Dear Home Secretary
I must commend you for your recent decision to enforce the request from the Luton Police Chief constable, for a banning order against the English Defence League and other far right groups who were seeking to hold a provocative extreme right public meeting in Luton planned for September.
This is a clear message to all extremist groups whether they be white far right groups, or muslim extremist groups who specifically are looking to cause offence , incite racial hatred and threaten our community cohesion , that they are not free to abuse freedom of speech principles by threatening other peoples freedoms.
I am a [Birmingham resident\community group \ professional status\ local councillor ] who attended an emergency meeting initiated by a cross party panel of councillors and local groups who were very concerned at the prospects of a similiar threat to Public Order and freedom of movement in our City Centre with the EDF's planned 'protest' on 5th September 2009 .
This is directly in the aftermath of their earlier protest in Birmingham City Centre on 8th August 2009 which directly provoked and led to the ugly scenes of inter racial violence and significant damage to persons and local property.
The unanimous concencus in the public meeting on 23rd August 2009 held at Birmingham Council House was that despite the Police having resources to police such a protest, there is no way of determining numbers including the multitude of counter protestors who are planning to assemble via facebook and other networks notifications.
The police representative Chief Inspector Adrian Atherley articulated well concerns not to ban legal protest and explained the difficult position they were in to keep the protestors apart.
We as ordinary citizens who have worked hard to restore and build community relations in a City as diverse as Birmingham are deplored at the EDF's attempts to break these ties of friendship using their veil of protesting against Islamic extremists. These people are simply racists, are predominantly non-Brummies and have a simple agenda to cause provoke trouble from the Asian community in order to get their message that multi cultural Britain does not work.
We applaud your courageous move in Luton and implore you to be consistent in seeing through their demand for legal protest.
We believe, having taken clear legal advice, that the powers available under the Public Order Act in relation to exercising your discretion to use a banning order in circumstances of a clear threat to public order, as well as the policy of government and the police to take measures to prevent incitement to racial hatred and harm to public property, local business and freedom of movement of the general public in our City Centre, that you will act promptly as per your efforts in Luton.
Kind regards
Your Name
