In a raid reminiscent of the grotesque overkill on the raid of the private home of Dutch cartoonist, Gregorious Necschot, where police stated at him emphatically, ‘this is the end of your anonymity’ in effect, sentencing him before any kind of trial can take place, British police have raided the home of the leadership of the EDL with machine guns and other symbols of a repressive state given the actual threat involved.
Here is one report from Liberties Alliance:
By Aeneas • on February 20, 2010
Today, members of the English Defence League were arrested and denied their civil liberties when attempting to join the Scottish Defence League for a peaceful protest in Edinburgh. The EDL Leadership Team were detained without cause and arrested for “incitement to cause a breach of the peace”. Supporters who arrived at Waverley train station were forced back onto trains heading away from Edinburgh by the Police. Those travelling by road were stopped; some had their vehicles damaged by aggressive Police officers. In the City itself, the Police threatened anyone who attempted to protest with immediate arrest. Meanwhile, far-left so-called ‘anti-fascism’ protesters were allowed to wander the streets without any Police opposition. These same protesters made numerous attempts to attack EDL and SDL supporters, while nearby Police officers turned a blind eye. It is clear that today’s Police actions were politically motivated and that the Police Force as a whole can no longer be considered to be politically neutral. They have chosen their side. No further confirmation is needed other than the statement of the Scottish ‘Justice’ Minister, Kenny MacAskill (SNP), when he said that the “fact that the SDL didn’t make it out of Waverley Station is testament to good policing”.
When the Scottish Defence League attempt to reassert their civil right of freedom of association, we, the English Defence League, shall once again support them. Todays actions by the police are nothing short of a travesty for democracy, how can the police take action that flies in the face of the European convention of human rights? How are they allowed to act with impunity to subdue the right to freedom of speech and protest as outlined in the universal declaration of human rights. We have duly noted the following contraventions of this declaration that are as follows….
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
We seek the government and the police to examine article 30 in particular as the actions of today are in serious breach of the universal Declaration Of Human Rights.
We cannot stand idly by and allow the forces of fascism to take over our country. Our ancestors fought for their civil liberties and we shall do the same. When we return it will be in greater numbers. If we are again denied our civil liberties and our basic freedoms, by fascist forces, we will not give up. We will return again and again and again. We will keep returning until our rights are acknowledged and restored. If freedom is denied to us now, it can and will be denied to anyone and everyone else sooner or later. We will never surrender our freedom to fascists, whether they call themselves ‘ministers’ or call themselves ‘police’ or call themselves ‘anti-fascists’! Indeed, Winston Churchill said that the next wave of fascists would call themselves ‘anti-fascists’; today, to Britain’s shame, Churchill was once again proven right.
The EDL and our sister Defence Leagues will be gathering in London, at the Houses of Parliament on Friday the 5th of March (2pm), to show our support for another great man who is fighting against modern-day fascism: the Dutch MP Geert Wilders. All are welcome to join us. Our righteous forces of freedom will always triumph over those who support tyranny.
Long live freedom!
No surrender to fascism!
The EDL Leadership Team
See statement at its original location over at EDL media
Official Statement Regarding The Arrest Of The EDL Leadership Team:
The following is from the EDL media site:
Official Statement Regarding
The Arrest Of The EDL Leadership Team
On Saturday 20th February 2010 Members of the leadership team of the English Defence League were arrested as they traveled to Scotland to support the Scottish Defence League demonstration.
While in custody the team members homes and families homes were raided by police armed with automatic machine guns which terrified the leaderships family which included small children and other older family members. Computer equipment was seized during the 3 hour raid.
Leadership team members were banned from attending any meeting with more than 3 edl members then bailed to return to a police station in Sheffield in the near future.
We are asking every member of the EDL to be available to protest outside the police station when the team has to answer bail. (date to be confirmed).
We need to get the message across that we will not be silenced by being bullied by the authorities and our struggle against muslim extremism will continue.
