Smash the racist English Defence League (EDL) & The British National Party

Demonstrations by far-right activists such as the English Defence League are fuelling Islamic extremism, West Midlands police said today.

Groups such as the EDL lay the groundwork for the recruitment of Muslims to radicalism, according to counter-terrorism officers.

Since the EDL emerged last summer, it has held demonstrations in towns and cities against Islamic extremism, with another planned for Preston city centre on Saturday, Nov. 27.

But the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit said there is evidence that violence or damage towards Muslim property associated with EDL demos encourages extremist retaliation afterwards.

Detective Superintendent John Larkin told BBC Radio 5 Live: “They look for the hook to pull people through and when the EDL have been and done what they’ve done, perversely they leave that behind.”

Hope Not Hate campaign chairman Nick Lowles said: “This demonstrates how hate breeds hate.

“The EDL breeds Islamic extremism and Islamic extremism breeds the EDL.

“It’s time to break the chain.

“…make a stand against extremism on both sides of the divide.”