Birgitta Jonsdottir is the Icelandic MP and belongs to WikiLeaks. Wikileaks consists of a small group of people that dump the secrets of the US state. Three years ago this team started to work. Whenever there is a controversy, Birgitta protests against the irregular crackdown by the US government on internet tattletales.

While designating the third anniversary of the “Collateral Murder” video, Birgitta reflects that the video is enough to draw all attention to the situation of Bradley Manning. It is related to the situation in which a soldier is facing the court martial for being the direct source of WikiLeaks material and knowledge, as well as a huge public speech about the treatment of online tattletales. On 5th April 2010, WikiLeaks was put on the map by showing a shocking and riveting revelation regarding to a chopper attack on a defenseless and under siege civilians in Baghdad. An exhibition was arranged in New York Association of still footages.

The clampdown on Tattletale has gone way beyond reason. In an interview, she said to the Guardian ” Obama is the only US president who has summoned the maximum whistleblowers which was not mentioned in the agreement which he promised at the time of election”.

The rapid activities of whistleblowers, on the internet, show that the American nation has failed in the task of keeping up the pace with the rapid change. “Generally the public doesn’t visualize that keeping our government honest has shifted online.”

She gives the example of an online worker Aaron Swartz, who was facing a summation for being connected to a leak of academic journal articles which were hacked. “How it can be accepted that Swartz is going to be imprisoned for 45 years? How Bradley Manning can be enforced to spend a life of salvation?”

Jhonsdottir was one of the volunteers who joined forces with Julian Assange who is the founder of WikiLeaks, and the one who prepared the Collateral Murder video in Iceland for publication. It had been leaked along with the other secrets of the US State Government. In the year 2009 and 2010, Manning has admitted of passing the secrets to WikiLeaks including other discreet channels throughout the world.

The video contains the most dramatic and impactful data among all releases. It clearly showed a US military crew who were enjoying attacking Iraqis. These Iraqis were considered as militants, but they were actually civilians including children and two Tass journalists who were then killed. The exhibition, which was arranged in New York, showed the footages of helicopter’s attack sites trained on individuals with titles drawn from the audio recorded inside the Apache.

The captions were showing “oh yes! They live. Shoot them, shoot all the living bastards, and come on keep shooting. Come for free”

Johnsdottir was of the view that why only a single person is prosecuted as a result of this video whose crime is nothing, but merely being the cause of this video leakage. Only Manning was put on trial, and not a single more individual who were also responsible for this as shown in the Collateral murder video was convicted.

Jhonsdottir states that “the oppression catching of US government to which she says the tattletales are actually defecting the reputation of America all around the world. It is quoted as, the China, supervised state, if the US government is stopping its employee not to look at WikiLeaks is something like the Chinese government is telling its people not to look at the internet material on Tibet, and there is absolutely no big difference in it.”

Johnsdottir has been caught by the state investigators. Some companies like twitter and four more whose identities have not been exposed are ordered by the department of justice to give all the collected data belonging to MP.

She tried her level best to escape through legal action, but can’t. She says “people elected me by voting, so I am their representative and they don’t expect exposure of their personal information which they give me through e-mails and twitter.

After the discharge of WikiLeaks, her first visit to the US was on Thursday night, despite the fact that she was strictly advised by her Iceland lawyers to not take a risk as she had already alarmed the US government. At the end her departure at John F Kennedy airport in New York was quick and smooth.

She said in her belief that she was very happy and encouraged by the warm welcome, and it could be the right decision taken by the people, and maybe it was a sign of a new beginning.

This exhibition was arranged to mark the third anniversary of the release of the Collateral Murder video, which opens at 5:30 pm on Friday at Judson Church, 55 Washington, and square south, New York. A commission discussion regarding Birgitta Jhonsdottir was also arranged at 8 pm.

About the author

I love to write creative articles. I have been writing on different social and religious topics for 2 years now. Give me a creative topic and I will write it for you.