We have agreed to cancel the Bradford demo as a small concession but will be announcing further protests as a result of the disgraceful treatment of our leadership team.
This is a call to mobilization.
We need every single person who supports the EDL to stand up and be counted and when required we need you to take to the streets in a peaceful and law abiding manner to support our leadership. More details will be released regarding demonstrations in the very near future.
If any EDL Members are arrested by the police please let EDL Media know as soon as possible as we are forming a group action and will be making an official complaint to the authorities in the near future.
Thank you in advance for your support.
A video statement will be released within 24 hours of this notice.
Released on Sunday February 21st @ 13.21
Godspeed EDL.
This unwarranted action against EDL is despicable.
This kind of police over-reaction leads to an increase in tension between otherwise law-abiding civilians and the forces of the State. What does it mean; and if it means anything significant, what will be the reaction by normal citizens excluded from civic participation by an authoritarian and arbitrary State?
I wonder if Harry’s Place will be covering this.
I’ll answer my question: It means that when the State acts arbitrarily against law-abiding citizens, i.e. those who follow the rules as they are laid down by the people’s representatives, the members of the government over the generations, what we think of as the laws of the land, if the people obey the law but the police and politicians don’t, then what will happen is that the people will get fed up with the two levels of law: one for us and one for those who don’t have to obey the laws at all. That sort of thing means there will be no real law at all, everyone saying to Hell with the lies, it’s every man for himself. Then one gets extraparliamentary opposition, and that can mean terrorist organisation such as one sees in police-states. If the Law is criminal, then the people have every right to overthrow it and instill a people’s government again. At this point we can still vote the bastards out. No cause as yet for fighting with the government.
Let me get this straight…. the British police show how weak they are by allowing themselves to be pushed out of neighborhoods by menacing Muslims yet they have no problem going after the EDL to try and silence them? I just read an article about how Afghans (and others) are swarming there because they’ve heard about the great benefits, etc. Good grief, I really hope they get it together because I’m sincerely losing hope for the UK.
Next the pigs will raid Sandhurst because arselifters plan to build a moske nearby.
is this the opening round of civil war. I really hope so. Then we can get our country back, and start hanging the bastards that brought us to this
T. Hay wants to get the country back. I’m sympathetic. But.
There is no “getting it back” no matter hat we discuss, no getting back the old girlfriend, the kids, the house, the car, the job, or anything ever. There is no “getting back” in a world of continuous change. Everything is gone unless it is continuously remade. We can’t get anything back. We have to make again some new idea of a world we like living in and nations we love. It comes down to politics, art, religion, and culture: we make it in our daily lives or we get made by others. All that we had is gone, and there’s no going back. It’s all forward from here on.
It’s not enough to be an angry guy who wants his nation back. Good as it would be to hang the bastards, and I’m with us on that, believe me, it’s not going to make our nation what we want it to be. Making the nation is work, and it means not just work: it means having a clear understanding of what the work needed is; what the goal is; what the means are; and mostly, why we care to do this than to let others do something else. I mean, and here many will leave in disgust, that we need intellectuals formulating a plan and a vision of the future. Without that, we’ll have angry gangs of random men and women following anyone who pops up with a slogan and a banner in the wind.
A civil war based on anger isn’t going to work for us. anger without a vision of our goal and our desired future is bull. And worse is a plan that is not for freedom but for control. Planners, visionaries, those who have a grand idea of what the nation should be in the future, those are people we must fear more than an others.
Intellectuals who do not envision freedom for individuals as the basis for the new nation of tradition are a menace, some of the first I’d be happy to hang from lamp-posts. Intellectuals who value individual freedom and who have some grasp of how to organise it into a coherent narrative for the mass of men and women who live and desire to continue to live lives of personal freedom are those intellectuals who, in my opinion, are worthy of our time to read and listen to.
T Hay, only if you fight back.