INDEPENDENT ADVISORY GROUP DISCUSSES EDL DEMO

In Leicester Town Hall this afternoon, where Leicester City Council has called a meeting of the Independent Advisory Group to discuss the proposed demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) and counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in Leicester city centre on Saturday 4 February.

This meeting, which takes place in the Council Chamber, includes much the same dramatis personae who attended the meeting last Thursday in the Mayor’s office at New Walk Centre: City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, and Leicester City BCU Commander Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon are out front. Dotted around the chamber are Deputy Mayor, Cllr Rory Palmer, Deputy Mayor; Assistant Mayor and Joint Cabinet Lead for Community Cohesion, Cllr Sarah Russell; Assistant Mayor and joint Cabinet Lead for Community Cohesion (and Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths), Cllr Manjula Sood; several City Council officers; and representatives of VCS organisations and other stakeholders, such as:

• African Caribbean Citizens Forum
• British Hindu Voice
• Federation of Muslim Organisations
• Leicester Hebrew Congregation
• Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre
• Leicester LINks
• The Race Equality Centre
• St Matthews Community Social Centre
• Sikh Welfare and Cultural Society
• Somali Development Services
• Voluntary Action LeicesterShire

The meeting has been called so that the Mayor and Police can give us a position statement: to tell us where we are now and what's in the pipeline over the next few days. In the spirit of open sharing and transparency, our part is to be critical friends. The meeting is conducted under the Chatham House Rule.

All leave and rest days have been cancelled for Leicestershire Police officers on Saturday 4 February. Rob Nixon assures us that all neighbourhood officers will be on their usual beats that day and that no one will be extracted to work in the city centre. For the first time, we discuss how the situation is being addressed in the county, not just the city.

Iconic buildings and sites throughout city and county have been identified by the authorities and special efforts will be made to ensure their security.

Older people throughout the city feel threatened by the impending event. Police and City Council are doing their best to counteract that feeling and are making visits to day centres, care facilities and nursing homes to reassure residents, staff and volunteers. Age UK in Humberstone Gate was closed on the day of the last demonstration and counter-demonstration. This made those older people who depend on Age UK for regular services feel vulnerable. And, of course, the most notable act of destruction during the social disturbances in the summer was the torching of Age UK's minibus, which doesn't help them feel any safer this time round.

The Tigers are playing at home that day against Newcastle Falcons, with 18,000 fans expected to turn out for the match. Police are in discussions with the Tigers about shifting the kick-off time from 1500.

Not for the first time, we recognise the importance of keeping the heart of the city beating on the day. Last time, the city centre was locked down for 24 hours, starting 1800 the evening before. Videos posted on YouTube show the city centre deserted save for those involved in the demonstration and counter-demonstration, which gives the whole event a surreal and uncanny appearance. We don't want that to be the image of Leicester that stays in people's minds. Friday 3 February is the first night of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival. People should be able to enjoy themselves without worrying about what might happen the next day.

There will be another meeting of the Independent Advisory Group next week, when more details will be known about what's expected to happen on the day.

After the meeting, I talk with Urban Canon Barry Naylor about the vigil to be held in Leicester Cathedral on the Friday evening immediately before the day of the demonstrations. It sounds like it's set to be a genuinely inter-faith event, I'm glad to say. I offer my services to help out in any way I can.

SHOWING WHAT MAKES A SOCIETY DYSFUNCTIONAL

This is Lee Turnpenny's First Person column, published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Showing what makes a society dysfunctional

Lee Turnpenny thinks we should pay more heed to the research of the Equality Trust

A while ago I attended a talk by Richard Wilkinson, co-author (with Kate Pickett) of The Spirit Level. Through accessible presentation and explanation of data, this book reveals that the dysfunctionality of a society is determined not by its average income level relative to other societies, but by the extent of income inequality within – that is, the breadth of the gap between its rich and poor.

Since the book was published in 2009, the busting of capitalism's flush brings no alleviation to this sorry state of affairs. Cuts and job losses disproportionately affect those at the lower end of the income scale, while those responsible still reap perversely massive bonus pay-outs.

