The following video features interviews with spokesmen for the Dutch Defence League and Anti-Fascist Action about tomorrow’s demonstration in support of free speech in Amsterdam.

Anti-Fascist Action (AFA or Antifa) is a hard-left anarchist organization which routinely engages in violence and intimidation against anyone who opposes the multicultural agenda, and which enjoys the tacit support of certain European governments, especially when the Socialists are in power.

The interesting thing about this Dutch TV news report is that it gives a fair hearing to the Dutch Defence League. My guess is that the average Dutch television viewer regards the gray-bearded DDL spokesman with greater empathy than the young AFA punk with his shaved head and earlobe stud — especially since the latter makes it clear that he supports a violent response to the EDL and the DDL.

The Dutch state-TV program “Nieuwsuur” interviewed Bert Jansen (DDL), and Job Polak (AFA). The mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan (PvdA, Labour, Socialist) responds. I’ve placed the video below the jump to avoid the “Blogger bug”:

Many thanks to our Flemish correspondent VH for the translation and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling.

A complete transcript is below:

0:00		[Mayor of Amsterdam] Because we have solid information, that apart from foreign football hooligans,
0:04		also Dutch hooligans will show up, and not just to demonstrate,
0:08		but to seek confrontation with the police and other demonstrators.
0:12		“What evidence do have you for that?” Hard evidence,
0:16		and I can not explain that further. We have not yet gone so far as
0:20		to ban it altogether, because that right to demonstrate here in town,
0:24		for whomever it is, we want to uphold for as long as possible.
0:28		The Dutch Defence League is a new movement in the Netherlands.
0:32		Its sister organization, the English Defence League, has a lot of hooligans
0:36		in its ranks. And in Great Britain demonstrations often culminate in violence.
0:41		But here in the Netherlands it’s actually the Left that is out on Saturday for a confrontation.
0:46		Reporter Martijn Bink visited both sides, before they knew the demonstration had to be relocated.
0:53		My name is Bert Jansen, I am spokesman for the DDL.
0:57		This Saturday there will be a demonstration about preserving
1:01		freedom of expression, and the preservation of our legislation.
1:06		I am Job Polak, of the anti-fascist action, and we call on everyone to
1:11		come over this Saturday to the Museumplein to take action against the arrival
1:15		of the extreme right-wing English Defence League.
1:18		These are the spokesmen for the groups that will face each other this Saturday.
1:22		The anti-fascist action, a network of leftist and extreme leftist groups,
1:26		and the new right-wing civil movement, the Dutch Defence League.
1:31		The Dutch Defence League, basically are people who found each other
1:35		precisely in such social networks as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, you name it,
1:41		who at a given time stood up
1:45		and dared to say that they indeed vote for a party such as the Party for Freedom,
1:53		who are concerned that we have so many people in the Netherlands,
1:59		who have a good education, but who when they say they voted for that party,
2:04		are ignored by their neighbors,
2:08		are attacked by groups, are called racist.
2:12
2:14		However, it will not be the Museumplein where the camps face each other on Saturday,
2:17		but the Western Harbour area, near Sloterdijk Station.
2:20		At this demonstration the DDL will also receive backup from the UK.
2:24
2:26		And confrontations there between the EDL and anti-fascists
2:30		on a regular basis turn into a battle.
2:33
3:20		What will your goal be this Saturday?
3:23		We want to make it loud and clear that these kinds of extreme right clubs
3:28		are not welcome to manifest themselves on the streets in Amsterdam.
3:31		What do you base it on, that you know this is an extreme right-wing club?
3:35		The EDL we know very much about, if you look the key positions,
3:41		those are all occupied by well known right-wing activists.
3:45		Also in the Dutch branch are known right-wing activists who
3:51		among other things have been prosecuted for acts such as setting a mosque on fire.
3:54		Has the extreme right tried to seek to join up with you?
3:58		No.
4:02
4:04		At demonstrations of right-wing groups in the Netherlands, the anti-fascists
4:08		are invariably present. In no way do they avoid confrontations.
4:12		The intelligence service AIVD writes about this in his report:
4:16		“Often the image is created that anti-fascists defend themselves
4:20		against the aggressive right-wing extremists, while most of the time
4:24		the roles in general are rather the other way around.”
4:31		We clearly do not call people to violence; however, we make no judgment
4:35		on how people should perform their actions. “What do you mean by that?”
4:39		That people are free to campaign the way they please
4:43		against racism and the extreme right.
4:47		“And violence might be part of that.”
4:50		I’m not going distance myself from it if a few people decide to pelt the EDL with rotten eggs.
4:56		I think that this is precisely what harms the image of those groups.
4:59		Because they want to create the image that we are racist,
5:03		that we are violent, but that is not what we are. And if these groups
5:07		indeed will be there, and come to, as the Dutch say, ‘kick up a row’,
5:12		then we cannot do anything about that. We are not calling for that.
5:16
5:24		“Now, basically one-sixth of the Dutch have voted for Geert Wilders,
5:28		so do those people have the simple right to demonstrate peacefully here,
5:30		and express their support to Geert Wilders?”
5:33		We are not here to scare people away, we just want to show very clearly
5:39		that the majority of people just do not welcome such a tsunami of hate
5:44		and fear being poured out on us, and where people are set against one another.
5:49		“Have you heard of any people who are being scared off?
5:53		Yes indeed, precisely because of the coverage in the media,
5:59		and I hope in this way we can refute that somewhat.
6:04		I think it’s important those people simply stand up and show their faces,
6:07		just like me.
6:10		PVV leader Geert Wilders has nothing to do with the demonstration.
6:14		He would also rather see the demonstration not happen if there is
6:17		any chance of violence, as he said earlier.
6:19

