English “Patriots” Capitalise on Islamism

Luton Today reports on the decision to abandon a counter-demo against the recent small but ugly Islamist demo against returning British soldiers:

James Yeomans…has decided to abandon the event in case it attracts further trouble, but has organised another protest in London on April 12, to encourage the government to ban “all protests of hate towards troops”.

The event was being promoted on-line by formerly local anti-Muslim blogger “Lionheart”, who posted a video promo using stills taken from March for England (MfE) events; elsewhere it is clarified by MfE that “This is not a March for England event but we urge you to support it.” [UPDATE: It appears that this “support” was unwelcome and was the reason why Yeomans decided to cancel the protest]

“March for England” is of interest though. It seeks to use Islamist provocations to promote English patriotism:

We have been brainwashed to tarnish march’s that show pride and our countrys flag’s as Right Wing or Racist … WELL WE ARE MARCHING ON TO CHANGE THAT TARNISH !!! TO CLAIM BACK OUR FLAG WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH RACISM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

It is time to unite against everything that is ruining our country. Our country has been sold and ruined by government, it is time to let the government hear our voice. Immigration, E.U, Terrorism, And so much more is threatening our country’s identity. It is time to remove that notion that flying the St George flag is racist. It is time to be counted.
IT IS TIME FOR ENGLAND TO AWAKE !!!!.

Who is responsible for this “brainwashing” is not explained, although there is curiously little complaint about how the actual use of English symbols by the far-right may have contributed to their unfortunate association with racism. Photos on the MfE website show some Sikh involvement, and a couple of photos show a black teenage boy at their events. Support for the Gurkhas is also a theme.

On the other hand, though, MfE likes the idea of using English symbols to throw their weight around, and restoring a world of cricket and elderly ladies cycling to Evensong does not seem to be the priority:

mfe

MfE’s website has a short list of six “Friends Links” – these include “Lionheart”‘s blog and a pro-BNP blog called English Rose.

The leaders of MfE are not readily apparent, although “Lionheart’s” blog and a few other sites show the organiser to be a certain Dave Smeeton, a football supporter from Portsmouth. It is also linked with the “United British Alliance“, which exists “to raise peoples awareness of the rising threat within our towns and cities from islamic extremists” and to encourage “a new tide of patriotism in Britain AGAINST our enemies” (the UBA is also allied with Jesse Petrilla’s United American Committee). Both groups have been commended by “Lionheart”:

The inevitable has finally arrived and long overdue and I take my hat off to the leaders of March for England and the U.B.A who have organised an grass roots movement to make OUR voices heard, and to all those who stand behind them and have taken to the streets in protest of everything that is now happening in OUR society, and what OUR Country has become.

In their own words:

U.B.A stands shoulder to Shoulder with Sikhs, Jews, in fact anyone whom unites aginst the new nazism that we struggled through world wars to remove… hence you see us stand besides the jewish flag… if you look at the lambeth palace i held a danish and jewish flag.. as the police thought we was right wing, a right wing idiot would die before hold a isreali flag.

March For England is for England… and in that atmosphere anything that threatens our way of life is against the English… be it terrorists, governments e.t.c… united as one but for Queen and Country

U.B.A is solely against terrorists (islam) over-riding our country…..

this is where we unite… two groups united even though we hold strong to the union jack, and they the St George… it is a strong enemy which via government has slowly started to over-ride our freedom, way of life…e.t.c… so both have united,.. but under an umbrella in support.

Both groups joined SIOE (Stop the Islamisation of Europe) recently when they marched to Lambeth Palace on September 11th to demonstrate against the introduction of Sharia Law into OUR Country.

“Lionheart” was writing in the wake of a counter-demo against an Islamist-organised “al-Quds” march in London in September. Potkin Azarmehr, an Iranian secularist who was the overall organiser of the counter-protest, explained that

To our right were the SIOE and March for England supporters. I had received many warnings that the later were a right wing Nazi group, but I could find nothing on their website that remotely suggested this, and in fact they go out of their way to distance themselves from any racist association. Nevertheless I had my anxieties about two things, a confrontation between the different groups in the counter demo and any indication of racism which would have tarnished our aims and objectives and benefited the Islamic Republic supporters. As it turned out, none of this took place. The March for England supporters assured me they will not tolerate any racism amongst their ranks and even suggested to me that if we think their presence will in any way damage us, they are happy to go away. I asked them to stay and we all agreed to have our own distinct positions behind the railings.

However, Workers’ Liberty, a fiercely secularist far-left group that was also counter-protesting, tells us that

Workers’ Liberty members, a few other British socialists and members of the Worker-communist Party of Iran turned up to counter-demonstrate, as did a larger group of broadly nationalist and, as it turns out, rightish Iranians. We demonstrated awkwardly next to each other until a third group turned up, composed of supporters of the “March for England” organisation, a nationalist group with English flags who are almost certainly some variety of fascists, though they denied it…March for England soon showed their true colours in full technicolour, shouting “Hang them”, “No surrender” and “White power” as the Al Quds march went by.