The backlash is under way in the form of peaceful "Occupy" protests in various countries. And it is good to see. But as ever, there is the inevitable right-wing attempt to undermine and discredit the research. Not unlike those – often political – movements that expend time and cash muddying clear scientific waters around climate change or evolution, right-wing free market ideologues pour scorn on the findings of Wilkinson and Pickett, stoking controversy, and positing their own counter-"data" in books such as The Spirit Level Delusion.

Anyway, don't take my word for it. However, I was interested to discover an Early Day Motion (EDM) on this issue tabled last year by Caroline Lucas (leader of the Green Party and its sole MP). EDMs are a parliament facility for MPs to bring all manner of matters to the attention of the House (often seemingly for no other reason than that they can). EDM 1775, entitled "Income Inequality", states:"That this House notes the findings of the Equality Trust that societies with smaller income differences between rich and poor have fewer health and social problems, such as teenage births, violence, mental illness and drug abuse; further notes that such societies have higher levels of trust between citizens and more social mobility; and therefore encourages the Government to promote policies that reduce income inequality."

Well, I knocked off a letter to my MP, in order to persuade that consideration of a signature on this would be worthwhile.

Unsuccessfully, as it turns out. EDMs receive varying attention from MPs, so absence of signatures cannot reliably indicate where your MP actually is on an issue. However, I recommend taking a look at EDM 1775, and seeing whether there is anything that strikes you as, err... under-represented? Or would that be a presupposition?

It is also worth visiting The Equality Trust site, where, if you feel strongly on this, a facility for contacting your own MP is provided.

Lee Turnpenny blogs on science at: http://blogs.nature.com/u71147cba/

MINDFULNESS & WISDOM 2: WISDOM & SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park, for the second session in the course, "Mindfulness & Wisdom", offered by Christians Aware as part of their Faith Awareness programme. The eight-week course has been devised by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons from the Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

Our topic this evening: Wisdom and "Spiritual Intelligence".

The direction is set by the question, “Is ‘wisdom’, by its nature, ‘intelligence’?” To help us consider this question, Ian introduces us to Howard Gardner's concept of Multiple Intelligence (1999), different types of intelligence, going beyond that which is identified in standard IQ tests. These different kinds of intelligence are illustrated in the picture at the top of this entry and are (reading clockwise in the illustration):

• verbal-linguistic ("word smart") the capacity to use language to express what's on your mind and to understand other people
• logical-mathematical ("logic smart") the ability to understand the underlying principles of some kind of causal system
• musical ("music smart") the capacity to think in music, to hear patterns, recognise them and perhaps manipulate them
• intra-personal (“self smart”) having an understanding of yourself, of knowing who you are, what you can do etc
• inter-personal (“people smart”) the ability to understand other people
• bodily-kinaesthetic (“body smart”) capacity to use your whole, or parts of your, body
• spatial (“picture smart”) the ability to present the spatial world internally in your mind

Other versions of this illustration contain "naturalistic" (nature smart) and "existentialist" intelligence. We didn't touch on these in this evening's session. 

In discussing the meaning of "spirit" - in a way that avoids fuzzy religiosity or new-agey feelgood practices - we go to the Latin root of the word: spiritus - that which breathes life or vitality into a system.

This brings to mind one of my favourite quotes on spirit and spirituality, from Robert Wyatt: "A French journalist asked if my music was spiritual, and I said, 'Only in the original sense of spirit meaning breath'."

I also think of the example that has stood me in good stead over recent years, that of people being happy to describe themselves as "spiritual, but not religious" in a variety of settings (I usually draw on the example of Internet dating sites) without really saying just what that means – except that it’s a good thing.

Zohar and Marshall (2003) define "spiritual intelligence" as "the intelligence with which we can place our actions and lives in a wider, richer, meaning-giving context; the intelligence with which we can assess that one course of action or one life-path is more meaningful than another." In this sense, when we think of "spirit", it directs us to a deeper level of meaning, toward the import or implications of what is said, thought, written or read. We talk of the "spirit of the law" being something greater, more significant and more meaningful than the "letter of the law" – even if it escapes definition.

