EDL & UAF Protests: “Why would you want to mix with these people?” asks Maajid Nawaz

24 June 2017, 14:57

As EDL and UAF protests took to the streets of London Maajid Nawaz has serious doubts whether supporting these protests is the right thing to do.

Maajid Nawaz asked whether Darren Carroll, uncle of the former EDL leader who has turned his back on the movement and works for reconciliation with Muslims and in helping radicalised people escape hardline politics, was right to warn for people to avoid these demonstrations.

He said: "Yes, it’s your democratic right to protest but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do to attend these sorts of protests where you are invariably going to get caught up either with anti-muslim populist extremists or in the UAF’s case there are hard left extremist elements amongst them or islamist extremists.

"Why would you want to mix with these people in the first place. Yes’ it’s your right to protest but is it the right thing to do?"

Speaking on his LBC show he said: "Clearly the biggest threat still, not just in the UK but globally, is Jihadist terrorism. Anti-muslim extremism is fast rising.

"Hard left radicalisation leading to violence, many people don’t think of it like this, is also a thing. Let’s not let the left off the hook."

He went on to say that "there is an issue of hard left radicalisation as well and this brings me to the UAF. Did you know, a commonly unknown statistic, that the most number of arrests at these EDL rallies are actually UAF people instigating violence against the EDL people? That’s a fact you need to consider that UAF counter protests are also not peaceful."