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"In March 2013, a 19 year-old Tunisian activist by the name of Amina posted topless photographs of herself on Femen’s Facebook page. In one photo, “my body is my own and not the source of anyone’s honor” is written on her chest. In another image, Amina is holding up her middle fingers with “fuck your morals” written on her chest."
Femen Strikes in Tunisia – the Case of Amina
Sara Salem on Tahrir-ICN

Muslim women send message to Femen - Counter-protest launched against 'Topless Jihad Day'.
Aljazeera Storify piece

Muslim Women Shockingly Not Grateful for Topless European Ladies Trying To ‘Save’ Them
By Callie Beusman on jezebel.com

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"Let's say no to Turkish religious and economic expansion!"

This was the main slogan of a protest rally organized by a group of Georgian nationalists outside the government's house. Members of the non-governmental organization named "National Front" staged the protest against construction of a new mosque in the sea-side city of Batumi near the Turkish border.

Protesters called on the government to annul agreements with Ankara for construction of the new mosque, as well as stop accommodating Turkish citizens in the coastal region of Adjara, which stipulates revision of visa relations with Turkey.

Press TV, 11 March 2013

See also "Georgian PM does not understand opponents of mosque construction in Batumi", Trend, 14 March 2013

The proposal to build a new mosque at Batumi was the subject of a much larger protest last year.

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Check out the newspaper, and you would hear about protests everywhere. Whether it is Pakistan, India, America or any other country in the world, protest is going on everywhere. Either people are protesting for their own rights, or they are protesting for the loss of somebody. Did it ever come to your mind why the protest is going on? Did you ever think why is there a need for protest everywhere in the world? Well, when a person feels that his rights are not protected, he bears that for some time and tries to make the government realize about it. This could be done in peaceful ways. One of the ways to present your requests in front of the government is by writing in newspapers. Writing letters to the editor is one way to voice your demands. There are a number of people who still write about their views in magazines, hoping that the government may read them and take steps.

Unfortunately many times these go unheard and are left unread. Moreover, another way to request the government to take an action is by voicing your demands in the news. You could request the news channels to transmit your demand. That may also help.

However, when all these demands are left unheard and no actions are taken, then the people need to take some action. This is especially needed when the problem is of a group or community. If a whole group or sect needs to get their voice heard, they then need to protest. The need for protest arises when the government does not listen to the people. The people then need to use protests to get their voices heard.

The protests can be peaceful or violent. Peaceful protest can be in the form that people may get out of their houses with banners to get their demands heard. Protests’ could be for a number of purposes, and usually when people want to protest, they gather a large number of people and move out on roads in the form of rallies. Either they get out of their houses and do it on the streets. They do not return home, until their demands are fulfilled, in case there is an urgent demand. Other protests may not be urgent and people may voice their demands through various protests. One common protest that is going on in India, is the protest in the case of the raped victim. The government seems to take no action, and thus the people are protesting to get the victims punished.

The other form of protest is violent protests. This may happen in severe cases when peaceful protests also do not work. In this, people may announce strikes and cause business and education to be closed for one or more days. Many times, we also see the milkmen or the petrol dealers going on strike and keeping their shops and petrol pumps closed until their demands are heard. Thus, we see that protest varies and there are different forms of it and different reasons to go for it.

About the author

I love to write creative articles. I have been writing on different social and religious topics for 2 years now. Give me a creative topic and I will write it for you.

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Fascists throwing firecrackers at counter-demonstrators during last October's protestPolice have charged 13 people after a demonstration at the site of a new mosque in Sunderland turned violent, as far-right groups including the EDL clashed with local Muslims and anti-fascists.

Around 200 people attended the pre-planned demonstration on St Mark's Road in Millfield on Saturday, October 6, 2012, where a former council transport depot is being converted into a mosque for up to 150 Pakistani Muslims.

The English Defence League, Scottish Defence League and Sunderland Anti-Fascist Coalition were among the protesters.

Police have now charged 13 people with public order offences, one person has been given a caution and one person has been issued with a fixed penalty notice.

