifiable target. They would also try to divide our communities to turn us against each other. But now is the time for all minorities and white anti-racists to unite together and show to these racists that they would not win.”