The English Defence League Racist?

[Theland1]

The EDL is depicted in the media as being a racist organisation, akin to the BNP, but is there any evidence for this assertion?

[venator]

Apart from the name?

[Theland1]

English? is that racist?

[venator]

English Defence - who are they defending against - fairies?

[Theland1]

Islamic extremism maybe?

[andrew1707]

Surely, if we are going on name alone, that would make the Scottish National Party a fascist party from Scotland.

The EDL may be racist but not just because of their name.

[Theland1]

So are they racist? Any members on here?

[jackthehat]

Yes.....yes, they are.
You only have to have had the misfortune to be in proximity to a group of them to hear just how racist they are.

[LazyGun]

I think the lines between classic racism and xenophobia are blurring. Based purely upon what I have read regarding the EDL, their stated primary goal is built upon islamophobia, which is not a racist agenda. Further reading however suggeststhat many within their ranks are sometime BNP supporters, which does suggest an element of racism,

Again, not based on collected fact but observation and anecdote - but their membership is almost exclusively white yes?What does that tell you about the organisation?

In my view, a bunch of hooligans and thugs, spoiling for confrontation and violence, largely through suppressed feelings of inadequacy. Fearful and scared of anything they cannot understand, their first response is violence.

[Snafu03]

yes they are and so what? seems to work well for others.

[EDDIE51]

Is the Pope a catholic ?

[Theland1]

So do vocal and racist football supporters make the club racist?

[jackthehat]

Ah....that old canard.

Racists are attracted to the EDL because it is full of like-minded people.
Racists also support football teams but will be, statistically speaking, spread across the major and minor teams. It would be incredible to find a football team where 90%, or so, of fans were self-confessed racists.

[jake-the-peg]

Strictly speaking the EDL is an anti moslem organisation

http://en.wikipedia.o...nglish_Defence_League

although they have formed an alliance with the BNP called the British Freedom Party.

However actions speak louder than words and the EDL members themselves have picked up countless convictions for violence and rascism and are never disowned by their party

Indeed a man who firebombed a mosque was refered to as "A good lad who should be given a bloody medal"

http://exposingon.tum...on-supports-convicted

It's not enough to have them proscribed - but it's good enough for me

what about you?

[Theland1]

So people getting peed off with Islamic extremism still don't have a home to go to?

[NOX]

They are racist neo-Nazi morons who can scarecely string more than three words together. I'm amazed anyone needs to even ask if theyre racist with all the negative coverage they get for being exactly that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjuNuqIev8M

[Snafu03]

but is it something to be ashamed of? Its endemic it pretty much every culture - even preached in some. They're just trying to 'stand up and be counted' pretty much the same way as most are.

[jno]

according to Wikipedia, "In November 2011, the EDL formed an alliance with an offshoot of the BNP, known as the British Freedom Party, under which EDL members would be invited to join and stand as candidates in elections"

[NOX]

I think they've already ' got a home to go to' Theland - they all seem to be (somtimes closetted) white supremacist Christian extremists.

[cathfromsaron]

they assume a cloak of respectability we can see though ...

[jake-the-peg]

Theland

Islamic extremists are a very small group

Next time you see reports in one of the tabloids have a creful look - almost invariably it's a dozen or so of the same people - they crop the pictures tightly so that it looks like it could be a big crowd.

The vast majority of British moslems want nothing to do with them.

I've known quite a few moslems and that's been my experience.

Have you ever even spoken to one?