Southend Masjid in Westcliff-on-Sea – targeted by vandalsSome "deeply offensive" messages were allowed to remain on Essex Police's Facebook page despite being reviewed by staff.

The constabulary placed an appeal about smashed windows at Southend Mosque on its Facebook page. But the post, to which anybody with a Facebook account could respond, led to a number of "unacceptable" messages.

The force said it would be reviewing policies following "an unprecedented level of racially emotive language".

Ch Insp Bradley Dickel said the appeal was put on the force's Facebook page on Friday. The police's media team, he said, had reviewed the comments – some of which he described as "deeply offensive, some of them racial, and wholly unacceptable" – over the weekend.

However, the police did not remove those messages until Monday afternoon. Defending the decision to delay the removal of some of the messages, Ch Insp Dickel said: "It is very difficult to assess, there is still freedom of speech in this country."

A police spokeswoman said: "All those who made offensive posts will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken."

Mohammad Qidwai, one of the founding trustees at the mosque, read through the comments when he was shown them by BBC News. "The more serious ones should be taken up by the police and pursued," he said, describing those responsible as "ignorant people" with "nothing better to do".

BBC News, 5 February 2013

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The far-right English Defence League (EDL) and counter protesters say they will still demonstrate in Walthamstow this weekend despite police attempts to ban all marches.

The Met Police announced yesterday (Tuesday October 23) it had applied to the Home Secretary to prohibit marches and processions in east London after receiving intelligence that there could be "serious public disorder, violence and damage".

The government is yet to make a decision but it is expected they will agree.

However the EDL said on its website it will hold a static protest instead to get around a ban and has urged supporters to descend on Walthamstow this Saturday (October 27).

Counter protest groups Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and We Are Waltham Forest have both said they will also hold a static protest in Walthamstow town centre.

A council-organised community funday celebrating the borough's diversity is still scheduled to go ahead on Saturday in Walthamstow town centre.

Waltham Forest Guardian, 24 October 2012

See also Murad Qureshi's blog, 24 October 2012

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Veteran neo-Nazi Richard Edmonds addresses the NF rallyThe company behind a controversial Halal abattoir say they want to be a large employer for the coast.

Premier Halal Meats, who are behind an application to open up a Halal abattoir on Heath Road industrial estate in Skegness, hope to create between 40 and 70 jobs for the town.

A spokesman from the company, who would not give his name, said: "About 50 people have applied for a job with us and we expect more applications to come in. We will be employing a lot of people and hope to be one of the biggest employers in Skegness."

On Saturday, the far right National Front held a demonstration in Tower Gardens. They used a loud speaker to address around 50 people and a small leaflet drop on Grand Parade.

Tess Turner from Alford has set up online petitions and a Facebook page Say NO to Halal slaughter in Skegness. She said: "I am getting more 'likes' on Facebook for the campaign and there are petitions all over the place. I had nothing to do with the demonstrations by this political group but possibly the only good thing from it was that they did bring it to the attention of more people."

East Coast Target, 19 September 2012

Meanwhile, the British National Party are also trying to exploit this issue for their own political gain.

Update:  See also the Skegness Standard, 19 September 2012

The latter report notes that "East Lindsey District Council is keen to point out it has no role to play in the site's licensing". That hasn't prevented someone organising an online petition calling on the council to block the abattoir. At present it has over 900 signatures and this is a selection of the comments that have been added:

"How come foreigners can come to this country and kill animals inhumanly"

"anyone using religon to justify this torture should return to their own countries and carry out their practice away from us... that is not a racist comment... its FACT"

"in my opinion halal is a form of torture, evil cruel and barbaric, we are a civilized nation and that is the way we should stay!"

"This is a Christian Country and so anyone coming to live here should follow Christian Law."

"this is totally barbaric!!!!......hang them up and do the flippin same and see how they like it!!!!"

"Go back to your own country if you feel the need for Halal meat"

"we Non-Muslims don't need Meat that's been dedicated to ALLAH"

"there are laws in this country for us and they should abide by them they want halal meat go home"

"I'm sick of this country making allowances for other religions & minorities. Don't like it....Go back home"

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San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency has a policy against political ads on its buses, but an ad being displayed now comes pretty close. The ad says, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad."

The pro-Israel ad was purchased by the American Freedom Defense Initiative run by Pamela Geller.

The bus message didn't sit very well with the city system in New York. They refused to run them and Gellen took the transit authority to court. "And interestingly enough, the day that I won, was the day that San Francisco approved my ads that are currently running on your buses," Geller said.

A coincidence? Not according to Muni's spokesman Paul Rose. "In this specific case, litigation was brought to this organization and the transit agency lost," he told ABC7 News. So, the buses with the signs will continue to roll for at least the next four weeks.

Asked how this particular ad is not considered political in light of Muni's no-politics policy, Rose struggled to answer. However, the legal action and the fact that the New York MTA has already lost in court have had an impact.

ABC, 10 August 2012

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France's war on Muslim women's hijab has led to an increase in the rate of hate crimes against Muslims in the country, an activist tell Press TV.

In an interview with Press TV, Marwan Muhammad from the Collective Against Islamophobia said that the hate crimes against Muslims increased "because some of the perpetrators feel empowered. In last few years we have seen a huge increase in hate crimes. On these cases 92 percent of the victims are women".

"Whenever a Muslim woman tries to practice her religion and engage with the rest of the society, French ideology is to ban her from doing so and we claim that we do this for the sake of women's freedom… which is not the real definition of freedom," he added.

Press TV, 13 July 2012

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The French Football Federation (FFF) said Friday that it would "not authorise players to wear a veil" while playing for France or in organised competitions, a day after world footballing authorities said the hijab could be worn on the pitch.

"Regarding the participation of female French national team players in international competitions on one hand, and the organisation of national competitions on the other, the French Football Federation reiterates its duty to respect the constitutional and legislative principles of secularism that prevails in our country and features in its statutes," declared a statement from the FFF.

The FFF's announcement came after a French MP had urged the government earlier on Friday to ban the Islamic headscarf for women soccer players.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), custodians of the rules of football, on Thursday overturned its 2007 ban on the Islamic headscarf, a garment it had argued was unsafe and increased the risk of neck injuries.

Critics said the ban promoted inequality at the highest level of the world's most popular game. Iran, the Asian Football Confederation and Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who is also FIFA vice president, were at the forefront of the fight against the ban.

French lawmaker Gerald Darmanin wrote to Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron asking that Paris denounce the U-turn "in the name of universal and republican values". He also called for a "clear signal to ban headscarves in football fields in our country", adding that sports "must continue to promote equality of the sexes".

AFP, 6 July 2012

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