Norfolk election: Police investigate 'malpractice' allegation

From the BBC:

Police have been called in to investigate allegations signatures were forged on a nomination paper for next week's local elections.

The inquiry relates to forms for Jonathon Childs, a UKIP candidate in the Norfolk County Council elections.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that we have received a complaint of electoral malpractice, which we are investigating."

UKIP agent Matthew Smith said election procedures had been followed correctly.

Mr Childs is standing for UKIP in the East Flegg division, near Great Yarmouth.

UKIP agent Matthew Smith said he did not believe there had been any wrong-doing

Under election rules, candidates have to sign the form, along with 10 people who support the nomination.It is alleged one or more signatures on his nomination paper were forged.

Linda Mockford, assistant returning officer, said she received a complaint about an alleged irregularity on a nomination paper and had referred the matter to the police.

"The nominations have been declared valid and the election will proceed. Anything will be dealt with after the election," she said.

Mr Smith, who is agent for UKIP candidates in the Great Yarmouth area and is also standing for election himself, said he was "absolutely certain" that paperwork had been filled out correctly.

"I can say that there's been no wrong-doing on our part and I don't believe that there has been any wrong-doing at all," he said.

Mr Childs declined to comment.

BNP supporters in ugly confrontation outside Harold Wood station

From the Romford Reporter 7 March 2013:

Nick Lowles, the co ordinator of anti-fascist group, Hope Not Hate was confronted by a gang outside of Harold Wood Station.

The chairman of the British National Party (BNP) claims that his supporters were behind a confrontation with anti-fascist campaigners.

Footage has been uploaded on the Hope Not Hate website of ugly scenes between a team of campaigners, which included its co-ordinator Nick Lowles, and a gang outside Harold Wood station on Sunday.

Nick Griffin, the leader of the far-right party, tweeted: “Old hands will be pleased to hear Searchlight liar Nick Lowles was chased out of Gooshays, Essex today by pro BNP locals? Whose streets?”

The team of five campaigners from Hope Not Hate, had turned up at Harold Wood station when they claim they were confronted by a gang of 15 men.

The footage shows the gang hurling abuse at the campaigners telling them, “we don’t want you round our manor, so just get in your car and go home”.

They are also heard telling them that, “it is no place for paedophiles”. In a second upload a campaign couple are followed by the men who tell them they are “not wanted round here”, before telling them that they, “know where they live”.

Mr Lowles said that he had “never experienced anything like it in 20 years”. He said:

They were trying to drive us out of the area by using bully boy tactics. Most of us were from Havering and are just ordinary people.

The campaigners had planned to meet up at the station before moving on to Harold Hill to hand out leaflets. The group managed to deliver 2,000 leaflets despite the earlier confrontation.
Simon Darby, spokesman for the BNP, said the gang were:

just local BNP supporters who do not like other people coming into their area telling them how to think.  We have a lot of BNP supporters up and down the country and particularly in that area who are just fed up.“Hope Not Hate are coming with their crocodile tears when they are trying to sabotage our campaign.

Nick said that he has been inundated with messages of support since uploading the footage. He is preparing a dossier of material to pass on to the police and the electoral commission.

Man charged with alleged racist abuse of Norwich City star

From EDP24:

A man has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence after Norwich City defender Sebastien Bassong was allegedly abused by a fan.

The Cameroon international was the target of alleged racial abuse during Norwich City’s 4-3 win over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium in December.

The alleged incident took place after Robert Snodgrass had scored Norwich’s fourth goal from a free-kick in the 77th minute.

It sparked an investigation by South Wales Police and 23-year-old Lee Ward, from Swansea, was arrested and released on bail.

The Crown Prosecution Service in Wales has confirmed that Ward has been charged with racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

Ward will appear before Swansea Magistrates’ Court on March 20.

Former Newcastle player Bassong, who was signed by Norwich from Tottenham in the summer, made his debut against QPR in a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road in August.

He has recently returned to the side after injury and played in Norwich’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Saturday.

Gang’s ‘racist’ abuse on train to Norwich

From the Sheffield Star:

WITNESSES are being urged to come forward after a group of people racially-abused passengers and staff on board a train.