All those who have been charged are banned from attending any demonstrations in Sunderland or entering St Mark's Road or Chester Road.

Sky Tyne and Wear, 1 March 2013

Cf. the earlier report by Spark and the comment by Gary Duncan of the Sunderland Anti-Fascist Coalition.

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A political party has announced it will be visiting Skegness to hold a protest and day of action against a Halal abattoir. The Lincolnshire Coastal Branch of the BNP will be at the Heath Road site on Saturday, March 16 from noon to voice its views and drum up support for the party.

Speaking about the protest, Robert Ashton, branch & group organiser, said: "We visited the abattoir back in January and we will be going on the Saturday [March 16] to hold a static protest. We will gather, say a few things and the BNP advertising truck will be going around the town."

The party say, the protest will form the second phase of its structured campaign and its 'Truth Truck' will be present on the day to portray the party's opposition to the ritual practice of Halal slaughter. "We've had positive feedback from our visit before and the protest is not designed to cause trouble, we are there for people to ask questions," added Robert.

As reported, the opening of the slaughter house, has roused mixed opinions in the town and a number of political parties, including Nick Griffin MEP, BNP leader, have spoken out against it.

Skegness Standard, 1 March 2013

We have previously noted this newspaper's readiness to give favourable publicity to the BNP's anti-halal campaign, despite it being a fascist organisation. Now we are informed that the paper is on first-name terms with the BNP's local organiser. You can only conclude that there is some editorial sympathy for far-right racists at the Skegness Standard.

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Hundreds of protesters marched through Cambridge to oppose a rally by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) which saw a major police operation launched in the city.

The EDL rally on Christ's Pieces ended early after only about 40 activists turned up, and they were heavily outnumbered by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) counter-demonstration, which was attended by at least 500 people.

More than 400 police officers from six forces, supported by dog units and a helicopter, were on the streets to ensure the demonstrations passed off without serious disorder.

There were four arrests, with three being made in the aftermath of the EDL rally – which was held to oppose construction of a new mosque in Mill Road – and the fourth being made following a clash between rival protesters in East Road, at the end of the UAF march.

Two EDL members confronted the anti-fascists and unfurled a flag, which caused the crowd to charge. A man who had been on the UAF march was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, while the two EDL members were escorted away.

Police said both of Saturday's demonstrations had been "lawful, reasonable and peaceful" overall.

Dr Sejad Mekic, chairman of Cambridge Muslim Council, said the counter-demonstration had been a celebration of the city's diversity and tolerance.

He said: "The clear message for the EDL is that there is no place for them in Cambridge or anywhere in today's society, we have long surpassed this issue of racism. Groups like this need to be condemned because, if we don't, they think we approve them with our silence. We need to oppose them – peacefully."

The UAF rally began with speeches and music at Petersfield before passing up Burleigh Street and Fitzroy Street and confronting the EDL demonstration on Christ's Pieces.

Chanting "EDL, go to hell, take your Nazi mates as well", and "Whose streets, our streets", the anti-fascists snaked through the city before crossing Christ's Pieces again and passing through the Mill Road area, where residents and businesses came out to show their support.

Following the demonstrations, three men – a 24-year-old from Thetford, a 25-year-old from Norwich, and a 23-year-old from Cambridge – were being held on suspicion of public order offences. A 56-year-old man from Cambridge was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, a public order offence, and assaulting a police officer.

A spokesman for the EDL's East Anglia Division denied the turnout was disappointing. He said: "I am pleased with the turnout. It is low but even if there was just one of us here I would be pleased."

Cambridge News, 23 February 2013

See also BBC News, 23 February 2013

Photo: Varsity

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Calls for students to join an anti-English Defence League march through Cambridge this Saturday have heightened following Marine Le Pen's visit to the Cambridge Union earlier this week.

It was revealed in December that the English Defence League (EDL) would be staging a demonstration against the building of a new mosque on Mill Road. Police confirmed last month that the far-right group would be holding a "static protest", rather than marching through the city.

