A selection of the local news from Regular Reader:
https://twitter.com/beauchefcharlie/status/517936470490107904
compare:
http://www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/96924/saturday-demo-should-not-impact-on-town-centre.aspx
and of course
http://www.southyorks.police.uk/news-syp/proposed-demonstrations-rotherham-and-sheffield-weekend
Rotherham Politics 
What has been done to bring 100’s if not 1000’s who committed the abuse to trial and also those in authority in the Rotherham council and the South Yorkshire police to trial. Yes the EDL march attracted some unsavoury types who wore masks and carried cans of alcohol with them, but the majority on the march were just normal folk. What I find questionable is that groups like the UAF are allowed to incite and provoke and nothing is done about it. As for Britain first they have a no tolerance to policy to alcohol and ask people to behave in a dignified manner that can be seen on the last march if you watch the video. I get fed up of the apologists who seem to have their head stuck in the sand and support the “common purpose ideology” It appears that this hideous crime is just starting to come to light in Sheffield and isn’t just confined to Rotherham. Remember the expense scandal, well Mp’s are now claiming more than at the height of it and are now trying to hide behind secrecy rules. Our political leaders are despicable and it makes me wonder what else they are hiding.
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The last EDL march saw EDL thugs throwing crash barriers at the police at the top of Main Street, fighting with the NF and other far right groups on Westgate, terrorising Asian neighbourhoods and damaging a mosque in Eastwood. Meanwhile the UAF held a peaceful vigil away from all the violence in All Saints Square. There was no inciting or provocation from the UAF vigil whatsoever and to be honest if you were to see the UAF supporters you would realise that provocation and incitement is not their thing. The average age profile of the majority must be 60.
Britain First may not allow alcohol on their demonstrations but they are no angels and have been known to burst into mosques giving out bibles.dressed in their paramilitary clothing. Imagine if a Muslim group were to burst into Christian churches handing out copies of the Quran. Anyway, I’m pleased that shopkeepers are opening up tomorrow.
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UAF peaceful?
“provocation and incitement is not their thing”
A particularly ignorant statement.
Just one example of their peacefulness. One of very many!
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Robin you are you are looking through rose tinted spectacles. I happened to go to a Tea dance at Sheffield city hall when the EDL appeared in Sheffield, after I came out all I could hear was this horrible noise coming from the Peace gardens, some event sponsored by the UAF.. I watched the video later on Youtube and the UAF were chucking flowers around that the EDL were trying to lay, throwing missiles at them and chanting death threats. Later they started attacking the EDL at various points along West St.
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Anonymous, I was referring to those present at the Rotherham vigil not other UAF gatherings.
Click the link to see what I mean
http://www.demotix.com/news/5749719/unite-against-fascism-holds-vigil-rotherham-counter-edl-rally#media-5749658
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So, UAF held a peaceful demonstration in Rotherham. Britain First held a peacful protest in Rotherham too. It is clear that both sides CAN demonstrate peacefully, but it’s also clear that both groups can behave in a vile manner. Only one groups bad behaviour gets media attention, whilst the other group are painted as saints. Go figure. That’s not an endorsement for either group by the way, just a fact.
Personally, I think groups like Britain First and UAF should be putting aside their differences for a while a concentrate their efforts by protesting outside the Police HQ and the Town Hall together, in peace (as if). After all, both groups CLAIM they want justice for the victims, right? If that really were the case, then they would co-operate with each other, wouldn’t they? But even if they can’t/ wont join forces, both groups – and any other group for that matter – would be better to protest outside the offices of those who knew but did nothing, rather than disrupting the town centre again. Rotherham town centre is dying on it’s arse, demos like this don’t help.
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Robin imagine if a group of Pakistani men raped over 1,400 children in a town and got protected by councillors and ignored by the police! That could make some people angry couldn’t it? Be careful when you generalise about people on the EDL march. I know many people who went on the EDL march…people who used to vote Labour, who also manned picket lines, two were beaten at Orgreave and several who have been lifelong activists for social justice and the left. They went because that was the only public show of disgust, anger and frustration that was available. Where were people like you on the streets? You were on the streets shouting at people like I have mentioned not the rapists. Robin, because of people like you, the left in Rotherham have no credibility. When I think of people like you I get the image of a man running around with his fingers in his ears refusing to face up to or listen to the truth!
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A question to you Robin,who funds the UAF and their activities,and I mean the very top masters ?
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Ah back with one of your older names again, but the sentiments always stay the same.
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Robin
Fair enough. But the Rotherham ‘vigi’l is really not the typical UAF event. They are as dangerous as the far-right. In fact, I would say – even more so.
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Anonymous, I was out 2 weeks before the EDL came to town with other members of the Rotherham Trades Council leafleting in town and getting signatures for our petition. The week after the EDL came I joined the multicultural protest outside the town hall. Oh, and inbetween times I was supporting innocent Council workers who were verbally abused on their way to and from work by the EDL members who were camped outside the police station.