Iran has recently increased the number of amputations it performs as a judicial punishment. In the last few months, at least seven people have had their hands amputated after being convicted of theft.

In other news, local residents in a southwestern district of Moscow are protesting the proposed construction of a mosque in their neighborhood. They are angry because the mosque project will be built on the grounds of a park.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to Behind the Black, C. Cantoni, DF, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, Lurker from Tulsa, Mary Abdelmassih, no2liberals, RB, Russkiy, Srdja Trifkovic, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Update on Saturday’s Demo in Amsterdam

I mentioned last night that the Amsterdam police suddenly — three days before the scheduled event — demanded that the organizers of Saturday’s free speech demonstration move their event to a new venue.

Today the European Freedom Initiative’s appeal was denied, and the authorities have officially ordered the demonstration to move to its new location, Generatorstraat.

Our Flemish correspondent VH sends these details about the new venue:

Generatorstraat is all the way out in the Western Harbour area. They have moved it there out of fear for violence. The mayor says out of fear of hooligans, but if there is any violence, it will be violence provoked by the Anti-fascists. Threats were also posted on the culturally enriched website maroc.nl.

Another aspect may be is that the EFI is not a left-wing initiative — for example, violent demonstrations by the anti-Semitic enriched “Dutch” in The Netherlands Admits Color or the squatters were not relocated to the fringe of the city.

Here’s a Google map of the location Generatorstraat.

As I understand it, the new location is near the subway station Isolatorweg, which is the end of line 50 from Amsterdam Central Station. The demonstration will run from 2:00 to 5:00pm.

One of our Dutch contacts has this to say about the new location:

We will be placed, I guess, on a field of grass. As I understand it, the police will seal off the area, in such a way that they will have checkpoints on each road leading to it: in that way they want to ensure Antifa cannot attack our demonstration.

Antifa don’t have a permission for a demo, but they will show up anyway. I am sure, however, that the police will deal with them.

Antifa is losing credit every day here in Holland, they don’t have much left. If the demonstrators assemble in an orderly and peaceful manner, they can gain sympathy from the majority of the Dutch people.