The Cambridge branch of Unite Against Fascism (CUAF) responded by calling for a counter-demonstration on the same day. More than 1,000 people have said on the Facebook event page they will be attending the anti-EDL protest.

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert announced yesterday that he would be joining protestors: "I feel very strongly about the need to make it clear that Cambridge stands together against fascism and racism.

"I want to make it very clear that [the EDL] are not welcome here. I hope their demonstration will pass peacefully and the fact that they are to be contained in one place, will hopefully go some way in helping to achieve that.

"We are fortunate in Cambridge to have a multi-national mix of people who make our city a vibrant and unique place in which to live and visit. They have diverse qualities and share their cultures, living and working together for the good of our communities and our city generally. I don't want to see anything that could detract that. If we were to lose that mix, Cambridge would be a far poorer place in which to live."

The march will begin near the Parkside Swimming Pool, Petersfield at 12pm, with the planned route taking protestors past the Grafton Centre through Burleigh Street and Fitzroy Street, down Sidney Street, Green Street and Trinity Street towards the Market Square, before looping back round to Norfolk Street, Gwydir Street and Mill Road. The route will see protestors marching twice past Christ's Pieces, where the EDL rally is set to begin at 2pm. More than 400 officers will be policing the EDL demonstration and the counter-march at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.

However, speaking to the Cambridge News, local MEP Richard Howitt said he expected less than 50 EDL members to gather for the demonstration. "The EDL rally may perhaps see an estimated 30-40 protesters turning up which could mean taxpayers paying more than £1,000 for each one."

"The previous EDL march was few in number and attracted no local support so it is a huge and disproportionate cost to the police and to the city that they have chosen to come back again. It would be better if they didn't get off their buses in the first place. I hope this will be the last time."

Richard Rose, co-ordinator of CUAF, said: "[It] is important to show that anti-racists in Cambridge are the vast majority and that the racists are just a small minority bussed in from outside. It looks like we will massively outnumber them, but it pays never to be complacent and to never let the fascists go unchallenged however ridiculous they may appear – people in Germany initially thought Hitler was ridiculous."

"This is especially important after Le Pen's visit: her brand of racism has gone largely unchallenged in France and has resulted in her electoral success. It is important we don't let them make capital from herv isit."

A statement on the website of CUAF and Love Music Hate Racism reads: "The EDL is a racist and Fascist group dedicated to attacking Asian people and Muslims. EDL members have embarked on a violent campaign aimed at those they see as 'legitimate targets'... The EDL's aim is to divide us by making scapegoats of one community, just as the Nazis did with the Jews in the 1930s and the National Front attempted in the 1970s. Today they target Muslims, tomorrow it could be you!"

Varsitry, 22 February 2013

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You may recall that Britain First, a far-right groupuscule headed by former BNPers Jim Dowson and Paul Golding, organised a unity meeting in Dartford last month to discuss plans for a new anti-Islam street protest movement to replace the declining and fragmenting English Defence League.

The protest movement has now been formally launched. It's called the English National Resistance and describes itself as a "new disciplined organisation that will mobilise patriotic activists against any attack on our English culture, rights and heritage".

As is the way with such things, the English National Resistance presents itself as a far-right unity initiative, claiming to have brought together "a multitude of different existing patriotic groups". So far, however, it would appear to be little more than a Britain First front organisation.

The ENR's first event is scheduled for tomorrow, 2 February, with a planned march through Stanmore to the house of Abu Qatada. Whether it will in fact take place is as yet unclear, as Qatada's lawyers have applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent the demonstration going ahead.

Given that the protest is likely to attract a derisory number of participants, the BF/ENR leaders are probably hoping that the injunction is granted. That way they can milk the situation for the maximum publicity – High Court sides with Muslim terrorist and deprives decent British patriots of right to free speech, you know the sort of thing – while avoiding the public exposure of the minuscule forces they actually represent.

