News Release
For Immediate release
Thursday 20 January

One Society Many Cultures – which campaigns against Islamophobia and racism – is calling on the government to ban the proposed English Defence League (EDL) demonstration in Luton on Saturday 5 February.

One Society Many Cultures welcomes the Home Office decision to ban Terry Jones from entering Britain. Jones is an American pastor who threatened to make 11 September 2010 “International burn the qur’an day”. He had claimed he was invited to address the EDL demonstration in Luton.

Jones may not be attending, but the EDL demo is going ahead and locals, particularly Muslim communities, are deeply concerned for their safety as the EDL have indicated they intend to march into the heart of the Muslim community. Previous EDL demonstrations have led to violent attacks on Mosques and other places of worship, Asian and other minority communities. At a demonstration in Preston in November 2010 the EDL were caught on camera chanting “burn down a Mosque”.

One Society Many Cultures, alongside many others, is calling for a ban on the EDL demonstration, on the grounds that it contravenes the Public Order Act and incitement to racial and religious hatred legislation.

Luton Council has also called for the EDL demo to be banned.

Sabby Dhalu, Secretary of One Society Many Cultures said:

“We should not underestimate the impact of Terry Jones’s threats to organise the so-called ‘International Burn the Qur’an Day’. Following this there were incidents here in Britain of people, including children on school premises, burning the Qur’an. We therefore welcome the Home Office decision to ban Terry Jones from entering Britain.

“This ban should also extend to the EDL demonstration itself. After over 30 demonstrations there is a mountain of evidence that illustrates the EDL does not want to demonstrate peacefully and is a violent, racist and Islamophobic organisation, that wants to stir up racial and religious hatred including violent attacks and provocations on places of worship. There is no right to do this in a democratic country. Legislation on both public order and incitement to racial and religious hatred outlaw such activity. We call upon the Home Secretary to ban the EDL demonstration in Luton.”