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| Tommy Robinson. Fotot taget av Snaphanen, ur min bok Black Country. |
English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson has quit the controversial anti-Muslim campaign group. The shock announcement from Robinson will rock the organisation he founded to battle militant Islam. Announcing his dramatic departure, Robinson cited far-right extremism as a reason and said he had been mulling his decision for some time. THE two leaders of the English Defence League are to end their involvement with the far right group after accepting it has been taken over by neo-Nazis.
Robinson said: “I have been considering this move for a long time because I recognise that, though street demonstrations have brought us to this point, they are no longer productive. “I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the on-going need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas.”
EFtersom det är omöjligt att komma in på Quilliam Foundations hemsida idag får ni här hela pressmeddelandet om vad som skett:Deputy leader Kevin Carroll has also left the group, it was announced. A spokesman for Anti-extremism group Quilliam called it a “huge success.” EDL Leader Tommy Robinson Quits anti-Muslim League over Far-Right Extremists, Shock as EDL leader Tommy Robinson quits over ‘dangers of far-right extremism’, EDL leader Tommy Robinson QUITS.
Quilliam facilitates Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll leaving the English Defence League, 8 October 2013
Quilliam is proud to announce that Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll, the leaders of the anti-Islamist group, the English Defence League (EDL), have decided to leave the group. Having set up the EDL, infamous for its street protests, in 2009, they wish to exit this group, because they feel they can no longer keep extremist elements at bay.
Tommy Robinson said:
“I have been considering this move for a long time because I recognise that, though street demonstrations have brought us to this point, they are no longer productive. I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the ongoing need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas.”
Quilliam has been working with Tommy to achieve this transition, which represents a huge success for community relations in the United Kingdom. We have previously identified the symbiotic relationship between far-right extremism and Islamism and think that this event can dismantle the underpinnings of one phenomenon while removing the need for the other phenomenon.
We hope to help Tommy invest his energy and commitment in countering extremism of all kinds, supporting the efforts to bring along his former followers and encouraging his critique of Islamism as well as his concern with far-right extremism. We call all of Tommy’s former colleagues in the EDL to follow in his footsteps and also call on Islamist extremist leaders to follow this example and leave their respective groups. Tommy and Kevin believe the voice they have created can be channelled in a positive direction. Quilliam stands ready to facilitate such moves across the spectrum.
Quilliam Chairman and Co-Founder Maajid Nawaz said:
“As well as being a very positive change for the United Kingdom, this is a very proud moment for Quilliam. This represents not a change but a continuation for us, as challenging extremism of all kinds forms the basis of our work. We have been able to show that Britain stands together against extremism regardless of political views and hope to continue supporting Tommy and Kevin in their journey to counter Islamism and neo-Nazi extremism.”
We are hosting a press conference for Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll’s departure from the EDL at an undisclosed location in London today, 8 October 2013 at 6:30pm and will field all questions then. Entrance will be strictly conditional on the presentation of press passes; please contact media@
Tommy Robinson said:
“I have been considering this move for a long time because I recognise that, though street demonstrations have brought us to this point, they are no longer productive. I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the ongoing need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas.”
Quilliam has been working with Tommy to achieve this transition, which represents a huge success for community relations in the United Kingdom. We have previously identified the symbiotic relationship between far-right extremism and Islamism and think that this event can dismantle the underpinnings of one phenomenon while removing the need for the other phenomenon.
We hope to help Tommy invest his energy and commitment in countering extremism of all kinds, supporting the efforts to bring along his former followers and encouraging his critique of Islamism as well as his concern with far-right extremism. We call all of Tommy’s former colleagues in the EDL to follow in his footsteps and also call on Islamist extremist leaders to follow this example and leave their respective groups. Tommy and Kevin believe the voice they have created can be channelled in a positive direction. Quilliam stands ready to facilitate such moves across the spectrum.
Quilliam Chairman and Co-Founder Maajid Nawaz said:
“As well as being a very positive change for the United Kingdom, this is a very proud moment for Quilliam. This represents not a change but a continuation for us, as challenging extremism of all kinds forms the basis of our work. We have been able to show that Britain stands together against extremism regardless of political views and hope to continue supporting Tommy and Kevin in their journey to counter Islamism and neo-Nazi extremism.”
We are hosting a press conference for Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll’s departure from the EDL at an undisclosed location in London today, 8 October 2013 at 6:30pm and will field all questions then. Entrance will be strictly conditional on the presentation of press passes; please contact media@
Här kan du läsa vad jag skrev om EDL i maj 2012. Här ka du läsa min text om Helle Merete Brix och hennes kritik mot EDL.
Uppdatering: Ed West skriver i Spectator om det inträffade:
"If anything they saw themselves as a sort of Christianist organisation, and they only stumbled upon the use of Emperor Constantine’s motto (‘From this sign I will conquer’) after dropping the original idea of a Crusader Emblem. The interview was actually for a feature on the Christian influence on the European counter-jihad movement, for The Catholic Herald, which never ran for various reasons, and after the interview Lennon was off to church to prepare for confirmation as a Catholic. Curiously Joseph Pearce, the former youth leader of the National Front, left the organisation after converting to Catholicism in jail, a story he recounts in his recently published memoir, Race with the Devil. Maybe the whole Catholic guilt thing got to Robinson, too.
