Just went into King’s Lynn and noticed one of the new Market Traders is ‘proudly’ wearing his English Defence League hoodie whilst serving customers.

Quite apart from the fact that I fail to see how alienating half of your possible customer base in a town with lots of EU migrants seems a bit stupid, I’m mostly disappointed that the local council seem unwilling to address what must be a very bad message it says to visitors as we enter the tourist season.

Even tweeting the Council seems to be met by a brick wall at the moment:

I’ve just noticed #kingslynn market trader wearing an English Defence League hoodie. Is this a cause @WestNorfolkBC support, then?? #urgh

— Rachel Lawson (@rachel_norfolk) April 22, 2014

@rachel_norfolk 1/2 Police advice is unless an individual is inciting racial hatred then no action would be taken

— WestNorfolkBC (@WestNorfolkBC) April 22, 2014

.@WestNorfolkBC I didn’t ask for him to be arrested, though. I wanted to know if you are happy for EDL people to be the ‘face of #kingslynn’

— Rachel Lawson (@rachel_norfolk) April 22, 2014

@rachel_norfolk we are not able to stop anyone expressing their views unless they do it unlawfully HH

— WestNorfolkBC (@WestNorfolkBC) April 22, 2014

— have a follow of the conversation to see where it (doesn’t) go…

it appears Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk are perfectly happy for EDL to be the “face” of King’s Lynn to our visitors…

So annoyed I nearly put this in the Bike Forum by mistake 🙁

Rachel

Democracy

He has a right to be an arsehole, you have a right to adjudge him to be an arsehole and treat him as such. God knows what the council are expected to do about it.

It’s the council managing the pitches, which are right in the face of the tourist trade. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the EDL etc, it sets a bad image for the town, no?

Rachel

What can the council do? AFAIK, the EDL are legal and as such, they can’t stop anyone wearing an EDL top.

I would find life a lot easier if all the racists walked around wearing “I’m a racist” sweatshirts. Think of the time that could be saved.

There is nothing illegal in what they are doing so it’s no worse than someone wearing an out and proud t – shirt*, an anti Christian t -shirt etc – offensive to some but its their choice and not illegal

Personally I would go and spend the day arguing with the trader/ stopping them selling stuff and drive them out that way if you want direct action.

Its not what I would want my town known for and I dount they are pleased
* I assume it does not need stating which i support and which i oppose

Good point, MW!!

The council appear to have a fair point. Exactly what do you expect them to do?

As it happens, Junkyard, under different circumstances I probably would do exactly that. Given my particular minority statuses, I’m not sure it would be wise for my safety…

Rachel

i’m in no way pro edl but trying to cause problems for people because they have a different point of view to you isn’t a good thing to do.

Does this mean that the council should also stop market traders wearing Man-U football shirts, as they are offensive too?!

Yesterday’s XKCD seems to be relevant

i dont see a problem with it at all. like you said, he will lose a % of his trade, you could also look at it, that the other % of trade might actually agree with him……maybe ?

I really don’t see what the council could do for the reasons cited above. And a good thing too, because the EDL would love it. They would see any attempted intervention by the council as a massive PR coup.

I would find life a lot easier if all the racists walked around wearing “I’m a racist” sweatshirts. Think of the time that could be saved.

Indeed. Its when they dress themselves up as proper politicians, and hide behind a facade of respectability that you need to worry about them

EDL sweatshirt = racist thug
Nice Saville Row suit = a good old salt-of-the-earth bloke who looks like it’d quite nice to have a pint with

I’m glad I live in a country where nobtards can wear t-shirts expressing their political allegiances.

I think it’s pretty weird of you to suggest that, because a tenant of the council can wear an EDL top without harassment, that that somehow implies that the council support the EDL.

Trouble is; it makes the town less appealing for the possible tourists we all benefit from. That’s the problem.

Our high class local butcher wears a Skrewdriver t shirt on his day off.

Allthegear, the only problem I see is your intolerance.

Have you thought of getting some I ‘heart’ foreign tourists T-shirts printed as a counter-balance? 😉

allthegear – Member

Given my particular minority statuses

I’m not sure having pink hair classes you as a bona fide ethnic minority.

Exactly – he wears it on his days off – not stood at a stall on a Council owned market, being one of the faces visitors to the town all get to see…

If the EDL makes it less attractive then so be it – it’s a reflection of what the place actually is surely? I can understand that you personally might not like that effect but I think it’s pretty unreasonable to expect them to not be allowed to wear their ‘I’m probably racist’ clothes if they choose when it’s perfectly legal to do so.

As above, maybe it’s a bit of a straw man but if your tourists didn’t like muslims/gay people/whatever should the council also respond to that and make sure that anyone looking like they might be packing a muslamic ray gun/rainbow t-shirt/etc wasn’t on display?

Think I would be more worried about UKIP in that neck of the woods, same meat different gravy

Trouble is; it makes the town less appealing for the possible tourists we all benefit from. That’s the problem.

I take it that every day before you leave the house you think about how your outfit will affect people’s perceptions of your town? As recently evidenced on here, some people object strongly to tattoos, would you insist that all market traders cover their tattoos as people might think the place is a bit chavvy?

Theres this one. Too specific?

😀

One of my mates has actually got one of those t-shirts, and often wears it to the pub. I’m just waiting for the day it gets him punched!

Maybe I have overreacted to the situation, I can see that. I was really quite shocked seeing someone wearing such a thing whilst working in the town centre.

Rachel (not beyond reflection once in a while)

Would any foreign tourists even know what the EDL are?

One of the dads at my son’s Rugby wears an EDL hoodie – made me double take the first time. Having spoken to him (not about his hoodie), he seems like a decent enough person just not very bright or well informed and probably has just gone along with the flow of his mates/etc, given that the EDL claim not to be racist and so on. It’s easy enough rhetoric to believe if you’re not the type to challenge what you hear.

gotta be trollin

Are you sure he’s not just into disco?

It seems strange to me to think of Kings Lynn and tourism though it might appear cosmopolitan and exotic when viewed from Wisbech.

Maybe the tourists love disco too.

i’m surprised that King’s Lynn recieves tourists….. i was there once (was on my way back from surfing at Hunstanton and was hungry), it wasn’t the sort of place i thought i’ll have to come here when i’ve got more time.”

it was shit.

i would not willingly buy from a guy wearing either an EDL hoody or Skrewdriver T-shirt…..

I’m surprised that some people fail to understand the difference between having a tattoo and advertising the fact that you are an EDL supporter/member.

Having a tattoo isn’t widely recognised as being offensive, in contrast, the EDL is fundamentally a drinking club for inebriated loud-mouth racist thugs, which many people unsurprisingly find quite offensive – specially when they go on organised noisy bigoted rants through their communities lobbing empty beer bottles at coppers.

@ allthegear – you can’t expect your local council to do much to oppose the presence of the EDL in your town but you can – get involved with “We Are Norwich” if you feel that strongly about the issue.

https://www.facebook.com/events/457715334279760/

Those disco lovers just can’t catch a break can they?!

Balls, Binners stole my thunder!

.

get involved with “We Are Norwich” if you feel that strongly about the issue.

English Disco Lovers are ace, I’m proud to support them. Don’t hate – gyrate! 😀