An account by one of the Al-Quds marchers concurs with this:

The chant from their side included “White pride: no surrender!”, “Terrorist bombers, off our streets!” and “Hang them, hang them”.

[UPDATE: In the comments below, Smeeton insists that “Never once has any chant or shout on our marches or protests included the word white!!!”]

Photos of this event certainly show a disproportionate number of heavy-set bald-headed middle-aged white men.

27 Responses

  1. It’s not the flag that offends me, it’s the idiots waving it.

  2. BNP offshoot.
    Anyway… Richard, I think you need a laugh, check this out for the Pentacostal vibe!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohmhZVjaqQo&feature=related

    who say rewind?

  3. […] Apparently, it was the realisation that groups such as “March for England” (as I noted here) planned to hijack the event for their own anti-Muslim purposes. All we need to know is […]

  4. March for England are not anti Muslim. We only protest against extremists who threaten our country. Be that Radical Islam , or any other terror groups.
    We where going to luton to show our support to our troops.Our members turn out in there home towns to welcome home our Heroes. Most of your report is bases on hearsay. Never once has any chant or shout on our marches or protests included the word white!!!
    Yes we do support the Gurkhas one fact you did have right. We will continue to do so and continue to donate the the Gurkhas wefare fund. It was a privalige to have these brave heroes on one of our marches.

  5. Objection noted – you will see that I have tried to collect opposing views of what occured at the protest, and I included Potkin Azarmehr’s account.

    But why does MfE advertise the pro-BNP “English Rose” website and why is there such close association with Paul Ray, who goes on about “Paki Muslims“, who writes that “At every turn Moslems are screwing us and our Country for their Islamic aims”?

  6. The blog you mention is one of many that where on our site. Many have been removed after looking into them. If we missed that one i will look into it. Before people slander us with made up lies and stories from otheres that are so wide of the mark it is unreal. People want to know our views just ask we do not have horns or breath fire.
    As stated we have nothing against main stream muslims or any other religion. We have links with sihks and asians etc. But we will not stand idle as Choudry Hamza Bakri and co seek to use terror and unrest on our streets. The same as we opposed the IRA and there splinter groups in the 80s.

  7. You say you have used potkins account of that demo.
    Yet you say we are Far Right we are pictured next to the Star of David Flag also it show elsewhere on the net a photo of one of our lads and potkin arm in arm. The site this on states our lad as the leader of March for england. Yet you state me as the Organiser?
    From what i know of Far right groups in this Country none would be seen next to or holding the Star of david Flag,or working with Potkin or fighting to get an ethnic group to stay in this country and to have have the same rights as British servicmen that ethnic group being the Gurkhas, To be honest i am offended by your half truths and lies in the above artical. But as usual anybody proud of there troops,Country,history and identity are fair game to be slandered.

  8. Well, you’ve got a bit of an image problem.

    What does this mean: “Does My English Flag Offend You? Good…Now Fuck Off” ? Surely that means you hope that immigrants will fail to integrate, so that your group has a justification for hostility?

    As for the reports of the March demo, I think I’ve been fair: I’ve highlighted your account and Potkin’s as a balance to the two negative reports, which come from two groups that have nothing in common with each other.

    The Israeli flag doesn’t tell us anything – there are pro-Israel and anti-Israel right-wing groups. Nick Griffin – who wrote an anti-Jewish book a few years ago called Who Are the Mindbenders – has explicitly stated that he turned away from attacking Jews in favour of going after Muslims because “The proper enemy to any political movement isn’t necessarily the most evil and the worst…The proper enemy is the one we can most easily defeat.”

  9. […] cancelled because the organiser feared (as I blogged here) that he and his friends (whom I blogged here) were right wing […]

  10. It is good to see someone put two sides to a story, but the fact is when a group arise’s to challenge a particular subject, especially when it envolves patriotism, it is tagged, far right, racist, white… when does colour always have to be an issue with others that demonise groups like M.F.E e.t.c…

    I live in East London where the community is made up of all walks of life from all countrys and religion or non religion, the England t-shirts are donned by folk from different backgrounds (colour as you wish to tag people), and to me when i see that, it is people that have moved to live here and appreciate the way of life and proud to live here.