A note to Europeans who up until now thought they lived under the rule of law: the police, in all their riot gear, armed with weapons, dogs, helicopters, and so on, cannot protect a peaceful crowd of unarmed civilians.

This is the New World Order.

Check the ICLA website for more information.

Many thanks to Kitman for the title of this post.

It seems like I spend all my time posting appeals on behalf of Counterjihad activists who are being shut down, harassed, sued, or arrested, all because they dare to publish criticism of Islam and/or political correctness.

There ought to be a webserver dedicated solely to cases of repression of Islam-critical free speech on the internet. The site would need an enormous amount of hard drive capacity, plus special protection against DDOS attacks, given the current trends.

The list of targeted dissidents gets longer and longer. Some have already had their day in court — Dahn Pettersson, Tomashot, Gregorius Nekschot, Jussi Halla-aho, Susanne Winter, and others: all have now paid the jizyah and feel themselves subdued.

Some, too few, have won their cases: Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant come to mind. Geert Wilders has not yet won, but his case recently ran into some well-timed speed bumps and will be postponed for months.

Others have yet to have their day in court: Pamela Geller faces a $10 million lawsuit here in the USA, and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff will be tried in an Austrian court next month for “hate speech”.

And now Blazing Cat Fur, a well-known Canadian anti-jihad blog. The story of the absurd lawsuit that was recently brought against him is below. Scroll to the bottom for information on donating to his defense fund, or visit his blog.

I realize that everyone must be feeling tapped-out by now, but this onslaught against us will not abate; it can only intensify:

Richard Warman Sues Blazingcatfur For Linking To “Far Right” Mark Steyn

About 18 months ago everybody’s favourite Ex-Canadian Human Rights Commission employee Richard Warman launched one of his many, as in very many, SLAPP suits against yours truly for, among other dastardly deeds, linking to the “far-right web site http://www.steynonline.com/”. Sheesh everybody knows Mark Steyn is controversial.

It gets better. I’m also being sued for linking to a web site while specifically referring to “the allegations” against Richard Warman. But what else would you expect from Warman, a man so tone deaf he actually believed he could win the support of both the CJC and B’nai Brith in a hate crime complaint against the JDL, who dared offend him by showing the Geert Wilders film “Fitna”.

Warman is also suing for comments made by multiple readers. In one instance for the heinous crime of calling him a “Bully”. We all know what this SLAPP suit is really all about. Warman is using every lawfare tactic he can to prevent a discussion in the public interest of Section 13 (1) and the CHRC. A discussion in which he must feature prominently.

Warman is suing me for $500,000.00 Dollars. A ridiculous amount for an equally ridiculous lawsuit. Nonetheless even nuisance suits such as this must be defended against. To date legal fees have run me about 10K. I’ve covered that from my own pocket. I am now asking for your help. I know times are hard for many of us but if every reader who visited daily were to contribute 5 or 10 dollars then that would go a long way to helping all of us out.

This is your fight too, well except for the lawyer stuff anyway;)

If you like this blog, if you like my efforts then please, if you can, make a small donation via Paypal by hitting the “Feed the Kitty” icon on the sidebar. If you don’t “do” the Paypal thing you can do an e-mail internet banking transfer sent to blazingcatfur@gmail.com.

Or… you may send a cheque by mail made payable to:

“Christopher Ashby in Trust”
Attn: Blazingcatfur defence fund
Suite 1013
8 King Street East
Toronto ON M5C 1B5

The video below was a joint effort by the Counterjihad Collective. Many thanks to all who participated, but an extra portion of gratitude is owed to Henrik Ræder Clausen and Vlad Tepes, who worked so hard to make it happen:

There is also a German-language version of this video in progress.

You may donate to Elisabeth’s legal defense fund at the Save Free Speech website.

The Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union has determined that discrimination, rather than Islam, is the main reason why Muslim youths become violent. They determined this via a survey that asked Muslim youths in Europe to report on the reasons why they might become violent. The overwhelming answer was that discrimination against them is what might prompt them to resort to violence.

