The English Nationalist Alliance protest on Saturday
Far-right groups confront each other in Dagenham
John Phillips , Senior Reporter
Monday, March 21, 2011
1:59 PM
Far-right activists turned against one another as they protested against a mosque in Dagenham on Saturday.
Protesters believed to back the English Defence League (EDL) confronted the English Nationalist Alliance (ENA), which staged its latest protest against the Muslim place and worship and community centre in Green Lane.
Both groups say they want to fund a judicial review in the High Court to try to overturn a council decision which gave the centre the go-ahead despite more than 1,300 objections in January.
Protesters were segregated on either side of Green Lane as police supervised the demonstrations.
The ENA said it had cancelled a meeting about the judicial review, due to take place tonight, because of Saturday’s confrontation.
An EDL spokesman said the counter demonstration was not organised centrally, adding the organisation did not oppose the ENA but merely did not want to be associated with its members.
Most Read News
Search for man who robbed and assaulted woman at knifepoint in Dagenham
Police are looking for a man who robbed and assaulted a woman at knife point in Dagenham.
More news
- Stephen Lawrence’s father hosts party in Barking to thank Jon Snow and other supporters of his son’s case
- Free book documents colourful Barking and Dagenham community arts project
- Dagenham kitchen sink filled with sewage
- £100m waste plant near Ford Dagenham put back by three years
- Woman bailed after drugs bust in Chadwell Heath
- Barking charity founder named community champion by train company
- Barking and Dagenham College students whip up treats for Pancake Day
- Andrew Lansley urges clear ‘vision’ for King George Hospital before A&E closes
- Overground closures between Barking and South Tottenham
- Dagenham dancer and crew, Methods of Movement, through to finals of Got to Dance
3 comments
The only way to resolve this is for the local authority to investigate the characters who are making this application, which is all the Dagenham residents are asking. The planning meeting was not allowed to review any of the evidence submitted to them concerning these issues only the logistics of the application only regarding local issues such as parking, impact on business etc. For the local MP Margaret Hodge to state that all members of the local community will gain advantage from this centre is ridiculous as there will be prayer sessions five times a day alone, let alone the fact that the applicants had websites up prior to the application being removed which were extreme in value. This will be a political failure for Margaret Hodge unless she gets some form of investigation under way. Why should the local residents have to fork out thousands of pounds, just because she is ignoring the local electorate and not abiding by their requests for a review? It is not a political issue for the BNP UKIP, or any other political party to take points from, but an issue that is the concern of all local residents if extremists of this nature are allowed to take root in the community. If such an investigation clears them of any wrong doing then so be it, but something is being hidden here and its not right!
Report this comment
DagenhamPatriot
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The only way to resolve this is for the local authority to investigate the characters who are making this application, which is all the Dagenham residents are asking. The planning meeting was not allowed to review any of the evidence submitted to them concerning these issues only the logistics of the application only regarding local issues such as parking, impact on business etc. For the local MP Margaret Hodge to state that all members of the local community will gain advantage from this centre is ridiculous as there will be prayer sessions five times a day alone, let alone the fact that the applicants had websites up prior to the application being removed which were extreme in value. This will be a political failure for Margaret Hodge unless she gets some form of investigation under way. Why should the local residents have to fork out thousands of pounds, just because she is ignoring the local electorate and not abiding by their requests for a review? It is not a political issue for the BNP UKIP, or any other political party to take points from, but an issue that is the concern of all local residents if extremists of this nature are allowed to take root in the community. If such an investigation clears them of any wrong doing then so be it, but something is being hidden here and its not right!
Report this comment
DagenhamPatriot
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
I have been following the recent reporting and discussions regarding the proposed mosquecommunity centre in Green Lane and have been genuinely shocked by the inconsistencies in reported comments from the local authority, the applicants and local businesses. The applicants and the local authority insist the facility will be used by local residents so that there will be no influx of outsiders and associated congestionparking problems, while local shops are quoted as saying they will welocme the extra business from the centre's users. If those users are to be local residents, would they not be using these shops already? Despite denying any influx of non-local people the local authority agreed to consult local residents regarding a Controlled Parking Zone. The area covered by this consultation extends beyond Becontree Avenue and towards Wood Lane! If there is to be no influx of non-locals to use this centre why is the local authority consulting on a CPZ which would extend over half a mile around it? Or is this just an excuse to introduce a CPZ to raise more revenue, disguised as a response to local residents' concerns?
Report this comment
Brian Phillips
Monday, March 21, 2011