Not extreme enough eh!!

Class. At least they’re only insanely intolerant in one or two directions.

Still, if the dude wants to come over and burn some processed logs that happen to have some words on that some people happen to think are magical, that’s fine too. Pop some bibles in too – that’ll avoid accusations of bias.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/09/sunday_sacrilege_a_funeral_for.php is a far more environmentally friendly way of getting rid of old processed logs of dubious holiness, of course, but with the weather we have right now, perhaps the heat would be appreciated?

One wonders whether they planned this from the start.

It’s funny how the student protesters are more violent than the EDL, and how they both look the same.

What a great country this is, where even our far right wingnuts worry about racism and homophobia!

@4 – yes, funny too how gravity holds both left and right wing followers to the ground. Coincidence, maybe, but we just don’t know.

I could say that EDL supporters have shown violence at most if not all their demos, which means they aren’t even allowed to march anymore. I could also point out the scale, with each EDL demo only getting a few thousand, whereas the student demos got 10s of thousands. You could also say a lot of the violent part of the ‘student’ demo weren’t even students, but rent-a-mobs.

But no, you must be spot on.

“EDL spokesman Guramit Singh said the decision had been taken after the group carried out “further research” on Jones and discovered he held some “homophobic and racist” views”.

Oh, the irony!

How comes the EDL are defending me, I’m English, but never really asked for them to defend me. How about calling it the Casuals Defence League or Football Firms United or something. Surely that would be a fairer representation of their members?

Well, fair play to the EDL for cancelling, and fair play also for this site not ignoring a story that casts a right-wing organisation in a (relatively) favourable light.

@9 This may be the cynic in me, but I’d be shocked if the EDL didn’t know about this preacher before they invited him. It’s not a secret is it? He is simply the guy who wanted to burn Korans and denounce all Islam. I’m with the post from earlier on them planning this. The EDL really wants to portray itself as open and just about Extreamist Islam. This is all just a ploy to strengthen that. The people who turn up to marches and the posts they get on their message boards speak for themselves as to how much they really are just against a small subset of Islam.

@ 10

From what I’ve seen (edited for honesty: “based on the documentary I watched once), the movers and shakers at the EDL are worried about giving the impression that they hate Muslims or are otherwise bigoted. So while many in the EDL rank and file may be quite happy with Pastor Ted’s approach, the people who make the decisions might feel otherwise.

However, I think they missed a potential PR coup given the amount of noise they could have made if they’d kept the booking then the government had banned him from visiting the UK.

The EDL are a particularly bizarre group by extreme right standards – I believe they have a LGBT division which may explain the U-turn.

I guess it says a lot for the success of gay rights that we now have openly gay fascists.

@11

Cynically, perhaps they’re biding their time and not wasting their energy on a lost cause. It’s pretty certain the government will ban him (no one is going to kick up a fuss if he’s not allowed to talk and given the mood of the times the government is going to be very happy for the chance to deny accusations of being friendly with the extreme right). I think it would have been a PR disaster to agitate for Pastor Ted and his Holy Matchbook to be allowed into the UK.

@ 13

Hard to call, really. What you say makes sense, but then extremist groups sense a lot of political currency in claiming (rightly or otherwise) that their views are being silenced. Look at that whole broo-ha-ha when everyone was debating whether the BNP should get a seat on Question Time.