In other news, disaffected right-wingers in Israel have started their own version of the “tea parties”. Their main focus is opposition to President Obama’s interference with Israel’s construction of new residences in the Judea and Samaria.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to Bobbo, C. Cantoni, DF, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Gaia, heroyalwhyness, ICLA, Insubria, JD, JP, Reinhard, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Mark Steyn continues to help amplify Elisabeth’s Voice. Here’s what he has to say in the updated feature on his main page:

While North America’s shrinking commitment to its free-speech inheritance is shameful, in many parts of Europe it’s even worse. Like Geert Wilders, like Lars Hedegaard, like Ezra Levant, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff should not be on trial. Let’s help her get a bit more media attention.

Many thanks, Mr. Steyn!

We need a nice Johnny Cochran-style rhyming motto for the entire group. How about:

If we do not submit, then they must acquit!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Two new participants joined Elisabeth’s Voice today, Western Rifle Shooters Association and Andy Bostom. The full list of participants has grown so long, I’ve put it below the jump:

• Tundra Tabloids
• Europe News
• Politically Incorrect
• The International Civil Liberties Alliance
• Vlad Tepes
• Gates of Vienna
• 1389
• Mark Steyn
• Lawrence Auster
• Infidel Bloggers Alliance
• 180grader
• Diana West
• Hodjas Blog
• Patriot’s Corner
• Right Side News
• Eticha
• Atlas Shrugs
• Jihad Watch
• Yid With Lid
• Citizen Warrior
• Tasty Infidelicacies
• Het Vrije Volk
• summer patriot, winter soldier
• Here’s The Right Side Of It
• Irate, Tireless Minority
• Behind The Black
• The Blogmocracy
• ACT! For America
• Right Wing Death Bogan
• Winds of Jihad
• Western Rifle Shooters Association
• Andrew Bostom

Contributors to Elisabeth’s defense fund should visit the Save Free Speech site. The fund is not under her control, and disbursements from it will be made solely to pay her legal fees.

International payments:

Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich
IBAN: AT513150042908021602
BIC: RZBAATWW

Made out to: Public Notary Mag. Martin Scheichenbauer, Hemmaweg 5, A-9342 Gurk

Previous posts about the hate speech case against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff:

2009		Dec		5		Fighting a Hate Speech Charge in Austria
				11		Heckling the Counterjihad
				14		Whose Law?
				17		Defaming the Muslims of Pinkafeld
2010		Mar		11		A Mother and an Activist
				20		An Austrian “Hate School”
				22		Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff at the Freedom Defense Initiative
				29		Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff and the Wiener Akademikerbund
		Sep		9		“Islam is a Political Ideology Disguised as a Religion”
				16		“Justice Must Not Be Made the Handmaiden of Sharia”
				17		The Truth Does Not Matter
		Oct		11		Interview With Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				16		Is the Truth Illegal in Austria?
				20		A Court Date for Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				21		BPE Press Release on Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				22		Elisabeth’s Voice: An Appeal
				23		Elisabeth’s Voice: A Follow-Up
				24		Raising Our Voices
				25		Elisabeth’s Voice is Growing
				27		Elisabeth’s Voice: More Information

As reported here previously, there will be a demonstration in support of free speech in Amsterdam this Saturday, October 30th. Activists from all over Europe will gather to express their solidarity with Geert Wilders, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Gregorius Nekschot, and all the other people across Europe who are being harassed, sued, prosecuted, and silenced for daring to speak out against politically correct orthodoxy.

The event is scheduled to take place at Museumplein, Amsterdam. However, the police want the organizers to move to a new location, and have proposed that it be held somewhere in the Westerlijk Havengebied (Western Port Area). In other words, in the middle of nowhere, and not in the heart of the city.

The organizers are working with police liaison in attempt to retain the original location. They argue that it creates enormous logistical difficulties — and may increase the security risks — to change the venue at such a late date. Some of the attendees are already in transit, and may miss the news of the change in plans.