British Transport Police are investigating the incident on the 17.44 Sheffield to Norwich service on Saturday.

Sergeant Sue Jacks said:

The alleged incident involved a group of approximately 10 people, nine men and one female. It is alleged that the group racially abused passengers and staff.

Officers met the train at Nottingham where a number of the group were removed from the train, spoken to and their details taken. Sgt Jacks added:

I would like to appeal to anyone travelling on this service to contact us.

Anyone with information should call 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Norwich fashionisto



Surprising and intriguing to find a local lad, UEA student, political activist and supporter of We are Norwich featured on a blog called Far Left Fashion, and then again at Harry's Place.

Apparently Jack Brindelli is now a fashion icon.

Norwich style ironic post-modern fashion humour - outsiders never get it.



The EDL has East Anglian Discovisions!

Unus Mundas, Una Gens, Unus Disco
(One World, One Race, One Disco)

The English Disco Lovers (EDL) are a pro-disco, pro-racial equality group which aims

to spoof the slogans and emblems of The English Defence League, showing them for what they really are - racist, outdated and the type you wouldn't invite to your disco!

And now there is an EDL East Anglian Discovision - for all English Disco Lovers in the Eastern counties 

Because glitter balls, impossibly wide trousers and dancing like a twit beat racism, criminality and stupidity EVERY time.

 

Founded February 2013

There is even an EDL NORWICH Discovision (English Disco Lovers - Norwich Discovision)  Please do visit the site and share your own disco favourites, for

Thanks Liam!

Disco dance with the EDL goodies

So who are the good EDL?  I caught a reference to the group at the protests against the other EDL in Cambridge last Saturday, and found this article:

From the Guardian by Dorian Lynskey:

How to disco dance the EDL off Google and Facebook

The English Disco Lovers are taking the three hated initials and turning them into a musical force for equality and respect – via the magic of search engine optimisation

Disco legends Chic: 'veiled political messages'. Photograph: Glenn A Baker/Redferns

Last autumn, four London-based friends, who prefer to remain anonymous, got to talking about reappropriating the acronym EDL from the English Defence League and "putting it to better use".

It started as a joke but they soon realised that it could become a more ambitious campaign. So they formed the English Disco Lovers and wrote a manifesto expressing their aim to oust the existing EDL from the top of Google's search results and outdo them on Facebook. They even have a logo, a shield-shaped mirrorball, and a Latin motto: Unus Mundus, Una Gens, Una Disco (One World, One Race, One Disco).

"I don't think any of us could say we were disco fans before," they explain via email, "but as we've heard more and grown to understand the message, we've found ourselves identifying with it. Disco has always been a scapegoat for racism and homophobia. English Disco Lovers is turning the tables in favour of equality and respect."

The disco EDL's methods echo satirical Google bombing campaigns such as writer Dan Savage's successful 2003 effort to make "santorum" a lurid sexual euphemism in response to Senator Rick Santorum's homophobic comments. But by enlivening a serious point with playful humour, they are also true to disco's hidden politics.

The late 70s disco boom coincided with the surging popularity of the National Front and the musical counter-attack of Rock Against Racism, but there was little overlap. RAR called for "Crisis music. Now music. Music that knows who the real enemy is," which meant punk and reggae, not the seemingly cheerful hedonism of disco.

However, disco grew out of marginalised subcultures – black, Latino and gay – with an inherent message of unity and self-expression. Some records made this explicit. The lyrics to the O'Jays' Love Train, the proto-disco anthem quoted in the EDL's manifesto, were written by politically committed Philadelphia soul kingpin Kenny Gamble. Chic's Nile Rodgers prided himself on sneaking veiled political messages into the band's colossal hits.

Today the disco EDL stepped up their campaign by launching a website. They've had some hate mail from the other EDL, of course, but the scale of the positive response, including over 10,000 Facebook likes and offers of practical support from musicians and promoters, has surprised them. Even if it began as a joke, the English Disco Lovers' deployment of wit and fun as weapons against belligerent xenophobia is a fine tribute to disco's subversive utopian vision.

See more at their psychedelic News site.

Why is the EDL so greedy for humble pie?

