Letter to the Home Secretary Calling for Ban of Proposed EDL Demonstration in Birmingham

Dear Rt Hon Home Secretary,

I represent the Lozells & East Handsworth Ward of the City of Birmingham; one of the most ethnically diverse electoral wards in the country. Me and my constituents quite clearly remember the scenes of the 2005 Race Riots in Lozells when sections of the community were divided over racial identities.

I write to you with reference to the proposed march of the English Defence League on 29^th October in Birmingham and request that you ban this march.  We have seen in the past how destructive these demonstrations can be as clearly witnessed on the streets of Birmingham City Centre in September 2009 when the EDL were allowed to demonstrate in our city.

The EDL aim to bring a message of hatred to our communities targeting the Muslim community.

The recent disturbances have shown the need for communities to work together, not against each other. During a difficult period for the City when three young Muslim gentleman lost their life’s in the disturbances, it was the strength of our communities standing together that defused the tension and allowed the diverse community of Birmingham to move forward together.

The EDL must not be able to bring their messages of hate and division to places where diversity is a strength not a weakness. There must be no place for hatred in our communities.

Now that EDL’s march in London has been banned by you, you must also ban the march in Birmingham

I oppose anyone who would wish to incite hatred against others because of their religious belief, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. You as the Home Secretary must act, and act now, to ensure that the EDL is not able to bring its tour of hate to the streets of Birmingham on 29^th October.

I fear that organisation’s such as Unite Against Fascism (UAF) that are keen to counter the EDL demonstration by promoting a message of anti-facism, peace and unity at the same time as the EDL demonstration, may mean our vastly reduced Police resources may be stretched. We clearly saw in September 2009 the difficulty West Midlands Police had containing the demonstrators resulting in ugly scenes across Birmingham City Centre. 

I urge you to act quickly to ensure that the EDL are not allowed to spread their hatred again in the City of Birmingham.