British Muslim hate preacher Anjem Choudary has compared British troops to Nazis after 210,000 people signed a Facebook petition to halt a controversial march through Wootton Bassett.
The town in Wiltshire has, since 2007, seen the bodies of fallen British soldiers pass through it in hearses as they travel from nearby RAF Lyneham to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire. Thousands of people from all over the country line the streets of the town to pay their respects.
Now Choudary, who was born in Welling, east London, said 500 of his radical group Islam4UK would carry 'symbolic coffins' through Wootton Bassett in memory of the Muslim civilians 'murdered by merciless' coalition forces. He also compared British troops to Nazi stormtroopers, despite almost 383,000 British troops being killed as they fought Naziism.
There have been calls for the town to be honoured by the Queen and be renamed Royal Wootton Bassett in recognition of its tribute to British soldiers.
Choudary compares British troops to Nazi stormtroopers as 210,000 sign Facebook bid to stop his Islamic extremist march
By Ian Drury and Andy Dolan
04th January 2010
Daily Mail
As more than 210,000 people signed an internet petition objecting to the march, Anjem Choudary said he had chosen to protest in the town - renowned for honouring soldiers killed in Afghanistan - because it would attract 'maximum attention'.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today such a march would be 'completely inappropriate'.
But in remarks designed to cause maximum offence, Choudary compared fallen British heroes to Nazi stormtroopers and the September 11 and July 7 terrorists.
He even claimed his plan was backed by families of servicemen and women.
Protest preacher: Anjem Choudary of Islam4UK outside the Palaces of Westminster in central London today
Admitting a march through the town would be 'provocative', he launched into a bizarre explanation of why he opposed crowds honouring fallen British soldiers.
'The same could be said about the Germans fighting for Nazism in the Second World War,' he said. 'Those involved in 7/7 and 9/11 considered themselves to be soldiers.
'How would the British people feel if there was a parade for those who carried out 9/11 or 7/7?'
Choudary said 500 of his radical group Islam4UK would carry 'symbolic coffins' in memory of the Muslim civilians 'murdered by merciless' coalition forces.
The firebrand cleric this morning tried to defend the march in an open letter published on his website, entitled 'To the families of British soldiers who have fallen'.
Choudary, a former lawyer, said today: 'The procession is not actually about the people of Wootton Bassett and it never was about them.
'We are having a procession, it's in Wootton Bassett but it's not about the people there and it's not against them personally - rather it's to highlight the real cost of war in Afghanistan.
'The sad reality of the situation is that if I were to hold it somewhere else it would not have the media attention that it has now.
'If I am to balance between the sensitivity of having it in Wootton Bassett and the possibility of continuing the quagmire and cycle of death in Afghanistan, then quite honestly I'm going to balance in favour of the latter.
Enlarge
The Facebook petition which has been signed by almost 200,000 people
'In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be engaging with the local community and the public at large by way of press releases and letters to explain why we're having this march.'
But MPs, military chiefs, moderate Muslims and councillors expressed horror that 42-year-old Choudary was 'hijacking' the town for political purposes.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'We do not yet know what his plans are.
The only thing he seems to have said is that it is an idea he is considering. He would need to have the appropriate contact with the right people in Wootton Bassett to secure approval.
'The Prime Minister's view would be obviously that anything that is considered to be offensive to, or of concern to, families of troops wounded or killed in Afghanistan would be completely inappropriate.'
In less than 48 hours, more than 211,000 people joined a Facebook campaign opposing the march by Islam4UK, which calls itself a 'platform' for the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun.
Petition organiser Jo Cleary, who works with service families, urged supporters to express their 'alarm and distress' to Wiltshire Police in a bid to stop the plan.
She said: 'This group can march anywhere it wishes in the country but has chosen Wootton Bassett to cause outrage and offence. We need our politicians to make a statement saying that this march will never take place.'
Peter Fullarton, whose son James, 24, was killed by a Taliban bomb only weeks after proposing to his fiancee last year, said the Government must ban the march or risk an 'uproar'.