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It should be business as usual to let the demonstrators know that we will not be ruled by outsiders. It is our town so let’s keep it as ‘our town’ . Demonstrations only mean that they get more publicity than they deserve.
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And yet I originally posted this to highly the Star’s OTT treatment of the coming Britain First visit.
There was already a place where people were discussing the virtues of Britain First here:
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…and the anonymouse who posted the yutube video, maybe if it is just ” One of very many” then you should be able to find one from a more reliable source than Russia Today’s offshoot RuptlyTV, particularly given that Lizzie Phelan is running the newsroom there. Ruptly can be good – on Catalonia right now for instance, but they are never “balanced”.
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Reliable source? Such as what? BBC? Sky?
No corporate media is ‘reliable’ or balanced. No UK corporate media will show such scenes of violence. Either from UAF peadophile apologists or EDL knucledraggers.
The video shows what it shows as do many others. None of them, of course, from what you would believe to be a reliable source.
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RR, other than the Star getting it wrong by saying there would be an increased Police presence (contradicting what the Advertiser and the Police themselves are saying), I wouldn’t describe the piece as being OTT, just innaccurate. What was it you find so objectionable?
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1. The inaccurate Headline
2 The inaccurate sub-Head.
3. The inclusion of a photograph of an EDL march, when the piece says that “The group [meaning Britain First] is planning a second visit within a month Did they not have a photograph of that? Particularly when SY Police had said “This demonstration is on a much smaller scale to other demonstrations in recent weeks, including the EDL march in mid-September.”
4. The only partial reproduction of what CS Harwin said in the SY Police press release.
In particular the leaving out of the one line that didn’t stand-up what the Star wrote.
“There will be significantly fewer demonstrators and police officers working and there will be no barriers or fixed road closures.”
Many people get to that page via a link from the main page – particularly those who look at the site on the web – where the link echoes the article Heading; they see the picture and move on. Some stay and read the piece, others just drop to the end and write a comment.
Few check the facts. I do,
If taken to the new press regulator, I’d be surprised if they came out blameless.
While you may feel that “inaccuracies” are acceptable … and they certainly are in a “breaking” story*; they are not in a story whose only source is a SY Police Press Release that says something rather different.
rr
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Every week we have to put up with far right groups taking over our town,many people who dont live in Rotherham just come to cause chaos and decent folks of Rotherham then decide not to go in to town and spend money which is hiting Rotherham economy and shops in town centre,
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If the reason for them to be here was removed …..maybe they would not be here ….. Just saying .
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There was no reason whatsoever for anything they have done in the past. They just want publicity.
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And I wonder why that is !!
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So anyone, in particular, from an Asian Muslim background, who usually does their weekly shopping in the town centre, on Saturday afternoon, can tomorrow, without any fear of verbal abuse, threats or actual violence towards them?
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… and now:
Rotherham protest: Traders call for demonstration ban – BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-29473497
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Hmmm. Personally I don’t have any time for Britain First, some of the crap they spout on facebook is amazing, but the problem is that some people really do believe the bullsh*t they come out with. Certainly I can see why the traders are so upset, the ordinary folk of Rotherham are sick of it too. But the right to peaceful protest is one of the lynch pins of our society. Banning peaceful protest is the action of a dictatorship, not that of a democracy. Lets see how this “peaceful” protest pans out, shall we?
And for what it’s worth, I agree with 1st time user on this one: If the (supposed) reason for them to be here was removed (by which I mean certain Councillors, unelected officials, incompetent Police officers and of course not forgetting the grooming gangs themselves) then maybe they wouldn’t keep coming back.
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To true,whist people are condemming certain groups this is taking the lime light of the real issue,the packistani peodophiles,and the goverment for cover it up
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Regular Reader
When you say “There was no reason whatsoever for anything they have done in the past.”
I think there are reasons they do what they do. Multiculturalism and Islamification are very real and work to the detriment of the indigenous population. If left unimpeded, where do you think they will end?
Far-right methods are unpleasant, but who else is doing anything?
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Hi, I’m not sure I can answer you question without you telling me precisely what you mean by “Muliticulturalism”, “Islamification” and probably even “indigenous population”. None of those words are part of my vocabulary, but I recognise that they are often used by some people here on this forum and elsewhere. It may help if I explain that I only came to live in the area 12 years ago after I had retired, and only then discovered the democratic deficit that we had here, long before I found this forum. The corruption/unacceptable behaviour I see in the council, police etc really troubles me, and I recognise that the activities of some people with origin in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir are deeply involved in this, but this reflects more on their background in Mirpur and Pakistan rather than their religion. The Muslims I know from Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, or Algeria – all countries I know well would condemn such behaviour just as you are I do, recognise such behaviour as acceptable – any more than you or I do.