In terms of education, it’s current to consider the spiritual, moral, social, cultural implication for everything that pupils, students and learners may be studying (at the most recent meeting of Leicester SACRE, we had a presentation on how SMSC is making a comeback in the curriculum).

The table below helps us understand Zohar and Marshall's concept of "spiritual capital" - and where it fits with the nature and function of other kinds of capital.

INTELLIGENCE	FUNCTION	CAPITAL
Rational	What I think	Material
Emotional	What I feel	Social
Spiritual	What I am	Spiritual

We're set a small group exercise of coming up with three nuggets of wisdom that we'd give to the world, based on Zohar and Marshall's model. For my part, I'd say that the world currently revolves around "What I want", "What I own" and "What I need" - and would advocate replacing these functions with those identified in the table above.

For once, we're given a little homework. We're asked to reflect on our own fiath perspective (assuming we each have one) - historically, contemporary, potentially - and think of examples of spiritual intelligence (or of spiritual stupidity!).

IS IT TIME FOR A NEW PROPHET?

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Is it time for a new prophet?

I have this evening been reading the Mercury and was startled to read another letter about astrology (Mailbox, January 16). But why not, I suppose?

Many years ago, in about 1974 or a little earlier, the Mercury published a letter which has always stuck in my memory since. A reader who could see the future said a man in the East had started on his destiny and would change the whole world.

I was sceptical but now wonder whether she was referring to the then unknown Mikhail Gorbachev. Nobody knew him then.

Catholic saints and mystics have often been able to see events long before they happen.

They don't want this gift and run away from it and from the crowds coming to see them. I don't know that Eastern churches – basically same as Catholics – have such mystics and saints. I should think they would.

After 38 years, it is high time for the Leicester Mercury to give us another letter from a seer or God-fixated person.

D Healy, Wigston

HAPPY NEW YEAR! CROWDS ENJOY CHINESE CELEBRATIONS IN LEICESTER

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Happy new year! Crowds enjoy Chinese celebrations in Leicester

The Chinese Year of the Dragon was welcomed to the city in style as hundreds of people watched a colourful dance display at Leicester market.

Music and martial arts displays kept shoppers entertained on Saturday as people gathered to take part in Leicester's Chinese New Year celebrations.

The new year officially begins today and marks the end of the winter season.

Spectators watched a traditional dragon dance, which was followed by kung fu demonstrations by members of the International Taijiquan and Shaolin Wushu Association (ITSWA).

Chinese student rock band Penalty Notice also performed.

Paul Ng, chairman of the Leicester Chinese Community Centre (LCCC), which organised the event, said: "We want to celebrate the new year and try to bring awareness of our culture to the people of Leicester at the same time.

"The event has been very well received and there have been lot of people coming along and watching the kung fu demonstrations and listening to the music – it has been a big success."

Shopper Caroline Harding, 43, was watching the martial arts show.

She said: "It's not the most common thing to see at the market, but it's really interesting. It's good to learn things about other cultures – and to see people celebrating the Chinese New Year."

It is thought there are more than 1,000 Chinese people in the city and about 4,000 in the county.

The LCCC was set up in about 1979 and is based at the junction of the Burleys flyover and Belgrave Gate.

IT IS IN ALL OUR INTERESTS THAT EDL MARCH SHOULD NOT TAKE PLACE

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

It is in all our interests that EDL march should not take place

It goes against my liberal instincts but I have to agree with Gary Garner (First Person, January 19) that it would be in all our interests if the proposed march by the English Defence League (EDL) should not take place.

Britain may be the world's oldest parliamentary democracy but the civil liberties that we enjoy (particularly the right to free association and free speech) were granted to us relatively recently.

They came about, not because of the enlightenment of governments and ruling powers, but as a result of sustained pressure by often small groups of courageous individuals, usually at great personal cost.

