By Pav Akhtar

Last month sympathisers of the English Defence League (EDL), including a founder member of the far right group, were the core initiators of a proposed ‘East End Gay Pride’ march through Tower Hamlets.

Originally published by Liberal Conspiracy

LGBT GROUPS in the local area and BME LGBT groups and SAFRA statement, were united in opposing them. These responses were pivotal in preventing the far right from organising under the Pride flag to progress an entirely different goal – of isolating and demonising Muslim communities.

Evidence of the EDL was clear from the inception of the proposed event. However, some did not heed these concerns. For example, the Chair of London Pride dismissed some concerns as ‘baseless’, ‘laughable’ and ‘personal abuse’. Others played down the involvement of proto-fascists.

Across Europe, far right and fascists are making electoral gains, attacking Muslim and migrant communities, emboldened by hostile media and mainstream politicians. LGBT people are not immune to this. The Netherlands’ gay far right politician, Pim Fortuyn, made a specific appeal to LGBT people.

Once the far right makes gains, it targets LGBT communities. For example, fledgling Pride assemblies have been violently targeted by fascists in Eastern Europe. In Britain, David Copeland, the BNP-inspired nail bomber of Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho attacked the African-Caribbean, Asian and LGBT communities in London. This threat gives our communities the basis for anti-fascist unity.

As a Gay Muslim man who has worked with Imaan and UK Black Pride, I believe that constructive dialogue with BME communities is the way to effectively tackle homophobia. Within the Muslim community, as with other religious groups, there are both progressive and conservative elements. Dialogue with Muslims comes from acknowledging the discrimination they face.

In the 1980s, the lesbian and gay communities supported the miners’ strike, despite its lack of recognition of LGBT rights, which paved the way for the creation of many self-organised LGBT trade union sections.

When homophobic stickers promoting a ‘Gay-Free Zone’ were documented in the pink media and various commentators, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, East London Mosque and the inter-faith network worked with the local LGBT group, Rainbow Hamlets, responded swiftly to jointly condemn homophobia, and worked with the police to tackle this hate crime.

Claims that homophobic crime is a particular manifestation within the Muslim community, due to the rise in homophobic crimes in Tower Hamlets, are contradicted by the higher rates of homophobic crime in Islington and Westminster, with no similar conclusions drawn about the non-Muslim majority in these areas.

Singling out Muslims, when homophobia is clearly present in every section of society, risks closing down the space for the dialogue necessary to challenge and overcome it.

The attempted EDL infiltration should be a wake-up call that rejecting Islamophobia and fighting fascism must be our shared priority.