We are all who contribute to this blog trying our best to make change, using what skills we have.
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(and now I just missed 3/4 of tonight’s Radio 4 Any Questions – and the bit I heard at the beginning was far better than most are, now I’ll have to wait til it’s on catch-up.
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Now I’m waiting for Rothpol to put this story up as a topic header – I sent it to him a while back.
One version: http://www.southyorkshiretimes.co.uk/news/local/breaking-full-candidate-list-for-south-yorkshire-police-and-commissioner-by-election-revealed-1-6877084
Crazy of the Tories and English Democrats to split the UKIP vote – UKIP are on a roll here. Labour now have a good chance of getting back in again – but at least with a far far better candidate than last time, but…
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Well said,its wrong to tarnish all muslims for the actions of certain groups
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R.Wilde, you would like to think so but sadly I doubt they would stop then. The EDL doesn’t exist to oppose CSE. It exists to oppose Islam. They hold demonstrations all over the country, not just places where there are known grooming gangs. Take for instance the demo they had in Sheffield last year in protest at a pub being turned into a mosque (only it wasn’t it was to be converted into a fast food outlet but they had their demo anyway). SYP have made the EDL welcome each time they have come to Rotherham, to the extent of providing them with portable toilets. So, why wouldn’t they return time and again?
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Robin I’m under no illusions about them, racial hatred has always existed in one form or another – EDL, National Front, Moselys Blackshirts – I get that. The point is that the Police and council are responsible for their repeated appearances in town due to lack of action, both in the courts and disciplinary. By the way, it’s Britain First this week, not the EDL.
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Same thing. You can bet there will be some EDL there as well.
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@ Time for a change:
“who funds the UAF and their activities,and I mean the very top masters?”
Google is your friend .:-)
http://www.uafwatch.co.uk/who-funds-unite-against-fascism/
HTH.
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Thankyou for that colin,but its to easy to google it ! that doe’s not mean that it is true !
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I was trying to help you.
Whether you believe it or not is your own decision.
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Time for a change ; UAF is a Labour Party/Trades Union organisation. It’s board includes representation from Unite, NUT, CWU and NASUWT. One of its Honorary Presidents is Ken Livingstone and it’s parliamentary officer is Peter Hain MP. When some of its member’s behaviour gets out of hand don’t expect Ed Miliband to condemn it- I can’t think why?
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I did check it out coilin,and just as I thought goverments and unions !
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@rr
I have no idea who funds UAFWATCH. I did a search and it came up. I also do not know anything about the ‘people behind it’…
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As you posted your comment 8 hours after Rob Sanderson posted his why did you think it was necessary to answer me?
Just asking.
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Hi Colin,
any idea who funds UAFWATCH ? I’ve never dug deep on them, but I’d be interested to know what you know about the people behind it/funding it. Particularly since you link to it as a reference site. Just asking.
rr
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Some Zionists not happy with UAF members being critical of Israeli government policies towards the Palestinians.
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To stop this continued right wing attack on Rotherham, lock up each and every child abuser, this includes the WASP and gangs of Pakistani heritage, put out of business any taxi company that allowed their cars to transport children to meet their rapists, close fast food outlets involved in the grooming process, close down any back street hotel involved in providing rooms for the abusers, sack every police officer that took the easy way out, sack every RMBC officer who did nothing and suspended every current Labour politician from the council.
Then whoever is left standing, go and apologise to those children and their families abused on your watch because you know what, you and the Labour party really did not care.
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I and most people I think will agree with the central thrust of your post but if you want to see all the points you raised carried out we (General Public) will be living in a country ruled and controlled by a virtual dictator and/or an extreme right wing party which also means individual civil liberties and our judicial system will be curtailed or banned.
We can discuss and debate the impact of CSE and the failure of SYP forever but it remains an absolute that senior politicians and MP’s decide who does what to whom in these instances.
There is a lot of talk about Rights but very little emphasis on Responsibilities which IMO is the reverse of what is needed. If you have Rights then you also have Responsibilities, they cannot be separated.
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Meanwhile, Ed Milliband has this to say! He’ not happy with that Thacker thingy!
RP
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Colin – that is a good, and thoughtful response. There can never be rights without responsibilities.
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Conflating the CSE in this town with the activities of the far right is wrong. The latter have never needed an excuse to invade and infest towns and cities. Hating CSE and wanting corrective action is no reason to excuse or justify these hate-filled thugs and lowlifes having the temerity to feel they have ‘the right’ to bus in to crawl round our town centre.
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The properties used to carry out the child abuse, who was the Landlord?
Did any of the properties belong to Labour party members?
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Apologies.
My second comment is in response to ‘Time for a change’
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Just being courteous colin
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