Dignified: Wootton Bassett has a tradition of parading the coffins of local soldiers who died in combat
He said: 'Not only will it be an incredible insult to our war dead and to the fantastic town of Wootton Bassett, but there could be a riot, white extremists could use it as justification for attacks, people could end up being killed. We lost 108 soldiers in Afghanistan last year. For them, if for nobody else, these sickening plans must be stopped.'
Steve Minter, whose son-in-law Serjeant Paul McAleese was also killed by a bomb, said: 'I am all for free speech, but this is an abuse of our tolerant democracy.
'Too many of these extremists have been allowed to make Britain their home because they have won the right to political asylum, then they abuse our decency by putting forward views that would lead to execution in their own country.
'If this march goes ahead - and I hope to God it does not - the police will have an awful job on their hands. I for one will be there to protest.'
Hate preacher: Anjem Choudary, centre, and his followers plan to protest through the town of Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
Shahid Murasaleen, from the moderate Muslim group Minhajul-Quran International UK, said: 'Extremists like these always claim to speak for Islam and British Muslims yet they are not qualified to do either. This march will achieve nothing other than to incite hate crime against innocent law-abiding Muslims.'
The market town near Swindon has become a symbol of the public's respect for the troops who make the ultimate sacrifice. Hundreds of mourners line the High Street to pay silent tribute to service personnel repatriated through nearby RAF Lyneham.
Former mayor Chris Wannell said: 'We are a traditional old English market town who honour very much our Queen and country. If this man has any decency about him he will not hold a march through Wootton Bassett.'
Wiltshire Police confirmed that they were aware of the plan, although Choudary had not contacted them. Islam4UK will have to tell police the date, time and route of a proposed procession.
A police spokesman said: 'If a march is believed to be likely to result in serious disorder, disruption or damage, then the police can impose conditions upon the organiser.
In exceptional circumstances, police may apply to the local authority for an order prohibiting such a march.'
dailymail.co.uk
The town in Wiltshire has, since 2007, seen the bodies of fallen British soldiers pass through it in hearses as they travel from nearby RAF Lyneham to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire. Thousands of people from all over the country line the streets of the town to pay their respects.
Now Choudary, who was born in Welling, east London, said 500 of his radical group Islam4UK would carry 'symbolic coffins' through Wootton Bassett in memory of the Muslim civilians 'murdered by merciless' coalition forces. He also compared British troops to Nazi stormtroopers, despite almost 383,000 British troops being killed as they fought Naziism.
There have been calls for the town to be honoured by the Queen and be renamed Royal Wootton Bassett in recognition of its tribute to British soldiers.
Choudary compares British troops to Nazi stormtroopers as 210,000 sign Facebook bid to stop his Islamic extremist march
By Ian Drury and Andy Dolan
04th January 2010
Daily Mail
- Brown says march would be 'completely inappropriate'
- Cleric sends open letter to families of dead UK troops
- Online protest against march passes 200,000 members
As more than 210,000 people signed an internet petition objecting to the march, Anjem Choudary said he had chosen to protest in the town - renowned for honouring soldiers killed in Afghanistan - because it would attract 'maximum attention'.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today such a march would be 'completely inappropriate'.
But in remarks designed to cause maximum offence, Choudary compared fallen British heroes to Nazi stormtroopers and the September 11 and July 7 terrorists.
He even claimed his plan was backed by families of servicemen and women.
Protest preacher: Anjem Choudary of Islam4UK outside the Palaces of Westminster in central London today
Admitting a march through the town would be 'provocative', he launched into a bizarre explanation of why he opposed crowds honouring fallen British soldiers.
'The same could be said about the Germans fighting for Nazism in the Second World War,' he said. 'Those involved in 7/7 and 9/11 considered themselves to be soldiers.
'How would the British people feel if there was a parade for those who carried out 9/11 or 7/7?'
