Posted on 10/02/2006 1:03:08 PM PDT by Republicain
A teenager was stabbed when hundreds of people became involved in a battle on the streets of Preston. Trouble centred on the Jamea Masjid mosque in Clarendon Street, Avenham, for more than four hours last night (Sunday) and led to a massive policing operation.
Preston's police chief said the problems were triggered by local youths throwing stones at cars belonging to people attending the mosque.
This sparked a response from around 200 people inside the mosque who came out to defend those under attack.
It resulted in one 16-year-old Asian youth being stabbed in the arm, but ambulance crews were turned back as the police felt it was too dangerous for them to enter the scene.
Fighting continued into the early hours and led to police requiring back-up from officers as far away as Lancaster and Burnley.
Chief Supt Mike Barton, divisional commander for the area, said more than 100 officers were deployed and he was treating the incident as race-related.
He said: "Some people I spoke to at the mosque insisted it wasn't racial but I think some people at the mosque believe it was.
"Until we actually find the offenders and speak to them, and because some people believe it to be racial, then that's how we'll treat it."
Insp Simon Hayes, force incident manager for Lancashire Police, described the incident as "community tension" with youths on the streets in a "confrontational mood".
He said: "As a result of that, there was a high-level policing operation to reassure the public and disperse these groups.
"There was no major disorder or serious incident."
Ilyas Desail, of the Jamea mosque on Clarendon Street, said: "It is not a mosque issue, it is a community issue.
"It is the month of Ramadan and that is the only reason the mosque has been brought into this.
"We are all upset by this, everyone is upset. No one is going to be happy with the tarnishing of such great efforts we have made in Preston in the past 40 years."
A mother-of-three, 33, from Clarendon Street, said: "It's getting ridiculous and for the past two nights there's been fighting."
They show Benny Hill over here, which is , ahem, a similar situation. I do like Jonathan Creek, and Murder in Surburbia, which I watch most nights after Miami CSI.
That's where Hitler made his big mistake, by not setting up Nazism as a religion and Mein Kampf as its Koran.
Who cares about some stupid billboards? They brought you to tears? Good grief, get a grip!
Would you like to tell that to the mothers of British soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Oh, boo-hoo, Ivan. Someone on Free Republic makes a joke about bad teeth and you're off!
Well said, sir.
Regards, Ivan
Wrong. When people call my country too weak, too socialist to stand up for what is right and true based on the flimisiest of evidence, and continue to persist in stupidity even when facts show otherwise, and this happens time and time again, I might be forgiven for getting angered to the point where I want to crack heads. Which is a good time to take a break.
Look at the record - as inaccurate as your comments about our dentistry are, that has never been a reason why I've walked off. People being incredibly stupid and making me want to tear off heads as a result, have been.
None of this, however, excuses you being unable as our good friend Scotsman points out, to "get a grip". Surely, if you are the paragon of emotional control, as compared to me, you can hold it together when confronted with a mere three billboards, rather than lapsing into helpless tears?
Ivan
Thanks for your words, Twinks. I was moved to tears by that billboard - a combo of jet lag and compulsive reading of British newspapers both right and left that seem to have nothing but disgust towards our wonderful country.
I just returned from London on Saturday, and was disturbed by a number of things over there.
Did you happen to catch the 15x30 foot ads for the movie about killing W in almost every tube station?
You know very well what I meant. It had nothing to do with the fight against terrorism, but there is a general apparent attitude in the UK about Americans which these (alleged) billboards would indicate - a sort of snotty condescension about our "uncivilized" culture. My son was in school at Oxford over there for years and was puzzled by some of the attitudes and that was one of the possibilities we came up with, like it or not. There does seem to be a PC sort of attitude in the UK about the Islamic phenomenon, just as is present over here - a naivete that declares any resistance to it as - well, ignorant, uneducated and uncivilized.
1. As explained, this was a publicity stunt for a TV show.
2. If you hate Britain so much, why do you go there?
3. Would you care to explain to the families of British soldiers who have died in Iraq why they and their dead sons should be condemned by you because of a billboard? Perhaps you'd like to leave a letter of condemnation at their gravesites.
4. American liberals hate American just as much as British liberals. "Does anything good come from America?" is the lens through which the New York Times views the world.
Large percentage being foreigners.
Don't mind Ivan. Sometimes he has problems focusing on problems that are staring him in the face. For example, awhile back (before the 7/7 bombing) we got into a discussion about whether Britain had a huge problem with its Muslim population. I said yes. Ivan said no and further responded that America's problem with homegrown terrorists was probably worse than Britain's. As an example, Ivan pointed to Timothy McVeigh. Ignoring the fact that McVeigh has been executed whereas nothing of the sort can happen to terrorists who are caught in Britain, I think Ivan's sensitiveness on the relative merits of Britain versus the United States is the sensitivity that comes from realizing how close Europe is to being pushed over the edge of the multicultural precipe.
No, I didn't! I took a couple of rides on the subway but didn't see them! Yikes!
Posted on M4, one of the busiest roads in the country, LHR might not even be a factor.
Excuse me, I don't recall saying anything of the kind. If you're going to make such outrageous accusations, cite nad prove.
What I have said is that you have just as many Muslims in the United States, and just as many terrorist cells. For you to somehow claim to be sailing through calm waters while we're sinking, given we're clutching equal numbers of vipers in our midst, stretches credibility.
I'd like to point out that no American here ever apologises for standing up for their country. You love your country, live it, breathe it, follow it to the end. What is inexplicable is how many of you behave like arseheads when you see someone else feels the same about their country.
Ivan
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