Muslims praised for staying away

THE Muslim community has been praised for staying away from the controversial English Defence League (EDL) protest in Manchester city centre.

Father Phil Sumner, from Oldham Inter-Faith Forum, said: “I am so happy that the Muslim community was obviously savvy enough to appreciate that going down into town was going to achieve nothing. That shows that the Muslim community in Manchester and Greater Manchester seems to be determined to build good relationships and not get drawn into confrontation. That is heartening to see.”

He also countered EDL claims that the group was not racist and added: “The slogans that they carried, ‘no more mosques’, and the chants that they made, ‘we want our country back’, are slogans chanted by pretty much everyone in their group and could hardly not be classed as racist.

“Their anger, and the way that anger was expressed, suggests something more akin to football hooliganism than any reasonable debate.

“They may be drawing on a sense among some people, it would be wrong for us to to say they are not. But the vast, vast majority of the Muslim community is utterly opposed to any form of extremism.”

Oldham Race-Equality Partnership set up a community command centre to react quickly if any trouble moved into Oldham when the protesters dispersed.

Father Sumner said that it kept track of what was happening in Manchester through media reports and the social networking website twitter, as well as having people on the ground. Taxi-drivers and firms, pubs and clubs were also contacted.

A police command centre was also set up and Father Sumner added: “I am saddened that the protest had to happen and so much energy had to be put in by the authorities to make sure that not only Manchester, but Oldham, was safe

The EDL emerged in March as a reaction to a group of Muslims protesting against soldiers returning from Afghanistan parading through Luton.

The Evening Chronicle revealed that the leader of its Oldham branch is a former football hooligan who admitted criminal convictions for assault and public disorder

The 25-year-old father-of-two has led football firm the Fine Young Casuals, involved in the Oldham riots, for 10 years and served a two-year order banning him from football grounds

A similar rally in Birmingham earlier this year resulted in 90 arrests.