It’s Friday. Friday, as you know = Day of Rage. This Friday’s rage, kicking off all over the world is over the film Innocence of Muslims which depicts the early life of Mohammed. Any portrayal of Mohammed, even a sincere one ignites the anger and ire of Islam. In Islam there could be never be a film equivalent to ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ to name just one film about the life of Christ.  There have been deaths during attacks on US Embassies in North Africa and the Middle East. Other western embassies have also been attacked. In London the demonstration outside the US Embassy today was another assault on Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Movement for the non-Muslim.

Anjem Choudary announced that there would be a demonstration in Grosvenor Square this afternoon. He and 300 or so of his followers, who currently call themselves United Ummah, were allowed to march through London to Grosvenor Square. They were not stopped from burning an American and an Israeli flag.  I was not there but I have been given photographs, video and a briefing from those known to me in the EDL, covering several divisions who were there. This is a collation of their experiences.

This has been reported in most of the national newspapers. In the Daily Mail here. The Weekly Standard here. The Huffington Post UK reported that , one protester, who refused to give his name, blamed the death of US Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in Benghazi on Wednesday, on “freedom of speech”.

“This is what happens when you can say anything,” he said. “Would it not be better for you [The West] to stop those who go beyond the limits and insult the messenger [Muhammad]? Obama and Clinton should not condemn the protests but condemn the mouths that speak against the prophet. This is the direct result of man-made law and freedom of speech. We do not want freedom, we want Islam.”

The report also says “A rumoured counter-protest mooted by the English Defence League in “solidarity” with the Americans failed to materialise.”

This is not the case and other reporters, in particular this member of Demotix did notice counter-protestors scattered about. To avoid being penned away from the Muslim demonstration patriotic protestors stayed in small groups positioned in and around Grosvenor Square.

This video was taken by one such, a young woman. She got quite near to the notorious Sayful Islam who has still not been charged for his assault on Tommy Robinson one day in Luton. As the video came to an end she tried to discuss the demonstration with one of the men who seemed reluctant to speak to a mere woman. She asked him (this wasn’t caught by her equipment) why his group was so opposed to freedom of speech. At this point a police officer had come up behind her and and took her out of the crowd and moved her round to the side of the demonstration. She asked the police why they were allowing the Muslim demonstrators to get away with burning the US flag.

She then spotted other EDL supporters known to us both,a married couple, and joined them standing by the statue of President Eisenhower. They were booing the United Ummah, called to them ‘No Sharia!!!’ when more police officers again pulled them away and they were detained, and threatened with arrest to ‘prevent a breach of the peace’. They were removed from Grosvenor Square but allowed to make their way out of the area down Audley Street.

“So they asked us to leave the area or they would give us a ride in one of their nice police cars, to their police station.We all declined their offer, because as my old mum said, "Never except a lift off of strange men".

Prior to her removal Mrs D took the photographs below of the Muslim demonstrators.

Miss M described the demonstrators as mixed in ages and ethnicities – she could see, among others, Somalis, Arabs and Pakistanis. There were a number of women but they were confined to the back of the march and the demonstration. She said that the atmosphere was tense, aggressive and intimidating.

Other Patriots describe being stopped twice by police within 10 minutes of their entering Grosvenor Square. They were stopped before they were even able to park their car, then stopped again two minutes later while still looking for a space. They were made to pull over to the side of the road and detained  for no obvious reason. By the time they were allowed to proceed and had found a parking space the Muslim demonstration had dispersed. 

The absence of the UAF and anti-fascists to counter these regular calls for sharia law which discriminates against women and Gays is a perennial mystery. I do not know why the Police have orders to facilitate Muslim abuse, while stifling any counter-protest but I consider that this assault on our centuries old freedoms is serious and worrying.