    Of course you speak of islam… M.F.E are against the extremist islamic militants.. the ones that spoil it for the rest, just like the bnp spoil it for the rest of us.. so to speak… do you think because we are against extremists and will stand we tar all muslims with the same brush.. i think you are wrong… but it is easy for many to tar us with the bnp brush.. a bit hypocritical i think there… also muslims does not come in a colour before you start that one…

    as for lionheart, you say he uses the word pakistani.. well if we was in the 80’s yes it would be deemed to be a racist word as to the way it was used.. by the type of ignorant people that used it,.. but if i was from pakistan, then im a pakistani, just like im from england, which makes me english.. like my flat mate from latvia, whom says he a latvian,.. and my other flat mate from bangladesh, which makes him bengali… so to think as someone quick to tar with this bnp, white only brush is not on.. and hope all can learn.. as we have… colour is not an issue, nor is the religion… the government has done little to boost our willing-ness to unite, because power is strength,.. dis-unity like this of course weakens us as a people… of course we are all not sheep and to agree to dis-agree makes good learning curves by all.

    is it wrong to see the days of old where St Georges day and rememberance was celebrated in street partys,.. flags flying.. bringing communitys together instead of divided as they are now ??? whens the last time you invited your neighbour 5 doors up for tea and biccys e.t.c… like america, all people of all race’s fly the flag from homes, buildings, schools e.t.c.. yet here it is not allowed by some councils, governments e.t.c.. and this is what we need to change too..

  11. […] unhappy with support from ”March for England”, a group which I blogged on here, and with which Ray has links. Last autumn, March for England took part in a counter-protest […]

  12. […] deliberately to misrepresent his “March for England” organisation, which I blogged on here; I have responded to his […]

  13. […] does not have many Facebook friends – just Ray, Dave Smeeton of “March for England” and a couple of others. Jenvey’s involvement is not encouraging – he recently sent Tim […]

  14. […] of views between a couple of commentators to this blog. One is Dave Smeeton, who organises “March for England” and is an associate of anti-Muslim blogger “Lionheart”, or Paul Ray. As […]

  15. looking at this website confuses me, i cant see that why we all cant live together in harmony like it was in the 40-50-60, its only the certain few who think they need to protest about extremist,s, well the whole world know who the extremists are and need to be shut down, as forthe bnp, they say they are a white culture and believe that those non white or foreign that were born here are not british, well on my birth certificate says im british, although my parents were brought up in a christian way and came to live here for a better life, my parents have been here for over 30 years, and have seen stuff through the door and people saying go home paki!!, but were not paki.s, can any1 justify saying that, only because of the colour of there skin,

    I have some news for those who think they are pure english. your wrong, there is no way true english man in this country, right down to anglo saxon, who were foreign, god save the queen, she is foreign desent, the england team is a multi-colour team, the day that the protest in luton on bank holiday england played, all we heard was england england england, but who scored the first goal. EMILE HESKEY, an man who is english, but parents from abroad, I think these small minded parties need to look through and through. Also the bnp says british jobs for british workers, does that include all the blacks and asians and polish, chinese, russians, turkish who were born here, i think not, it makes me laugh the the english favourite dish is an Indian, jokers, also where do all our clothes come from, oh yeah, over sea’s, Its time to wise up and get used to it, America has. with a BLACK President, in fact he is doing a good job, Just because a few extremist who have been turned on by there own culture protest, certain political parties and organisations want to jump on the band wagon and want to cause unrest in these towns and also dont live in these towns to come and cause unrest and try to turn a multicultral town against eachother, its so wrong, Im happy to be british, LIVE WITH IT, YOUR PARENTS DID DURING THE WAR, AND BEFORE. SO why now cause unrest.!!!!

  16. […] left the march route. The reports also tell us that March for England (a group which I blogged  on here and here) had pulled out from the event, and that  United People of Luton was the […]

  17. […] Mail takes a sceptical look at Dave Smeeton, the leader of March for England. MfE, which I blogged here, did not organise this particular event, but Smeeton did play a role in an unofficial capacity. […]

  18. Seems to me that you are happy to glorify in a Mail story of half truths and implications and yet you refuse to condemn extreme left wing groups like Workers Liberty who usually turn up to counter demonstrate (which esentially means to confront- but hey ho left wing violence is OK apparently). I think its clear where this bloggers loyalties lie people. If you want a balanced view dont read this bloggers site.

  19. […] article about the recent “anti-extremist” protests in Luton; discussing a group called March for England (which was not responsible for the violence which erupted month), the Mail noted the involvement […]

  20. […] Mail article about the recent “anti-extremist” protests in Luton; discussing a group called March for England (which was not responsible for the violence which erupted month), the Mail noted the involvement […]

  21. […] “occupied” (his term) east London; “March for England”, which I blogged here and which held a protest in Luton in May, seems to have disappeared off the […]

  22. […] I blogged on March for England back in March. The group is nationalistic, but it rejects association with the far-right. It also supports the cause of the Gurkhas, and it has protested against Islamic extremism alongside the Iranian dissident Potkin Azarmehr. There is also a strong link with football supporters; Smeeton has a past in a supporters’ “firm”, but he assures us that that was a very long time ago and that he is now an “old man”. MFE protests have generally been peaceful; a recent report in Searchlight explains that: …encounters were overwhelmingly non-violent, except when the National Front (NF) turned up and were driven away by the [United British Alliance] and MFE. […]

  23. […] is with Jesse Petrilla’s “United America Committee” (which in turn is linked to the “United British Alliance”), and he was one of yesterday’s protestors in […]

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