As of this evening, there has been no final decision.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

The umbrella group organizing the Amsterdam demonstration is the European Freedom Initiative. Participating groups include

• Pax Europa (BPE)
• The Dutch Defense League (DDL)
• Politically Incorrect
• Mission Europa Netzwerk Karl Martell
• The Alliance to Stop Sharia
• The Amsterdam Post
• The English Defence League (EDL)
• The French Defence League (LDF)
• The German Defence League (GDL)
• The International Civil Liberties Alliance (ICLA)

Many thanks to Kitman for making this promotional video. I’ve placed it below the jump to get around the “Blogger bug”:

As soon as I receive any firm news about the change (or not) of venue, I’ll post it here.

From our Dutch correspondent H. Numan:

They can throw as much [excrement] on Geert Wilders as they like; he will still smell of roses.

I think politics moves in waves. We have had a progressive wave, and that is over the crest now. The Tea Party is getting stronger in the USA; in the EU Liberty parties are sprouting.

The Left is out, has-been, old hat. If you are young and hip, you are conservative.

The President of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands has criticized Geert Wilders, saying that the PVV politician has undermined the authority of the court with his public statements. The President of the Court evidently believes that it is Mr. Wilders, rather than the actions of the prosecution and the judges, which has brought discredit upon Dutch jurisprudence.

In other news, some analysts believe that Greece will default on its sovereign debt in the next two to three years. Although the Greek government has imposed austerity measures in line with IMF specifications, it will not be enough to take care of the country’s massive load of debt.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to Bobbo, C. Cantoni, DF, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Gaia, JD, JP, KGS, RC, Steen, Vlad Tepes, Wally Ballou, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Today is Day 5 of our appeal to help Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff fight a criminal charge for “hate speech” in Austria. See last Friday’s Elisabeth’s Voice post for the full story about what we are trying to do.

People who don’t use PayPal have been asking me about alternative ways to support Elisabeth. To get the bank information, use the “Donate” tab at the Save Free Speech site. It takes you to a how-to-donate page, which includes this information for bank transfers:

International payments:

Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich
IBAN: AT513150042908021602
BIC: RZBAATWW

Made out to: Public Notary Mag. Martin Scheichenbauer, Hemmaweg 5, A-9342 Gurk

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

It’s important to realize that what you see here is only half of our operation; the other half is in German. The head of the German-language team reminded me: “Please don’t forget the support of German-speaking websites! The complete list, including German websites, is here. (regularly updated!)”

Since this time last night, we have added five new participants to the English-language list: Behind The Black, The Blogmocracy, ACT! For America, Right Wing Death Bogan, and Winds of Jihad.

We now have thirty participants on three continents:

• Tundra Tabloids
• Europe News
• Politically Incorrect
• The International Civil Liberties Alliance
• Vlad Tepes
• Gates of Vienna
• 1389
• Mark Steyn
• Lawrence Auster
• Infidel Bloggers Alliance
• 180grader
• Diana West
• Hodjas Blog
• Patriot’s Corner
• Right Side News
• Eticha
• Atlas Shrugs
• Jihad Watch
• Yid With Lid
• Citizen Warrior
• Tasty Infidelicacies
• Het Vrije Volk
• summer patriot, winter soldier
• Here’s The Right Side Of It
• Irate, Tireless Minority
• Behind The Black
• The Blogmocracy
• ACT! For America
• Right Wing Death Bogan
• Winds of Jihad

Anyone who wants to give to Elisabeth’s defense fund should visit the Save Free Speech site. The fund is not under her control, and disbursements from it will be made solely to pay her legal fees.