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The decline and break-up of the English Defence League has prompted a number of extremist groupings to try and establish a replacement anti-Islam street movement. While their stated aim is invariably to unite the far right, all they have succeeded in doing so far, thankfully, is contributing to its further fragmentation.

One of these groups is the English Volunteer Force, which was launched in July last year. It shares the EDL's rabid Islamophobia along with its lightminded attitude to the English language. As the EVF's mission statement explains: "We are convinced this country is currently being Islamified, This is apparant with recent immigration pattern's over the past 20 years, Also our food chain is being exploited & overran by the flood of cheap Halal meat being covertly sold in most supermarket's, In our opinion this need's to be governed much stronger."

Yesterday the EVF held its first public event, a demonstration in Birmingham "against the Islamification of Great Britain", which featured Tony Curtis, formerly a leading figure in the EDL, as a guest speaker. Reports by far-right sympathisers claimed an attendance of 150-200, although photographic evidence suggests that the actual figure was much smaller. The police estimate was 50.

Nor did the demonstration last very long. The Birmingham Mail reported: "The group continued their protest for 30 minutes until a cry of 'Let's all go to the Brasshouse' – a pub on Birmingham's Broad Street – was heard, and the demonstrators dispersed."

The British far right in its natural habitat – the English Volunteer Force in Birmingham

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The decline and break-up of the English Defence League has prompted a number of extremist groupings to try and establish a replacement anti-Islam street movement. While their stated aim is invariably to unite the far right, all they have succeeded in doing so far, thankfully, is contributing to its further fragmentation.

One of these groups is the English Volunteer Force, which was launched in July last year. It shares the EDL's rabid Islamophobia along with its lightminded attitude to the English language. As the EVF's mission statement explains: "We are convinced this country is currently being Islamified, This is apparant with recent immigration pattern's over the past 20 years, Also our food chain is being exploited & overran by the flood of cheap Halal meat being covertly sold in most supermarket's, In our opinion this need's to be governed much stronger."

Yesterday the EVF held its first public event, a demonstration in Birmingham "against the Islamification of Great Britain", which featured Tony Curtis, formerly a leading figure in the EDL, as a guest speaker. Reports by far-right sympathisers claimed an attendance of 150-200, although photographic evidence suggests that the actual figure was much smaller. The police estimate was 50.

Nor did the demonstration last very long. The Birmingham Mail reported: "The group continued their protest for 30 minutes until a cry of 'Let's all go to the Brasshouse' – a pub on Birmingham's Broad Street – was heard, and the demonstrators dispersed."

The British far right in its natural habitat – the English Volunteer Force in Birmingham

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A protest by a handful of far-right demonstrators marking the first anniversary of the murder of a man by Asian youths threatened to bring chaos to a residential area of Glasgow.

Mounted police, helicopters and scores of officers yesterday were deployed on to the streets of the city's Pollokshields, home to Scotland's largest Asian community, despite a maximum of 10 members of the Scottish Defence League (SDL) turning up.

The group had wanted to lay a wreath near the spot where William McKeeney was murdered last January. It is understood Mr McKeeney's girlfriend, who witnessed the attack, and friends and relatives were horrified at attempts by the extremist group to associate themselves with their tragedy.

It had also protested outside the High Court in Edinburgh late last year when Asif Rehman and Adel Ishaq, both 20, were jailed for 16 years for the murder of the Donegal man.

The racial element of the charges against the pair was dropped during the trial.

Yesterday, a counter protest of between 50 and 100 members of United Against Fascism also gathered in Pollokshields and had to be kept apart from the SDL by lines of police.

At one stage, upwards of 20 officers were seen escorting three SDL members away from the flashpoint. Later, a group of counter-protesters broke away from the main group and charged towards the SDL but were kept apart by the police.

Locals also described how yesterday's episode led to Muslim women being escorted through the streets by police officers, while other people were denied entry to their homes as police attempted to keep the groups apart.

The Herald, 21 January 2013

Picture:  Mean Street Photos

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English Defence League protestors in Shotton Colliery last monthPolice last night sought to reassure residents of a village where a far-right group protested against a planned Islamic education centre.

