Anti-fascists faced brutality from police with dogs and on horseback. There were over 60 arrests – 55 Unite Against Fascism and 9 EDL, according to Sky news – including UAF leader Weyman Bennett "on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder". The police commander made disgraceful allegations about the protesters.

Video on the Bolton News website makes it clear, however, that the violence was not coming from the anti-fascists. It shows an elderly veteran of World War 2 who had joined the protest, and UAF stewards can be heard urging protestors to stay calm in the face of apparent police efforts to provoke a riot.

The Bolton News had a reporter in Victoria Square who described on Twitter how EDL members had broken away from the square to cause violence: "Number of demonstrators intent on causing disorder have broken away from protest site. Large numbers of officers deployed to address." The journalist saw "missiles flying" as the EDL tried to get out of its enclosure.

Anti-fascists clearly outnumbered the EDL, yet the BBC on its website and on TV news cited the police estimates that there were 1,500 anti-fascists and 2,000 EDL.

Expose the BNP, 20 March 2010

See also "Anti-fascist charged after Bolton protests", BBC News, 21 March 2010

I was intending to report this under the heading "Muslim declines interview with Islamophobe shock". However, Bright's article can't be found on the online edition of the JC, which instead carries ... yes, an interview with Osama Saeed.

In what is clearly a swipe at the hypocrisy of attacks on himself as an Islamist, Osama points out that sitting Glasgow Central MP Mohammed Sarwar, father of his Labour opponent Anas Sarwar, is on the management committee of the Finsbury Park Mosque alongside a supporter of Hamas (presumably a reference of Mohammed Sawalha). And how does the JC report this? Under the headline "SNP candidate attacks opponent's Hamas 'support'"!

Given that the JC is edited by Stephen Pollard, and has Bright as its political editor, it would seem wise for any politically active Muslim to avoid talking to the JC in future, or at least until there is a change in editorial line, as at present there is clearly no possibility of being reported fairly or accurately by that paper.

According to Gilligan, this demonstrates that "Mr Archer is perfectly willing to allow himself to be used as a pawn by Islamists if he thinks there might be a few votes in it".

In fact, if you read the leaflet advertising the IFE meeting, you'll see that the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Respect candidates for Poplar and Limehouse have all agreed to speak there. The only candidate who has not accepted his invitation is Jim Fitzpatrick, the Labour candidate.

What this would seem to indicate is that, with the obvious exception of Fitzpatrick, none of the main candidates in that parliamentary constituency has bought into Gilligan's campaign of smears against the East London Mosque.

This is not the first time that Tories have been condemned by right-wing Islamophobes over their links with the mosque. London mayor Boris Johnson has been attacked by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens of the Centre for Social Cohesion on this issue, as has London Assembly member Andrew Boff.

We hesitate to give advice to our opponents, but if Gilligan or Meleagrou-Hitchens possessed a grain of tactical sense they'd see how counterproductive this is from their own witch-hunting standpoint.

Denunciations of Ken Livingstone or George Galloway as pawns of Islamism might find traction in some quarters. But Boris Johnson, Andrew Boff, Tim Archer? In attacking these individuals Gilligan and Meleagrou-Hitchens destroy any shred of credibility they might have left.

Black and ethnic minority officers already have their own organisation, Semper Scotland, which has around 130 members – many of them Muslims – and receives £51,000 a year from the taxpayer. But the Scottish Police Muslim Association (SPMA), launched at the police training college at Tulliallan, Fife, is the only faith-based police group to get Government funding.

Harry Pearson, Strathclyde Police branch leader of the Scottish Christian Police Association, which has around 200 members, said: "There is a clear disparity between the way we are treated compared to Muslim colleagues. It would be nice if the Scottish Government treated us even-handedly. We have to manage on donations from our members."

Laura Midgley of the Campaign Against Political Correctness said: "I don't see why separate groups are needed. The police should be there to catch criminals, as simple as that. Setting up groups such as these simply creates tensions and division. Equality should mean equality. It flies in the face of everything politicians lecture us about."

Daily Express, 18 March 2010

Concluding that religious beliefs cannot stand in the way of gender equality, the commission found that when a woman wearing the Islamic face covering is required to identify herself and proceed with the photo session needed to produce a health insurance card, the Health Insurance Board has no obligation to accommodate her request to be served by a woman.

"Since freedom of religion was not significantly undermined, there is no obligation to grant an accommodation," the order states.

The health board had previously agreed to such requests. But last fall critics argued that the health board was acceding to religious fundamentalism.

The decision was greeted with approval in Quebec's National Assembly yesterday by MNAs of all political stripes.

Immigration Minister Yolande James suggested the ruling will form the basis of new guidelines on religious accommodation for public services, following on the action taken last week to bar a woman from attending a free French language class for immigrants unless she agreed to take off her niqab.

Globe and Mail, 17 March 2010