The English Defence League is strengthening its ties with the American Tea Party Movement. Melanie Phillips is an inspiration for the Tea Party's anti-Muslim leader, Pamela Geller.
The Observer reports today that the English Defence League (EDL) is strengthening its ties with the American Tea Party Movement.
In particular, the paper reports that Pamela Geller, the “darling of the Tea Party’s growing anti-Islamic wing” and leader of opposition to the ‘ground zero mosque’ – is advocating an alliance with the EDL.
This follows an interview with Newsweek when Geller expressed support for the EDL, even after they attacked British police officers.
Left Foot Forward has learned that Geller’s inspiration is none other than the British Daily Mail and Spectator columnist, Melanie Phillips.
On her blog, Geller describes Phillips as “a great intellect and truth teller, a woman I greatly admire” and says that Phillips’ book, ‘Londonistan’, is “the most compelling book on Islamic fundamentalism, violence and intimidation in the West.”
Geller has posted videos of a talk by Phillips, and quotes Phillips as telling a US audience:
“There has been over the past 20 to 30 years an evisceration of British National identity and values which has created a cultural and moral vacuum being exploited by Radical Islamism which has come to fill that vacuum.”
Phillips has written defensively of the English Defense League in the past, writing of one clash between EDL and anti-fascist protesters:
“In any street altercation like this, the anti-Islamist demonstrators must be aggressors and those who confront them must be either their victims or heroic anti-fascists.”
“The Islamists have an incentive to provoke a violent reaction by white groups calling themselves names like English Defence League — simply in order to produce yet more demonisation of the anti-Islamists.”
She has criticised former Communities Secretary John Denham for not ‘critically engaging’ with the EDL, and called his comparison of the EDL to Mosley’s Blackshirts “absurd” and “offensive.” Phillips continued:
“The label of the ‘far right’ toxifies everything it touches. There is now a real danger than anyone who opposes Islamic supremacism will find themselves vilified not only as ‘Islamophobes’ but also as BNP fellow-travellers.”
One EDL blog also features a prominent link to Phillips’ website.
60 Responses to “Melanie Phillips is inspiration behind Tea Party anti-Muslim leader”
Poosh
Is there a reason why you are lying about Melanie Phillips being behind Pam Geller and then lying again by suggesting Geller is some sort of racist or bigot? Or indeed that Geller has any leadership role in the Tea Party grassroots movement in the USA?
This is a disgusting post, shameful.
Dave
They don’t call her ‘Mad Mel’ for nothing.
peter watkins
Melanie Phillips has morphed from controversial UK social commentator to 24/7 propagandist for the Israeli Right.
She whiteweashes Israel by painting it as a defender of western values and defender against radical Islam, and in so doing she justifies every act of Israeli aggression and expansion, and repositions every act of Palestinian, Hezbollah defence as barbarity and provocation.
While the Spectator blog plays to similar race hate extremists, her veiled appearances on the BBC and writings in the Daily Mail present her as British to the core, with no trace of Jewish ancestry. She ensures no reference is made to her religion in her BBC or Daily Mail biographies, prefering neutral readers to think of her as an objective voice, instead of a paid up extremist.
She is no better than a fifth columnist, placing her undisclosed interest in Israel before that of the country she professes to represent.
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[…] or that they also support the neofascist BNP party. Melanie Phillips is currently angry at being represented as an EDL supporter by a leftist blogger. The main reason why Ms Phillips is being represented […]
Craig
She’s a foaming Zionist, and as such, a massive supporter of the far-right as long as it’s persecuting Muslims and not Jews, so it’s hardly any surprise the Tea Party movement look to her for inspiration.
Gotta love how the EDL claim to be defending England. Israel more like.