The EDL & Exeter: Why You Should Care

Tor Mackarness argues why you shouldn’t see the EDL coming to Exeter in the same way you see your 9am lectures.

EDL the tab the tab exeter

The anti-Islamic and far right extremist group the EDL have planned a march through Exeter, with their main reason for doing so being our University.

Now we all know University politics is pretty dull, but we may well have found something worth uniting together against.

Expect our lovely city to look like this for a day.

Their mission statement claims that, having received donations for both the IAIS and the fabulous Terminal 5 (The Forum) from Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, our University must now be targeted as a home of Islamic conservatism.

They lead on from this point to discuss acts associated with Islamic extremism, whilst also describing Exeter as “the home of a much darker side of Islam.”

Now, this may just be a rogue personal opinion, but, now into my third and final year of studies here, I have yet to experience any sort of religious extremism, whether Islamist or not.

The Forum, a reason for the EDL coming to Exeter.

In a recent turn of events, the leader of the EDL, Tommy Robinson (real name: Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) and his deputy, Kevin Carroll, have resigned, citing extremism and fascism within the EDL that they did not want to be associated with.

At the time of his resignation, Robinson said Islamist ideology should be challenged “not with violence but with better, democratic ideas”.

The man who considered the EDL to be ‘too racist’.

For those of you who wish to stand up against fascism and racism in our community please, sign up here today.

This isn’t some silly on-campus vote no one cares about; for once this matters.

If you believe in free speech, free religion and the right for all groups to live without fear in our society, please support the Exeter together group and add your name below (by clicking on the image).

And in case anyone wants a bit of a laugh, please do check out this absolute gem from one super-intellectual member of the EDL (click on image, again).