Around 200 members of the English Defence League gathered in the former pit village of Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on Saturday, December 1. Two people were arrested on suspicion of breach of bail and a woman was given a police warning.

It came after Durham County Council passed plans by businessman Kaiser Choudry to transform the Melrose Arms, a disused pub on Front Street, into an education centre.

Shotton Comrades Social Club was almost full for the special meeting last night attended by police, Stuart Timmiss, the council's head of planning and assets and councillor Eunice Huntingdon, who represents the area, to discuss the plans. Several residents voiced fears about extremism at the meeting.

Mr Choudry has said the centre is for the use of the whole community though it is intended to primarily serve the local Muslim community, which comprises around 10 to 12 families.

A 102-signature petition and 12 letters of objection were lodged with the authority, mostly raising concerns about parking. But the meeting also heard of concerns about how Muslims would integrate into the village community.

Coun Ted Hall, who sits on the Shotton and Peterlee parish councils, summed up the mood. He said: "The feeling in the village is totally hostile. People in this village see no need for it [the centre]."

Mr Timmiss said the community needed to pull together. "I have seen some opposition to the plan tonight again and we're here to ensure that we have all agencies working together to resolve some of the integration issues that exist here in the village," he said.

"I think that is the message that Durham County and the police are trying to get across. Shotton is a great community and it has got some great people. It is going through change and we have got to support it through that change. We need to get the community working together and to dispel some of the fears that we have heard about tonight."

Chief Superintendent Ivan Wood said the force would ensure relations between factions of the community remained calm. He said: "Shotton is a peaceful, quiet village and there is no reason moving forward why it can't still be that way."

The Journal, 17 January 2013

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English Defence League thugs confront police at Walsall protestThree men have admitted their roles in trouble which broke out during an English Defence League protest in a busy Black Country town centre. Angry scenes unfolded in Leicester Street, Walsall, in September as the EDL held a protest and disorder erupted as supporters left a pub.

Kyle Kirkbride, of Rugeley, and Peter Jelley, of Shrewsbury, both admitted threatening behaviour, while John Sharpe, of Leamore, Bloxwich, admitted racially aggravated harassment at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mrs Clare Davis, prosecuting, said during the afternoon of September 29 there had been 300 EDL supporters in Yates's, 100 in Varsity and more elsewhere and disorder erupted when 200 to 300 supporters left the pub. Some stewards, EDL supporters and police suffered injuries.

The court heard Sharpe made racist remarks to a police officer. Miss Davis said the 45-year-old, of Hawbush Road, was not part of the protest and was in the "wrong place at the wrong time". Mrs Sheila Hicklin, mitigating, said Sharpe had a drinking problem. District Judge Michael Morris ordered him to pay a £100 fine, £150 compensation, £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Miss Davis said Kirkbride, aged 24, of Springfield Avenue, had made rude hand gestures to Asian men. Mr Jason Georgiou, mitigating, said he was not racist and was responding to the men. He was given a £280 fine, told to pay £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Peter Jelley, aged 24, of Prescott Close, Shrewsbury, denied being involved in violence. In mitigation, Mr James Hand said he has no strong political views. The hearing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and he was released on conditional bail to return to court on February 6 for sentencing.

Express & Star, 16 January 2013

'Non-racist' English Defence League supporters demonstrating in Walsall

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The setbacks suffered by the English Defence League – shrinking numbers attending its demonstrations, its leader in prison, its deputy leader arrested for incitement to racial hatred – are seen by others on the far right as an opportunity to build a new organisation under their own control to replace the EDL.

EDL News draws our attention to a far-right unity meeting that took place in Dartford at the weekend, evidently on the initiative of the group Britain First, the aim of which was to "lay plans for a unified, well organised new street protest movement".

Britain First was formed as a breakaway from the British National Party. Its leaders are former BNP councillor Paul Golding and Jim Dowson, who headed the BNP's at one point highly successful fundraising operation.

