Leicester Mercury keeps perspective on Al-Muhajiroun protestors

Friday, 13 March 2009 10:56

Huge credit to the Leicester Mercury for its editorial yesterday urging readers to keep the reprehensible behaviour of a tiny group of protestors in Luton in perspective.

A parade of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers is to take place in Leicester on Monday 16th March and Leicestershire is among the British counties from which the Royal Anglian Regiment recruits.

Commenting on the disruption of the parade of the Royal Anglian Regiment in Luton this week, the Leicester Mercury editorial states:

‘We should try to keep this incident in perspective. While the protest made the front page of several national newspapers, with headlines such as "Enemy Within" and "Sickening", the press coverage far outweighed the significance of the demonstration, which only actually involved about 20 people.

‘We sincerely hope that this incident and the coverage it has received does not lead people to the perception that the actions of this tiny minority are somehow representative of the wider Muslim community. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, Muslim leaders in Leicester have condemned the protest and they are far more representative than a small group of extremists.

‘Muslims have already suffered from unfair and negative perceptions over the past few years. It would be dreadful if this protest fuelled further hostility towards them.

‘It is also worth remembering that, while the protest was undoubtedly odious, it is the mark of a civilised society that it was allowed to go ahead at all – and that is something which should give us a degree of comfort.

‘The tolerance our society shows in allowing these people the freedom to demonstrate reflects rather better on us than their behaviour and lack of respect does on them.’

Contrast it to the editorial in yesterday's edition of The Times.

It is gratifying to note that in a week where a tiny minority of Muslims have commanded so much media attention that there are among our newspaper editors some that are more reasoned and upstanding to correctly distance the acts of the 15 or so men from Luton from the rest of Britain’s Muslim citizens.

You can write to the editor of the Leicester Mercury expressing your thanks on: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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