The BNP are planning to march / drive from Woolwich to the Lewisham Islamic Centre (opposite Lewisham Hospital) this Saturday.
Details for the stop the BNP event at Lewisham Islamic Centre from 1pm can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/188514991305187/
I hope that local residents can work together to prevent the BNP intimidating local Muslims, the vast majority of whom deplore acts of violence, the same as everybody else in the community.
It appears the BNP have been prevented from marching through Woolwich and Lewisham by the police. So hopefully this anti-BNP event will not be necessary.
michael, the loathesome nick g has been tweeting that bnp will defy the ban - not sure what the appropriate anti-bnp response to this will/should be - if you hear one way or the other could keep us updated, please, either on here or dm. much appreciated
I strongly oppose The BNP and their views.
Hopefully they will keep away tomorrow.
If they do turn up best protesters stay away and everyone else just ignores them. They thrive on publicity .
yes, eagle, a fair point. however i am not happy to sit back & let the bnp (not to mention the press) give the impression that they speak for the majority of local residents. cos they don't.
Update Friday 31 May, 13:15 pm - the latest position is as follows:
- The BNP have now been banned by the Metropolitan Police from marching to Woolwich to Lewisham and told they can only march in Whitehall;
- Having initially said that they would defy the ban, the BNP has now agreed to switch its demo to Downing Street.
- Unite Against Fascism has therefore cancelled its protest in Woolwich and is calling for people to come to Downing Street at 12 noon tomorrow to oppose BNP there.
- South London Anti-Fascists will be meeting tomorrow at 11 am at the Imperial War Museum Gardens (Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park), near the Russian memorial, and then travelling en bloc to Downing Street.
- The rally at Lewisham Islamic Centre has also been cancelled.
Just received from the Met: (and if you want to know my opinion is to stay away and let the Met sort any attempt to march between Woolwich & Lewisham):
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The MPS yesterday (30 May) imposed conditions upon a march and rally being planned by the BNP for Saturday 1 June.
Conditions have been imposed under Section 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act, 1986, that the BNP march and rally must take place between 1300 and 1600, between Old Palace Yard and the Cenotaph in Whitehall on 1 June.
The BNP applied to hold a march and rally on 1 June from Woolwich Barracks to the Lewisham Islamic Centre. The BNP's intention to hold this march and rally resulted in a number of groups indicating they wished to attend to hold counter protests.
The information and intelligence available to the MPS meant that it was necessary to impose the conditions to prevent the demonstration from resulting in serious disorder, serious damage to property, and/or serious disruption to the life of the community.
Commander Simon Letchford, MPS, said:
"The murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich last week shocked our city. The right to protest is a fundamental part of our society, however, such an evocative mix of views being expressed in communities still hurting from Lee's murder could have resulted in ugly scenes on our streets.
"Those communities have made it clear to us the impact that groups expressing extreme views has upon them. We have listened to those concerns following Lee Rigby's murder, and we will keep working with all our communities.
"We know that when groups with conflicting views come together it can create tension and disorder. What we have had to carefully consider is how to balance the right to protest with the negative impact on our communities and potential violence and disorder that may have resulted from these protests going ahead as they were suggested.
"If you want to protest on Saturday we ask that you do so peacefully, no matter what your view. We will work with you to enable that protest to go ahead. What we will also do is fulfill our duty to prevent crime and keep peace on our streets.
"The support we have received so far from Londoners has been outstanding, I would urge people to continue to show restraint and calm. We must continue to be a city that stands together."
The decision to apply Section 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act was taken based on current community tensions, the current intelligence picture about Saturday and recent marches and protests held by similar groups. As part of the MPS assessment of current community tensions the views of a range of local representatives have been sought. Taking all these factors into consideration the MPS has made an operational policing decision to take this approach, and believe it to be proportionate in these specific circumstances.
Attempts by the MPS to change the location of the protest via negotiation were unsuccessful.
Breach of the conditions is a criminal offence, and anyone breaching them may find themselves open to arrest.
The MPS Counter Terrorism Command is undertaking a complex and fast moving investigation into Lee Rigby's murder. Since the 22 May the MPS has been running an operation to provide extra reassurance patrols, and provide a response to any protests.
Don't follow. There is no change in what is allowed to be said. Only where you can say it. If it is about being heard you are more likely to be able to hear it at the Cenotaph. Or go to the BNP website. Its all there ...
But there is no right to freedom of speech in the UK anyway. There is no constitutional right as in the USA. Pity.
coldand wrote:What I mean is, if the bnp want to march let them,every other group are allowed to.they are a legitimate political party
That was just the point. Lots of legitimate groups wanted to occupy the same place at the same time - which would also exclude or endanger people who would normally going about their normal business there too.
When this happens you negotiate. When negotiations fail someone has to do a Sword of Solomon thing. That's what the police did under the Public Order Act.
So everybody gets to march in a prominent location without being banished to an obscure hole in the countryside. That's about as practical freedom as you can get. When it comes to victimhood you will find it felt at both ends of the political spectrum. And sometimes in the centre too!
I know you probably didn't mean to but "it's a free country as long as you do as you're told" is basically the definition of civilised society.
I'm proud to live in a country where people like the BNP are allowed to march and proud of the authorities for putting sensible and necessary precautions and conditions in place.
coldand wrote:I thought we lived in a free country to say what we like.obviously only when it suits
[ Post made via Mobile Device ]
Freedom of Speech in this country (and across Europe) is conditional: the conditions are broadly defined in the European Convention of Human Rights which, if you are interested, is codified in our Human Rights Act. You can read the "freedom of speech" clause here under Article 10 if you are interested:
From footage I saw on the news last night it appeared that many of the Left wing Anti-Facist groups didn't
practise much in the way of self restraint or recognise the democratic rights of others to peacefull protest.
I wish they had stayed away!