Choudary said 500 of his radical group Islam4UK would carry 'symbolic coffins' in memory of the Muslim civilians 'murdered by merciless' coalition forces.
The firebrand cleric this morning tried to defend the march in an open letter published on his website, entitled 'To the families of British soldiers who have fallen'.
Choudary, a former lawyer, said today: 'The procession is not actually about the people of Wootton Bassett and it never was about them.
'We are having a procession, it's in Wootton Bassett but it's not about the people there and it's not against them personally - rather it's to highlight the real cost of war in Afghanistan.
'The sad reality of the situation is that if I were to hold it somewhere else it would not have the media attention that it has now.
'If I am to balance between the sensitivity of having it in Wootton Bassett and the possibility of continuing the quagmire and cycle of death in Afghanistan, then quite honestly I'm going to balance in favour of the latter.
Enlarge
The Facebook petition which has been signed by almost 200,000 people
'In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be engaging with the local community and the public at large by way of press releases and letters to explain why we're having this march.'
But MPs, military chiefs, moderate Muslims and councillors expressed horror that 42-year-old Choudary was 'hijacking' the town for political purposes.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'We do not yet know what his plans are.
The only thing he seems to have said is that it is an idea he is considering. He would need to have the appropriate contact with the right people in Wootton Bassett to secure approval.
'The Prime Minister's view would be obviously that anything that is considered to be offensive to, or of concern to, families of troops wounded or killed in Afghanistan would be completely inappropriate.'
In less than 48 hours, more than 211,000 people joined a Facebook campaign opposing the march by Islam4UK, which calls itself a 'platform' for the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun.
Petition organiser Jo Cleary, who works with service families, urged supporters to express their 'alarm and distress' to Wiltshire Police in a bid to stop the plan.
She said: 'This group can march anywhere it wishes in the country but has chosen Wootton Bassett to cause outrage and offence. We need our politicians to make a statement saying that this march will never take place.'
Peter Fullarton, whose son James, 24, was killed by a Taliban bomb only weeks after proposing to his fiancee last year, said the Government must ban the march or risk an 'uproar'.
Dignified: Wootton Bassett has a tradition of parading the coffins of local soldiers who died in combat
He said: 'Not only will it be an incredible insult to our war dead and to the fantastic town of Wootton Bassett, but there could be a riot, white extremists could use it as justification for attacks, people could end up being killed. We lost 108 soldiers in Afghanistan last year. For them, if for nobody else, these sickening plans must be stopped.'
Steve Minter, whose son-in-law Serjeant Paul McAleese was also killed by a bomb, said: 'I am all for free speech, but this is an abuse of our tolerant democracy.
'Too many of these extremists have been allowed to make Britain their home because they have won the right to political asylum, then they abuse our decency by putting forward views that would lead to execution in their own country.
'If this march goes ahead - and I hope to God it does not - the police will have an awful job on their hands. I for one will be there to protest.'
Hate preacher: Anjem Choudary, centre, and his followers plan to protest through the town of Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
Shahid Murasaleen, from the moderate Muslim group Minhajul-Quran International UK, said: 'Extremists like these always claim to speak for Islam and British Muslims yet they are not qualified to do either. This march will achieve nothing other than to incite hate crime against innocent law-abiding Muslims.'
The market town near Swindon has become a symbol of the public's respect for the troops who make the ultimate sacrifice. Hundreds of mourners line the High Street to pay silent tribute to service personnel repatriated through nearby RAF Lyneham.
Former mayor Chris Wannell said: 'We are a traditional old English market town who honour very much our Queen and country. If this man has any decency about him he will not hold a march through Wootton Bassett.'
Wiltshire Police confirmed that they were aware of the plan, although Choudary had not contacted them. Islam4UK will have to tell police the date, time and route of a proposed procession.
A police spokesman said: 'If a march is believed to be likely to result in serious disorder, disruption or damage, then the police can impose conditions upon the organiser.
In exceptional circumstances, police may apply to the local authority for an order prohibiting such a march.'
dailymail.co.uk
