Vol. 74/No. 2      January 18, 2010

The ultrarightist outfit Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) was targeting a new mosque being constructed here.

In September, SIOE attempted to hold a similar action in this town just northwest of London that was called off at the last minute in face of a thousand-strong counterprotest. Leading up to both actions, leaders of the mosque and government ministers appealed for calm and urged people not to respond to the rightists by countermobilizations.

Many Asian youth swelled the ranks of the counterprotests once the ultrarightists showed up. With hundreds joining these actions, the mosques provided legal observers and contact information of lawyers in case protesters faced arrest. In a statement the mosque thanked people for their support.

Niki Joshi, student union vice president at Harrow College, told the Militant the rightists are not welcome here. “If they are attacking Muslims, they are attacking us,” she said. Other students came from as far away as Manchester, Bradford, Huddersfield, and Leeds.

Hamed, 17, who was born in the United Kingdom after his parents emigrated from Afghanistan, joined the countermobilization with other friends from high school. “We’re here to protect the mosque,” he said. Another friend, who did not want to give his name, added, “We are peaceful, but if they [SIOE] get physical, we’ll do anything to protect ourselves.”

In a copy of his planned speech, which was released to the media, SIOE leader Stephen Gash said that the mosque “stands there with its unnecessarily high 40m minaret, piercing Harrow’s skyline. This mosque is not a symbol of integration or coexistence with other, non-Muslim, communities. Just the opposite, it is a symbol of triumphalism and the hubris of Islam, and therefore Muslims, over everything and everybody else.”

Having been out mobilized, the ultrarightists were escorted away by some of the 800 cops surrounding the area. The Harrow Observer reported that Gash has since said that the SIOE will not return to Harrow.

A series of demonstrations by different ultraright forces, such as the English Defence League (EDL), have taken place throughout the country in recent months, and have been met with counterdemonstrations. Hundreds of EDL members marched through Nottingham December 5 chanting, “We want our country back,” reported the Guardian newspaper. An EDL spokesman said that the group had timed its protest to coincide with the “homecoming” parade of 500 British soldiers from Afghanistan.

Andrés Mendoza contributed to this article.
 
 
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