The EDL was humiliated yet again last Saturday, when only a paltry 40 members turned up to demonstrate in Cambridge.  The national press hardly seemed to notice whilst anti-racist commentators tried not to laugh.

Some members of the broad coalition called We are Norwich took the EDL threat to civil society seriously enough to join other activists in Cambridge in protest against the racists of the far right EDL. 

Concerned students and citizens from Norwich gathered under the We are Norwich banner together with members of trade unions, Norwich Pride, and Norwich Unite Against Fascism.  They joined Cambridge groups against the EDL, including CUAF, Muslims, and fans of the English Disco Lovers (the good EDL). 

All were determined to defy the EDL merchants of hatred and division.

Despite the humiliation of being so vastly outnumbered the EDL vowed to return to Cambridge in bigger numbers.

How much more embarrasment can the EDL swallow?

Photographs by Ann Nicholls/Look, See, Click Photography:

----------------------------------------------------------

From Cambridge News by Raymond Brown:

The English Defence League has vowed to return to Cambridge in bigger numbers – despite a low turnout and several arrests.

Its rally on Christ’s Pieces on Saturday ended early after only about 40 members turned up.

More than 400 officers were drafted in to police them and a counter-demonstration by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism which had more than 500 people in its ranks, according to police.

EDL members said they were furious, claiming they were “penned in” during attempts to protest against a planned mosque in Mill Road.

EDL members were heckled by passers-by and began to fight among themselves as their stewards tried to eject a man who had a “banned” Nazi banner.

When counter-protesters marched past, with the two groups separated by a police “no-go zone”, one EDL member broke through but was quickly stopped by police.

A spokesman for the group’s East Anglia Division told the News:

We are not thugs or extremists. We are the silent majority but we have been penned in like pigs while the police allow the lefties to march through the city.

But we will be back in bigger numbers. The leaders are planning a national protest here in Cambridge. All we want to do is have a peaceful protest against a mosque that is not in keeping and will cause no end of traffic problems as it holds 1,000 but has just 80 parking spaces. We are not against Muslims. We are anti-Islam.

Tourist Vic Synott, 50, of Ayr, Scotland, came across the EDL chanting “we are the famous EDL”.  He said:

They are just showing themselves up by their behaviour. They are a disgrace.

EDL speakers hit out at MEP Richard Howitt for branding them “extremists”.

The Euro MP told the counter-marchers the party had sent him a note “adorned with Nazi swastikas” and accusing him of being “a traitor to civilisation and democracy”.  He added:

There is only one group that represents everything in our society which is uncivilised and undemocratic. The traitors to Britain’s traditions of tolerance, fairness and respect – the true traitors – are the EDL themselves. They are a joke.

 

We Are Norwich (WAN) has an active week ahead

From We Are Norwich by Nick O'Brien:

Cambridge - Tuesday 19th February

As if Cambridge didn't have enough on its plate, Marine Le Pen, leader of the fascist Front National, (who may face charges for comparing Islamic prayers to the Nazi occupation) is due to speak at the Student Union on Tuesday.

For more on this and the arguments around no platform, read this good (in my opinion) article from the Guardian. 

Some WAN activists are going to the counter-demo. If you interested in going, let me know - email address below.

Cambridge - Saturday 23rd February

It's a week until a number of us will make the short journey from Norwich to Cambridge to stand up to the English Defence League. Many thanks for the support we have already had on this. Tickets have sold really quickly, people have sent money in on time and some people who cannot make it have donated to the cause and/or got money from union branches and community groups. It shows that the spirit we had of working together in the lead up to our demo in November (last year's counter demonstration that humiliated the EDL in Norwich) is still there.

There are very few spaces left - tickets £10 waged, £5 un-waged. Coach picks up at 9.45 am and gets back between 5/5.30 pm from a central Norwich location. Get in contact for more information or to book a ticket.

Activists from Cambridge came to support us last year and well...it's another opportunity to humble the EDL when they are down.

Norwich - Sunday 24th February

Football v Homophobia

A reminder that the Football v Homophobia Football Tournament is next Sunday (24th February) at Carrow Park (next to the football ground). We are Norwich intends to have a team in this tournament which celebrates the life of Justin Fashanu, the only ever out gay footballer in this country, who played his best football at NCFC.
Let me know if you would like to be in the mixed team. The matches start at 2pm.