Previous posts about the hate speech case against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff:

2009		Dec		5		Fighting a Hate Speech Charge in Austria
				11		Heckling the Counterjihad
				14		Whose Law?
				17		Defaming the Muslims of Pinkafeld
2010		Mar		11		A Mother and an Activist
				20		An Austrian “Hate School”
				22		Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff at the Freedom Defense Initiative
				29		Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff and the Wiener Akademikerbund
		Sep		9		“Islam is a Political Ideology Disguised as a Religion”
				16		“Justice Must Not Be Made the Handmaiden of Sharia”
				17		The Truth Does Not Matter
		Oct		11		Interview With Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				16		Is the Truth Illegal in Austria?
				20		A Court Date for Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				21		BPE Press Release on Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
				22		Elisabeth’s Voice: An Appeal
				23		Elisabeth’s Voice: A Follow-Up
				24		Raising Our Voices
				25		Elisabeth’s Voice is Growing

On November 5th, the Pakistani branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir will hold rallies all over the country to demand the formation of a Caliphate in Pakistan.

Depending on what browswer you use, you may need to click the “read more” link below the video before this clip will play

From the notes accompanying the video:

On Friday, 5th of November 2010, Hizb ut-Tahrir will hold Khilafah rallies across the country. These rallies will be held under the title of Real change — Khilafah’s establishment will mark the end of American agent rulers. The purpose of these rallies is to make the Ummah aware about the real change that will actually bring their life from darkness to light.

Hat tip: DF.

The English Defence League has a reputation as a “racist” organization. It matters not a whit to the media oligarchs that Islam is not a race. It makes no difference that the EDL has numerous non-white members who cherish English culture. In the MSM and among the chattering classes, the meme is set, and cannot be changed.

The Danish journalist Sigurd Ericson visited England to find out first-hand the truth about the EDL’s “racism”. His report has been published at Europe News, and is reproduced here with permission.

Not a Trace of Racism: An Outsider’s Look at the EDL

by Sigurd Ericson

(LONDON, October 25, 2010) The English Defence League is racist, fascist and violent — in brief, something the cat dragged in and which must be crushed by any means necessary if England is to remain free and democratic. This is what the British media have been telling the public ever since the EDL first made its appearance in the town of Luton 18 months ago, and armed with this knowledge I went to England to see for myself.

I was in for a big surprise for I could find no evidence that would support any of these accusations.

Quite the contrary: The leaders and rank and file that I met in London, Wolverhampton, Luton and Bolton (a fair cross-section of the national membership, one should think) are multi-ethnic. They are black and white, English, Irish (interestingly, both Catholic and Protestant), Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jewish and probably a few other denominations and nationalities. Homosexuals are welcome and have even formed their own “division” in London — as have the Jews.

Rabbi Shifren supports the English Defence League


These special divisions may not have a lot of members but they exist and the EDL leadership would clearly like to see them grow.

The most important national leader, Tommy Robinson, who told this reporter that the Sikhs are the “most English of the English”, demonstrated this absence of racism.

When the media and the political and cultural elites accuse the EDL of racism, they must thinking of something else, namely that the organisation is adamantly opposed to the growing Islamisation of England. But Islam is an ideology and a political practice, not a race, as several members were keen to point out.

A working-class movement

The EDL is entirely working-class in outlook and demeanour and proudly so. Their sole political objective appears to be the defence of English — sometimes referred to as Christian — culture against Islamic encroachment. They despise the current British left but mainly because it is being subservient to Islamic interests. They have no trust in the official political leaders, who they consider to be sell-outs.

One is reminded of George Orwell’s observation:

If there is any hope at all, it has to come from the proles.

Nobody this reporter spoke to — leaders as well as rank and file — has any sympathy with English Nazis or with The British National Party, which they consider racist in the traditional sense of the term. Adherents of totalitarian or racialist ideologies are unceremoniously evicted.

It is very difficult to judge the size of the national following. I heard various figures — 30,000 was mentioned — but as far as I can tell, no records are kept.

Perhaps there is a tendency to exaggerate. The leader of the East London division said that the EDL has only 180 activists in the capital. The organisation’s main strength appears to be in the Midlands and the North of the country.

