Dogwash

On his Hope Not Hate blog little Nicky Lowles has been burning the midnight oil trying to build up an unstoppable momentum to his interpretation of the "incident" at the EDL march at Dagenham last weekend. I'm not surprised. If he can make this one stick it's PR gold dust. Especially since Searchlight/HnH and Lowles in particular are routinely consulted by the mainstream media as "independent experts on the far-right".

In summary, what happened is that an EDL march took place in Dagenham (Chadwell Heath) on 18 June. For some reason, perhaps as a result of reducing levels of co-operation between the police and the EDL in the planning of marches, early stages of the march happened to remain unpoliced. At this stage, apparently in Vallance Avenue, Chadwell Heath, fisticuffs occurred between the EDL party and three "Asian" youths, some of the latter being badly hurt and in at least one case hospitalized.

The interpretation we are invited to make is that this was an unprovoked attack on three innocent bystanders.

EDL fora, of course, paint a different picture (behind registration wall). Perhaps the most succinctly expressed alternative view comes in the comments to a strange Indymedia post, of disputed origin and authenticity, which claims that the three Brown lads were on an MDL mission. A commenter writes:

Absolute tosh........
18.06.2011 22:10

Ok, for a start Zac [the author of the opening post which claimed MDL involvement] should be ashamed starting such a ridiculous thread. MDL! EDL Crusaders. Deary me, I wonder if he has ever thought of writing headlines for the Sun...

These are the facts. Four Muslims on a mission to prove how tough (or stupid) they are decided to stand on a grass verge as the EDL demo was nearing and gob off. Now I dont suppose they were MDL, just local Muslims on a suicide mission. Anyhow, they were told to fuck off and one of them proceeded to spit at an EDL member with obvious results. Two of them legged it leaving spitter and his mate to take a beating. A number of EDL members quickly jumped in to protect these two idiots and it was over as quickly as it had started. One chap stopped a bus, threw the driver a fiver and one of the muslim miscreants and told him to drive him away. The other one was escorted away and was seen getting medical treatment at the side of the road by the police.

Now before all you bleeding hearts start breaking mine over this unfortunate incident just ask yourselves in all seriousness what did these muppets think was going to happen. And secondly, if the boot was on the other foot (excuse the pun), what mercy muslims would show to any of our boys (or girls for that matter).

Personally I think people should stop sticking labels on anyone with a beard and a big mouth. Not ever Muslim kid is MDL and not everyone holding a St Georges cross flag has an axe to grind with the whole Muslim population...

Richard Puller

What do I think? I wasn't there, was I? But what I can say with confidence is that whatever the facts behind this incident it will reverberate around the Internet for years to come, adduced in discussions as established fact. Why? Because it's too juicy an accusation (or smear if you prefer — you pays your money...) to let go of, irrespective of the facts.

Such is the joy of the meme.

Spitting Muzzies, eh? Remember Bob Bailey? No? I'm not surprised. He was a senior BNP wallah and candidate during last year's elections. On one occasion he was canvassing in Barking on behalf of Griffin's campaign for the parliamentary seat. The meme, which some on the far left will doubtless repeat as incontrovertible truth until their dying day, was that, apropos of nothing and entirely without provocatoin, Bailey abused a group of young "Asian" men passing on the other side of the street, shouting "How many of you are robbers?". When the young men came across to remonstrate, Bailey assaulted one of them, attempting to kick him in the head while he was down.

Remember it now? It'll be circulating on the web until the BNP is just a footnote in history.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your "position", there is reliable video evidence. A BBC news crew, no less, happened to be filming Mr Bailey's progress. An excerpt from their footage is still available on YouTube via this Daily Mail report (scroll down past all the still photos).

As the video begins, Bailey is calling across the street to the as yet unseen three "Asian" youths. He calls out not, "How many of you are robbers?", a pretty bizarre opening challenge and hardly something even the thickest of BNP candidates is going to come out with while being filmed by the BBC. What he is actually shouting is "How many is there of us?". Perhaps the posh middle-class warriors of the Left had trouble understanding Mr Bailey's demotic accent. I didn't, but then I'm a common-as-muck Manc.

Still a pretty unlikely opening gambit, though. It sounds more like a response to an aggressive fighting challenge from the "Asian" lads. (Other BNP sources at the time suggest that this trio had been following Griffin's entourage round heckling them, so the filmed exchange is essentially a continuation of an ongoing confrontation.)

As the footage shows, the "Asian" lads come over; one of them spits in Bailey's face; Bailey reacts, not unnaturally; a rumble ensues. As far as the "kicking in the head" stuff goes, made much of at the time, I have to say that I would draw a distinction between the deliberate and forceful kicking of the head of a victim who is down and staying down, a commonly reported feature of vicious, often fatal street attacks, and the situation seen here, a flailing and inaccurate reactive lashing out at an opponent who is getting up, probably with the intention of resuming his own attack. Well, your mileage may vary.

Good fun, this truth business. Ever served on a jury? I have; it's not as easy at it looks.