So far, Britain First's attempts to emulate the EDL have not have been marked by any notable success. Despite all sections of the far right being invited to participate, its protests against "Muslim grooming" and against a Southend mosque attracted very limited support. Dowson, however, has recently been playing a prominent role in the loyalist flag protests in Belfast and no doubt fancies himself as the leader of a new mass movement against Islam in Britain.

One of the participants at the Dartford event was Paul Pitt, the EDL's former South East organiser, who last year was responsible for holding demonstrations against a proposed mosque in Chelmsford. In July he led a few dozen EDL members through the town in a flash protest during which they shouted racist abuse at passers-by and chanted "You burn our poppy, we burn your mosque". Pitt has since broken with the EDL and has launched a new organisation called the South East Alliance, which piously claims to be a "non-political community based street movement".

Also worth noting is the presence at the Dartford meeting of English Democrats party leader Robin Tilbrook. Although the EDP is not itself of fascist origin it has attracted a significant number of former BNP members as a result of the crisis in that party, notably the BNP's one-time elections organiser Eddy Butler. Dowson himself has pursued a twin-track approach of building Britain First while at the same time placing his fundraising abilities at the service of the EDP (presumably in exchange for a large cut of the proceeds).

The EDP is a political party that is committed to pursuing an electoral strategy, which it has done with some limited success. It won the election for mayor of Doncaster in 2009 and did quite well in last year's police commissioner elections, coming second in South Yorkshire with 15.6% of the vote. It is difficult to believe that Tilbrook is so stupid as to imagine that association with a revamped anti-Muslim street movement with its full complement of racists, fascists and thugs would boost his party's appeal to voters. Even if he is, it is likely that many members of the EDP will disagree.

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Protestors again gathered at the site of a planned mosque in Millfield.

A proposal to convert a former council depot into a mosque has caused controversy since the decision was accepted in January. And on Saturday members from the National Patriotic Front turned up to the site with signs, including some that read "no more mosques."

Treasurer Paul Stephenson said: "We are a Christian country, we don't want to bring their ideas and practices into our country." Chairman Robert Patten added: "We come here every month and we are going to keep coming back until there is something done about this. We want to stop the spread of Islam as much as we can."

Tahir Khan, chairman of the Unity Multicultural Organisation, which was also at the protest, said: "It is a shame that a single group are making Britain look so uncivilised in front of the whole world. Everybody has a right to have a place to worship, according to law."

Many residents from Millfield were cautious about speaking to the press about a sensitive issue. But Millfield man John Watson, said: "I am in favour of the mosque because I believe in religious freedom. I don't think it is too much to ask that they have a mosque."

Marjorie Matthews, 79, from Aiskell Street, said: "This is not a racist issue. I am not racist. This is wrong because it is in the wrong area, on top of people's houses."

Sunderland Echo, 10 December 2012

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Two controversial anti-multicultural organisations warn they will hold a protest on 15 December near Grønland, eastern Oslo.

It is thought the arrangement will kick off at Klosterenga Sculpture Park, an area with five mosques and high immigrant concentration. Domestic and international individuals will reportedly be holding speeches.

The Norwegian Defence League(NDL) and Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) are joining forces for the event, according to leftist newspaper Klassekampen.

"We want to wake up Norwegians and so-called moderate Muslims to show the extremism in their own religion," NDL board member Kjetil Kjønli explained, refuting allegations by Norwegian Centre Against Racism leader Kari Helene Partapuoli the NDL deliberately picked the Grønland area out of contentiousness.

Ms Partapuoli's organisation will be holding a march on the same day. This is in cooperation with several LO (Confederation of Trade Unions) associations, Oslo SV (Socialist Left Party), SU (Socialist Youth League of Norway, and RU (Red Youth), amongst others, to "show everything that’s positive about the multicultural society," she declared.

The Centre has strongly distanced itself from planned counterdemonstrations by Ny SOS Rasisme allegedly aimed at stopping the NDL.