Nick   (Secretary WAN)

Email norwichuaf@gmail.com

Double trouble in Cambridge

From Cambridge News by Jennie Baker:

Far Right now faces two demos

Protesters opposed to a far-right politician’s appearance at the Cambridge Union will demonstrate outside the building on Tuesday (19th February).

Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front, is set to speak at the debating society at 4pm, with demonstrators arriving in Bridge Street at 2.30pm.

Her appearance is scheduled four days ahead of a demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) in the city which will be opposed under the Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF) banner.

Opponents to Marine Le Pen’s visit will hold a protest next Tuesday

Richard Rose, co-ordinator of CUAF, said if Mme Le Pen’s visit went unchallenged it could give the EDL “the boost they need”.  He said:

I think the only thing that’s going to make the EDL demo a success is if they see their views being espoused at a respected university like Cambridge by somebody who is successful in their own country at promoting their policy.

Hundreds of people have pledged on Facebook to turn out for the demonstration against the EDL on Saturday, February 23.

Sikhs Against the EDL is the latest group to have committed to join the counter-protest.  Spokesman Balwinder Singh Rana said:

We must keep up the pressure and keep showing solidarity with anti-racists and Muslim brothers and sisters.

In the current economic climate . . . some will always try to blame minorities for all the problems.

They would also try to divide our communities to turn us against each other. But now is the time for all minorities and white anti-racists to unite together and show them they would not win.

Kevin Carroll, co-founder and joint leader of the EDL, said the organisation’s initials also stood for equality, democracy and liberty and he questioned what was fascist about defending democracy, freedom of speech and rights for women and homosexuals.

The ‘no platform for Marie Le Pen’ event has been called by Unite Against Fascism and is supported by CUAF, Cambridge University Student UAF and the National Union of Students’ Black Students’ Campaign.

--------------------------------------------------------

 

Whilst many are wondering who in Cambridge thought it such a good idea to invite the nasty racist Marine Le Pen to speak, We Are Norwich (WAN) is already gathering a group together to protest at such a naive publicity stunt.

 

Representatives from WAN will be protesting on Tuesday 19th despite the short notice.   

 

The peaceful counter demonstration against the EDL march on Saturday 23rd has been arranged for some time and promises to be well attended, but more support is always welcome. 

 

If you would like to ask about joining either or both protests, email norwichuaf@gmail.com who will have advice on issues such as transportation and rallying points.

Click here for the Facebook link.  More information on the planned counter demonstration is here.



 

Tribute to the life of Sid Frisby

From Searchlight:

Searchlight magazine and

Trade Union Friends of Searchlight

wish to pay tribute to the life of

Sid Frisby (22/03/1946 – 21/01/2013)

Lifelong anti-fascist, trade unionist, photographer for the Movement in Wales and later playing a key role in Norwich and the Eastern region and a reader and supporter of Searchlight.

We were honoured to have him as a friend and comrade and valued our last meeting with him at TUC 2012.

Our thoughts are with Geraldine and his family and friends.

Sid’s work will stand as a great testament to his life and his great warmth and humanity will remain with us when remembering him.

EDL 'planning another march in Cambridge'

From Cambridge News by Raymond Brown: 

The English Defence League (EDL) is planning another march in Cambridge, according to campaigners.

A “massive” counter demonstration has already been planned by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF).

More than 670 officers policed an EDL march in the city in July, 2011.

Richard Rose, of CUAF, said:

Our head office has information that has been confirmed by the EDL that they will march in Cambridge on February 23.

We have organised a counter demo opposing the EDL and what it stands for.

Richard Howitt MEP has released a rallying call to Cambridge residents to join the counter demonstration.  He said:

I urge all the decent people of Cambridge to attend this counter demonstration to show their opposition to racism.

Tom Woodcock, secretary of Cambridge Trades Council, said:

The painful austerity measures that working people are facing are not caused by immigrants or by Muslims but by the government and their friends in big business and the banks.

Cllr Jeremy Benstead, who represents Coleridge on the city council, said:

18 months ago we showed the EDL that they are not welcome here – let’s do it again.

The EDL were unavailable for comment.