Leaders by example

The EDL leadership can most fairly be described as charismatic. The leaders are those who can think and speak and have proved their mettle in concrete action.

That is undoubtedly the only form of organisation possible at this stage. The EDL is utterly vulnerable to infiltration by police agents and others who would like nothing better than to derail it and make it engage in self-destructive, violent and illegal activities that can then be used as a pretext for a clamp down.

It is already eminently clear that the authorities are using and will use any trick in the book to squash the EDL including police harassment and attempts by the Inland Revenue Service to financially ruin its leaders.

Tommy Robinson is currently under investigation for violent assault and money laundering — charges that he says are trumped up.

“We are a bit rough”, Robinson recently admitted to a gathering of his followers in London. But as far as this reporter could tell, nowhere near as rough as the so-called “antifascists” that try to foment violence every time the EDL stages a demonstration — and certainly not compared to the Muslim thugs that have long ruled by violence in so many English cities.

Strengths

The EDL can best be described as a working-class “band of brothers” determined to preserve their way of life. They are not intellectuals and may know little about the details of English history but they have a deep sense of what that history is about. Any outsider with ill motives trying to impose himself will stand out like a sore thumb.

The EDL leadership and rank and file clearly know all they need to know about Islam. This reporter was particularly impressed by their ability to connect a general analysis of Islamic ideology and modus operandi with street wisdom — or expressed differently: to see the deep implications of any deference to Islamic cultural demands — such as the building of mega-mosques or the introduction of “medieval toilets” for Muslims in supermarkets.

They also have a keen sense that Muslim street crime should be seen as part of a wider strategy to undermine English society.

EDL members on a run-down estate in Luton characterised Muslim drug dealing as a “chemical jihad”. After gangs of Muslims have started pushing their wares on white youngsters, every bloke on the estate has a friend who is hooked on heroin.

A female pub owner from the neighbourhood agrees. “They come here most every night right across the street and sell their heroin. The police know all about it but don’t lift a finger.”

The organisation can undoubtedly use a few intellectuals as analysts, experts, legal advisors, office personnel and the like but if it gives up its working-class leadership and permits well-meaning intellectuals to call the shots, it will become a vastly different type of organisation.

Weaknesses

One must seriously doubt whether the EDL can survive in its present form. Leaders and activists are wearing themselves out with all the work they are trying to accomplish and one gets the impression that their missuses are not happy. On top of that they have to earn a living in their civilian trades. Unless the EDL gets sufficiently organised to pay its officers a living salary and hires some office personnel to help them out, the end will be in sight.

Given the size of the ground-level support the EDL is undoubtedly enjoying, it should not be impossible to generate funds for a more professional organisation. One of the London leaders told this reporter that many of his mates at work agree with him but dare not cross the line to openly commit themselves. But they could certainly pay a few quid a week to support the cause. That has been done before in numerous battles around the world.

Outlook

Historically 99 out of 100 peoples’ movements have come to naught — with their leaders in jail and their supporters dispirited.

There is no doubt that everything will be done to crush the EDL because the British government must be aware that if the EDL survives, it will force the authorities to openly choose sides: Islam or England.

If, however, the EDL can survive, stay the course and maintain its strength for just a few years, the battle will have been won.

See also:

• EDL demonstration in London Oct. 24th
• I’m a far right Israel loving gay flag waving Nazi
• Rabbi Shifren’s speech
• Rabbi Shifren kept from speaking at Speakers’ Corner

Despite appeals from police for calm, panic continues in the culturally enriched neighborhoods of the Swedish city of Malmö, as the gunman who has been targeting immigrant residents remains uncaught. Criminal gangs have joined the hunt for the perpetrator, who is widely believed (at least by the Swedish media) to be associated with the Sweden Democrats.

In other news, the barrage of information from the WikiLeaks document dump on the Iraq war continues, with details emerging about the presence in Iraq of chemical weapons — smuggled in from Iran.

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