It appears that the main purpose of the e mails was to blacken the names of Cardiff Communities Against Racism (CCAR) and especially the Socialist Party which participates alongside many other anti-racists in CCAR. It is a pity that you have decided to use the resources of Unite Against Fascism to smear other anti-racist and socialist organisations.The Socialist Party did not call for a large demo against this protest by the small reactionary organisation Ummah of Mohammed. Nevertheless it was correct for socialists to support the counter protest called by Yasmin Begum and Cardiff Communities Against Segregation (CCAS) not least because it was necessary to counter the presence of the EDL and BNP who turned up. Far from being used as a cover for the EDL, as your e mail alleges, the CCAS protest marginalised them.

Equally false is your assertion that Cardiff Communities Against Segregation is an offshoot of Cardiff Communities Against Racism. CCAS was set up with out the knowledge of the CCAR although we expect most CCAR members would have had a sympathetic attitude towards it.

Neither CCAR nor the Socialist Party has argued that “the failure to criticise "muslim extremism" led to the formation of the EDL/WDL” as you alleged in your first e mail. In opposing the Ummah of Mohammed there was not an ounce of Islamophobia. The position of Marxists should be that every religious faith should have the right to worship and practice their religion without fear of oppression and that the Islamophobic attacks of the far right should be opposed where ever they are demonstrated.

However that does not mean that socialists should not criticise reactionary Muslim organisations. The Ummah of Mohammed is proposing a reactionary programme that supports oppression and distorts the position of most Muslims and will be used by the far right to bolster their arguments. So the counter protest organised by Yasmin Begum was completely justified because it opposed the reactionary ideas of Ummah of Mohammed and did not leave the field open to the far right. Her approach of supporting unity between all working class communities in Cardiff and Britain and opposing sectarianism is also extremely positive.

The Socialist Party has never supported the position that an uncritical approach should be taken to all Muslim political organisations regardless of their policies, even in a climate of Islamophobia. Of course groups that arise from oppressed minorities in Britain cannot be equated with far right organisations like the BNP or EDL. But while understanding why a layer of Muslims could be drawn by the racism and Islamophobia in society to reactionary Muslim organisation like Ummah of Mohammed, it is necessary for socialists to explain that they represent a blind alley and a trap for Muslims in Britain. And if other Muslims ask for support in opposing them then socialists should respond to that call sympathetically.

The protest was also attended by two members of your party, the SWP, who openly sold Socialist Worker and at least one other UAF member who were all broadly supportive of the counter protest together with about another 10 people over the afternoon. So we were somewhat surprised to see receive this e mail from you on July 11th –

“Hi all,
Both of yesterdays demos in Cardiff were failures. The 'Islamist' one had about 25.The Cardiff Communities Against Segregation one failed to materialize. By 2.35 there were a couple from the Socialist Party and 1 or 2 others.
Lets hope lessons have been learned and this flirtation with Islamophobia is over. jeff hurford”