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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, a 15-year old girl from Ottawa has been arrested and charged in connection with an attack on a Muslim woman at a restaurant in Oshawa back in July, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, the Southport killer possessed a “large amount of anti-Islamist material”, including cartoons Muslims would find “highly offensive”, an inquiry into the killings has heard, and recent reporting by The Times found that anti-immigration protests are being stirred up by social media users sharing outrageously bigoted AI images depicting hoards of Arab immigrants taking over the streets of London. Our recommended read of the day is by Bradford West MP Naz Shah for Telegraph & Argus, who writes that the “Unite the Kingdom” march, organized by far-right personality Tommy Robinson, was a means of “twisting genuine concerns into fuel for hate, extremism, and division directed at Muslims and other minorities across our country”. This and more below:
United Kingdom
Bradford MP gives her views on 'Unite the Kingdom' rally | Recommended Read
A few weekends ago, we witnessed one of the largest far-right protests this country has seen in decades. Marketed as a so-called “festival of free speech” and a “Unite the Kingdom” march, in reality it was anything but, especially for the very communities it sought to divide. It was led by convicted criminal Tommy Robinson, a man convicted of assault, fraud, and contempt of court, alongside figures such as Katie Hopkins and other far-right leaders flown in from across Europe and the US. Their presence alone made the true nature of this event unmistakable. And yet, more than 110,000 people attended. That does not mean every attendee is a racist or a hardened far-right activist. But what is deeply concerning is how many ordinary people, driven by grievances, could be swayed into marching behind the banner of Tommy Robinson and his allies. The real violence came from the stage. Speaker after speaker used their platform to openly radicalise, to incite, to call for the erasure of Muslims from public life. The world’s richest Billionaire, Elon Musk declared, “Violence is coming. You either fight back or you die.” Another, an American far-right candidate ranted, “It's either now or never. Because if these rapist Muslims take over, they will not only rape your women, they will behead your sons..." as the cameras panned over cheering crowds and even children. A Belgian politician bellowed that “Islam is our real enemy” and “does not belong in Europe.”This type of hatred and open incitement would not be justified against any community, but sadly the normalisation of anti-muslim hate, means this can happen with little condemnation. read the complete article
Muslim man spared jail after attack during Koran burning
Hamit Coskun, 51, shouted "f*** Islam", "Islam is religion of terrorism" and "Koran is burning", as he held a flaming Islamic text aloft during a protest in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, west London, on February 13. Moussa Kadri then came out of a residential building and told Mr Coskun "I’m going to kill you", before returning and slashing at him with a knife, later telling police he was protecting his religion, prosecutors said. Judge Adam Hiddleston handed Kadri a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. He is also required to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation. The judge said that the way Kadri lost his temper was "disgraceful". read the complete article
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana had anti-Islamic material, inquiry into stabbings told
The Southport killer possessed large amounts of anti-Islamist material, including cartoons Muslims would find "highly offensive", the inquiry into the killings has heard. The family of the killer believed his fascination with violence came from "an interest in studying history," the hearing was told. An examination of two tablet devices used by Rudakubana - referred to as AR at the hearing - was outlined to the inquiry and included pdf documents "suggestive of violence, an interest in religion and conflict", Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry said. Some were in the form of academic textbooks but even those appeared to deal with war and conflict, while others were "more extreme" and related to "overt violence", Mr Moss added. However, the case was never taken over by counter-terrorism police because Rudakubana had a "fascination with violence and inappropriate material" but was "not somebody who was motivated by any particular religion, racial hatred, or matters of that kind," Mr Moss said. The documents included an interest in the fight against ISIS in Mosul, the Russian republic of Chechnya, Nazi Germany, the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879, punishments dealt to slave rebels and a book on Japanese ninja, as well as the Rwandan genocide, where Rudakubana's parents were born. read the complete article
International
AI and the far-right riots in the UK
The rise of generative AI software from an obscure novelty to a tool used by millions has had a profound impact on the internet, drowning web search results in garbled slop, unleashing a flood of disturbing AI porn, and upending digital media as a reliable news source. One of the nastiest yet: using AI to fuel racist conspiracy theories, putting minorities and immigrants in danger. Recent reporting by The Times found that anti-immigration protests are being stirred up by social media users sharing outrageously bigoted AI images depicting hoards of Arab immigrants taking over the streets of London. While extreme rhetoric by high-profile agitators is often responsible for setting off reactionary demonstrations, The Times found that participants are first being whipped into a frenzy by social media algorithms that promote racism and misinformation. In the United Kingdom, where Islamophobia is rampant, such posts typically feature a fragile Caucasian victim, like a child or a young girl, flanked by a menacing mob of minorities. Generally clad in a national flag like the Union Jack, the victim of these fake scenarios is almost always sobbing as vicious racial stereotypes jeer. The content comes alongside an uptick in anti-immigrant and Islamophobic hate crimes in the UK, as racism becomes normalized across the country. read the complete article
Canada
Another teen charged after Oshawa swarming incident: Durham police
Another person has been arrested and charged in connection with an attack on a woman at a restaurant in Oshawa back in July, police say. In a news release Tuesday, Durham Regional Police said a 15-year-old girl from Oshawa was arrested over the weekend and charged with assault causing bodily harm. The teen was released pending a bail hearing, police say. Officers were first called to a pizza chain in the area of Wentworth Street W. and Park Road S., where a group of young people were allegedly causing a disturbance on July 2 at approximately 12:30 a.m. Police allege that while the two were struggling, several other people jumped behind the counter, swarming and assaulting the victim. The worker had her hijab ripped off and was repeatedly kicked in the attack, investigators say. Advocates and family members of the victim spoke out in July saying the incident may have been hate-motivated. The National Council of Canadian Muslims publicly released security video of the attack and, in an accompanying statement, said it was "utterly appalled and disgusted" by the assault. According to the group, the victim was the owner of the establishment. read the complete article