They were hard-won and we should use them responsibly.

Unfortunately, that is not what the EDL are doing. They are cynically and irresponsibly exploiting the system for their own ends.

If the proposed march were part of a legitimate political campaign against a gross and sustained breach of justice, if the participants would be screened by responsible organisers in conjunction with the authorities, if police had received categorical assurances, supported by a non-repayable bond, that the event would be non-violent, then, perhaps there would be grounds for allowing it.

None of these is true. On the contrary, the previous static demonstration suggests that the event will be little more than a day out for hooligans looking for a fight.

We should not be accommodating it in our city and we should certainly not be paying for it.

Nick Knight, Leicester

YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Leicester Chinese Community Centre publicly celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon at Market Corner in the city centre this afternoon. A lion dance and Chinese music performances are just two aspects of the afternoon for visitors to enjoy, as well as calligraphy and origami workshops. In the photo, a ladies' group are putting on a Tai Chi demonstration.

OUR UNITED CITY WON'T SUBMIT TO PROVOCATION

This is the Bishop of Leicester's First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Our united city won't submit to provocation

The Bishop of Leicester considers the city's response to the English Defence League's visit

There will be many in our city who dread the prospect of another visit by the English Defence League (EDL) on February 4. It is less than two years since the last visit and already community leaders, the police, the city council and many others are having to give detailed time and attention to ensuring the safety of the city and of its citizens.

I have no doubt that once again we shall rise to this challenge. We can use it as an opportunity to demonstrate that we will not be provoked into aggressive responses. And we will not allow this kind of agitation to create divisions and tensions between the communities of our city.

On the last occasion that the EDL came to town, it provoked a celebration of the common values which we hold and enabled the whole city to demonstrate the carefully developed and trusting relationships between community leaders which have been a feature of Leicester life for many years.

Before the last visit of the EDL, the Cathedral became a gathering place for people of different faiths to stand in silent reflection together, demonstrating vividly how precious the rich religious diversity of our city has been.

So how should we prepare for a repeat of this unwelcome visit?

First I believe we have every reason to have confidence in the authorities, especially the police, who take meticulous care to prepare for these occasions and who put a great deal of effort into ensuring that communication is effective and as widespread as possible.

Second, I expect that faith leaders and other community leaders will be working together once again to reassure people and to demonstrate that the values we hold in common go deeper than any divisions between us.

I have no doubt that the Cathedral will once again offer hospitality for the kind of silent vigil we saw last time.

Thirdly, I would expect that the people of the city will demonstrate the kind of dignified restraint that was shown last time.

What demonstrators and marchers most want is to provoke a reaction. But easily the most eloquent response is a dignified silence in the face of provocation.

Those who would undermine our common life here know that Leicester has a reputation for good community relations and this provides us with another opportunity to demonstrate that that reputation is well founded.

I hope, therefore, that this will turn out to be a good news story and that this newspaper will report it as such.

In the end these kind of occasions can reveal our better natures. It can shine a spotlight on that part of our character which builds reconciliation and friendship across divisions. We are good at that in Leicester and let us show it to the world once again.

IF THE EDL WANT TO SEE FAIR PLAY, THEY SHOULD CALL OFF THEIR MARCH

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

If the EDL want to see fair play, they should call off their march

Leicester Mercury acting editor Richard Bettsworth on the distortions that will bring the English Defence League back to our city

The English Defence League is heading to Leicester in two weeks' time to protest against the UK's "two-tier justice system" which it claims treats Muslim offenders more leniently than others.

If this claim was true it would, of course, be utterly outrageous. Any justice system which operated such double-standards would be manifestly unfair and would quickly lose public trust.

So, what on Earth could the EDL possibly have in the way of evidence to back up such a serious claim?

This week's Insider seeks to examine that question and to sort out the truth from the hysteria.

The group's reason for coming to Leicester is the case of Rhea Page, a young woman who was subjected to a horrific attack in the street by four women.

