Last summer, Pamela Geller was outraged when she discovered some of her fellow far-right haters in the English Defense League are—gasp!—anti-Semitic: Blog Wars: Pamela Geller vs. Gates of Vienna and the EDL?
The EDL has tried to court Jewish groups with little success. Now they face concerted opposition from Jewish and Muslim communities.
(cross post from Islamophobia Watch)
Muslims and Jews unite to oppose EDL
The Home Office has written to an umbrella group representing a range of Jewish communal and religious groups in response to statements distancing themselves from the methods and aims of the English Defence League.
Earlier this year the leaders of the United Synagogue, Reform, Liberal and Masorti communities, as well as the Board of Deputies and the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ congregation, highlighted their opposition to the EDL’s tactics and called on the far right organisation to refrain from using Jewish and Israeli symbols in its campaigns.
Under the umbrella of the Council of Imams and Rabbis of the Joseph Interfaith Foundation, they rejected in particular the EDL’s “efforts to incite hatred and antagonism in our society”, its attempts to “foment violence” and “drive a wedge between the Jewish community and our Muslim neighbours”.
They attempted to draw a line under the EDL’s efforts to attract Jewish membership, which reached a peak with a rally “to oppose Islamic fascism” outside the Israeli embassy last year where EDL members waved Israeli flags. The EDL has a “Jewish Division”, but it has been beset by infighting and is understood to have only a handful of Jewish members.
James Brokenshire, the Home Office Minister responsible for policy regarding the EDL, has now sent a letter of response to Mehri Niknam, director of the Council of Imams and Rabbis.
“We welcome your positive action to counter the divisive influence and minimise the impact of EDL activity,” he said. “As a government our position is clear, we will not tolerate groups like the EDL who spread hate, seek to divide us and deliberately raise community fears and tensions.”
He said the government would continue to condemn the EDL’s views and actions when necessary and work with police and local agencies. Mr Brokenshire added that the government trusted local agencies to “put in place suitable local measures to counter the influence and minimise the impact of EDL activity. We stand ready to provide advice and support where it is requested.”
December 16th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Here is the response I got back from Kayak I am not sure if they wanted me to share it but I will anyways to let everyone know where they stand on the issue
================================
Your KAYAK feedback from 16 hrs ago
Hide Details
FROM:
Robert from KAYAK
TO:
***************@yahoo.com
Message flagged
Friday, December 16, 2011 7:35 AM
Thank you for your note.
Please allow me to be more specific with regards to TLC. They chose a venue that was certain to inflame the hatred on the other side of this. That was not something I knew, but they did. I’ve read up on Dearborn, and I can’t see anything supporting the veracity of any of the claims.
That said, it’s clearly a hot button for those who are intolerant and hateful regarding this topic. That is the lightning rod I referred to, certainly not the Islamic faith. TLC has pursued controversy for controversy sake for some time since the success of Sarah Palin. We should have been better informed, and their descriptions were misleading.
I have also received many comments regarding the sophomoric statement I made regarding my opinion of the program. It is irrelevant to the facts and as many of you have pointed out unnecessary and juvenile. I agree.
Lastly, we did not pull the advertising. We chose not to give them more money in January, and we’ll do that to anyone who does business with us that way.
Best regards, Robert
Robert Birge
KAYAK CMO
December 16th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Well when goverment officals say stuff like this are we really surprised at the growth of the EDL
David Cameron says the UK is a Christian country
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16224394
David Cameron has said the UK is a Christian country “and we should not be afraid to say so”.
In a speech in Oxford on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the prime minister called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain’s “moral collapse”.
He said “live and let live” had too often become “do what you please”.
The PM said it was wrong to suggest that standing up for Christianity was “somehow doing down other faiths”.
Describing himself as a “committed” but only “vaguely practising” Christian, the PM admitted he was “full of doubts” about big theological issues.
‘Don’t do God’
But he staunchly defended the role of religion in politics and said the Bible in particular was crucial to British values.
“We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so,” he told the audience at Christ Church.
“Let me be clear: I am not in any way saying that to have another faith – or no faith – is somehow wrong.
December 16th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
one should not underestimate the edl after all they got this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx6lupC6WyE&feature=related.
December 16th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Some Jewish extremists still persist in supporting the EDL such as the JDL despite the fact that the EDL has anti-semitic tendencies. It seems to these Jews that it is more important to fight Muslims and Islam than it is to fight anti-semitism. Does that make them self-hating Jews?
December 16th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
the EDL makes the Galactic Empire look like a bunch of cute little bunnies in terms of the level of Evilness
December 16th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Lets understand that the Jews in the West Bank for the most part are NOT SEMETIC people. They actually use thier religion as a way to get out of the hellholes they, and thier ancestors were born in, and will fight to stay where they live.
So…it doesnt surprise me that the same kind of anti Semetic Nazi type behavior that has plagued Russian society is also noted in the illegal West Bank towns, and with the EDL.
Let us not be fooled here. This isnt about a ‘Jewish State’, it is about Europeans using thier religion to leave the homes of thier ancestors because they could not make it within the society.
Lets understand that, for all intent and purpose, those who physically occupy, support, condone, or otherwise participate in the occupation of Israel are EUROPEANS, who are ANTI SEMETIC…since the Palistinians are Semetic people.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
I have no problem if any Jews or Christians hate Muslims as long as that hate does not lead anyone to transgression.
December 17th, 2011 at 4:55 am
Good for those uniting against hate
December 17th, 2011 at 10:50 am
The EDL? This made me LOL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sFZAt5dHPQ
December 18th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Thankfully the mainstream British Jewish leadership is on the side of the angels, but for how long?
The Israel question is leading to existentialist exremist rhetoric seeing Likud as being quite left wing!
December 19th, 2011 at 5:17 am
The Jews who are support the EDL are american, very few Brits do.
European Jews are not a problem, it’s American neo conservatives, who are actually a minority compared to the liberal Jewish establishment. It’s ironic, we have a friend in the leberal Jews, but an enemy in the neo conservatives (republican Jews).