Klassekampen also reports some 114 NDL supporters have signed up for next weekend's demonstration.

The Foreigner, 3 December 2012

Acording to the Klassekampen report, the NDL demonstration has been called under the slogan "stop immigration and the Islamisation of Norway and Europe".

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Two men were arrested yesterday during a protest over a planned Muslim education centre in the North.

Police estimate that around 200 members of the English Defence League turned out to the protest in the former pit village of Shotton Colliery, County Durham.

The arrests were made for breach of bail conditions, a spokesperson for Durham Police said.

Superintendent Helen McMillan said: "Although Durham Constabulary respects the right for people to take part in peaceful protests, we will ensure that law and order is maintained at all times.

"We had effective resources in place to ensure the event proceeded peacefully for the safety of everyone," she said. "The men are currently being held in a local police station where they are helping police with enquiries."

The protest took place between 2pm and 4pm and was supervised by officers from across the force. An onlooker said the protest was "well behaved but not completely peaceful", adding that fireworks were thrown down the street.

He said at one stage a woman emerged from a house near the village green, where the EDL members were based, to confront the protesters.

Businessman Kaiser Choudry applied for permission earlier this year to turn the Melrose Arms, a disused pub in Front Street, into a centre for the local Muslim community.

Durham County Council received a 102-signature petition and 13 letters against the conversion. The majority of the objections were about potential parking and traffic problems rather than the planned purpose of the building.

Mr Choudry had previously made an application to turn the old pub into a prayer hall, but this was withdrawn.

The businessman said earlier this year: "I have been in the village for 25 years and the community has been supporting me. I want to give something back to the community."

Sunday Sun, 3 December 2012

The EDL have hailed the Shotton Colliery protest as proof that their organisation is not on its death bed. You'll see that the EDL were pleased to welcome a contingent from the North East Infidels on the demonstration. Only months ago the EDL were denouncing the North East Infidels (entirely accurately) as Nazis, but now apparently the NEI have been transformed into "great patriots".

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Far-right extremists will descend on Shotton Colliery next month to protest over plans to turn a former pub into a Muslim education centre.

Members of the English Defence League (EDL) will hold what they say will be the "first of many" regional demonstrations in the village. It comes after, the EDL says, residents contacted the organisation after Durham County Council passed plans to turn the former Melrose Arms pub into a Muslim educational centre in May.

The EDL says it will be supported by other Defence Leagues and North East Infidels during the demonstration, on December 1.

EDL regional organiser Alan Spence told the Star: "We can confirm that this demo will be the first of many in Shotton Colliery until the council listen to the local residents and refuse planning permission for this Muslim education centre that the local community does not want, or need.

"We have contacted Durham Constabulary and are working with them to ensure that this protest remains peaceful with minimal disruption to the local community."

But Easington MP Grahame Morris said: "It's outrageous that people are stirring up feelings in this way. These are just ordinary Muslims in the community, it's ludicrous to try and stir up feelings in this fashion."

Peterlee Star, 21 November 2012

Via ENGAGE

Alan Spence is a former British National Party parliamentary candidate. Last December he was given a 7-month prison sentence for his part in an EDL attack on a left-wing meeting at Tyneside Irish Centre. Two months earlier, two EDL members were each sentenced to a year in prison after smashing the window of an Asian-owned chop in Shotton Colliery and daubing racist graffiti on the wall.

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A fourth protest at the site of a new mosque in Sunderland ended with no violence and with only two arrests.

Around 40 officers policed the demonstration on St Mark's Road in Millfield.

Between 50 and 60 protesters gathered and one man was arrested for breach of the peace and another for racial chanting.

Police say organisers from newly-formed far-right group the Northern Patriotic Front assured them there would be no trouble.

The group was founded in August 2012 and made up most of the right-wing presence at the latest demonstration.

A counter-protest was also held by anti-fascist groups and members of the Muslim community.

Sky Tyne and Wear, 17 November 2012

See also Hope Not Hate, 17 November 2012

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