The EDL suggests Rhea's attackers were dealt with leniently because they were Muslims and that if a white gang had launched an attack on a Muslim girl they would have been dealt with more severely.

There are two things about this case that are used to justify this claim.

The first is a suggestion that the attackers were spared prison because they were Somalian Muslims who were not used to alcohol. The second is that the victim was called a "white bitch" during the assault, but that the perpetrators were not charged with a racially aggravated offence.

Let's deal with the first point.

At this stage it is important to understand how this story emerged.

The Leicester Mercury was the only newspaper which covered the case and we carried a report on the proceedings on November 24.

The observation about the women not being used to alcohol was made by defence lawyer Gary Short. We quoted him on this point towards the end of our article but we did not suggest that this was the reason why the judge spared the attackers an immediate prison sentence.

On the contrary. We gave the actual reason earlier in the report which was that the judge, Robert Brown, said he accepted the women may have felt they were the victims of unreasonable force from the victim's partner (Rhea says her partner was only trying to protect her).

Since then, I have got hold of a transcript of the sentencing which clearly confirms this was the reason that the judge decided on a suspended sentence rather than sending the attackers to prison.

However, two weeks after our article, the story emerged in the national newspapers, where the line about the women being Muslims who were not used to alcohol was given much more prominence.

Most of these articles reported that the attackers were freed "after" the judge heard this evidence. Even though they used the word "after" instead of the word "because" these articles clearly implied that the two things were connected.

This was misleading and created a perception about this case which is at odds with the facts.

Let's have a look at the second point – the fact that the attackers were not charged with a racially aggravated offence. A video on YouTube promoting the EDL demonstration says: "This is an obvious racist attack on a white English female, yet it was dealt with quietly and as a drunken thuggish gang attack."

It goes on: "Unfortunately, many believe that it's not possible to be racist against white people."

This is what the Crown Prosecution Service says about its decision: "The CPS reviewed all the evidence in this case, including whether a racially aggravated offence should be brought on the basis that the comment 'white bitch' was reported to have been heard during the incident.

"However, this racist comment could not be attributed to any particular suspect and was not adopted by the group as a whole. There was therefore no realistic prospect of conviction for a racially aggravated offence."

So, clearly the CPS does consider that it is possible to be racist against white people. Its reason not to charge anybody with a racially aggravated offence was purely a legal one. It could not be sure of securing a conviction.

The EDL states its central aim is to combat "Islamic extremism".

However, the women involved in this attack were clearly not "Islamic extremists" and the incident has nothing whatsoever to do with that issue.

One can only conclude that the reason the EDL has leapt up on the misunderstandings about this case is because it actually has a much wider agenda. It is seeking to propagate a message that white English people are becoming second-class citizens in their own country and preferential treatment is given to Muslims.

That is, of course, deeply divisive and dangerous stuff which breeds resentment between communities. And, as we have seen, its argument crumbles as soon as one carries out a detailed examination of the facts.

At this point, I would add something of a footnote about the Rhea Page case.

Like Rhea, I did not agree with the judge's decision to suspend the sentences and I felt that the defendants should have been imprisoned.

It was an appalling attack and I think the justice system needs to send out a clear message in such cases that this sort of random, drunken violence will not be tolerated.

However, I have absolutely no doubt that the judge's decision was based on a proper and legitimate assessment of the case, and had nothing whatsoever to do with the religious persuasion of the defendants and their lack of tolerance to alcohol.

Unfortunately, nothing I have said will dissuade the EDL from carrying out their demonstration.

They will come to Leicester on February 4, in a protest which will cost huge amounts of public money to police and will probably hit trade in the city centre. And all of this disruption and potential discord will have been based on an entirely flawed premise. That's not fair on any of us, whatever our race or religion.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,289)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 675
2. United States 180
3. Ukraine 130
4. Russia 89
5. Germany 86
6. India 61
7. France 28
8. Saudi Arabia 18
9. Canada 11
10. Netherlands 11

This week's total: 1,289 (last week: 1,295). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time" (which seems to mean the last 12 months). They're updated each time I look at them.