Asian woman defiant when faced with EDL leader

Categories: Latest News
Tuesday April 11 2017
A woman in Birmingham who faced up to an English Defence League supporter described how the police “did nothing” when far-right protesters confronted a woman in a hijab. EDL leader Ian Crossland, along with 20-25 other supporters, had turned on the woman during a protest in Birmingham on 8 April after she had shouted the word “racist” at them.
Saffiyah Khan was photographed smiling in amusement at Crossland. The picture was then shared thousands of times across social media by the general public, celebrities and politicians. She claimed that about 20-25 EDL supporters had surrounded the woman in the hijab, and that she looked “absolutely terrified.” Khan attempted to get the woman to safety when she realised after two or three minutes that the police were not coming.
Despite Crossland poking his finger in her face, Khan said nothing and refused to be provoked. Although she expressed regret at losing her anonymity, she was surprised and pleased at how much support the picture got.
The EDL had switched the location of their protest from the East Midlands to Birmingham after the attack in Westminster on 22 March, claiming they wanted to highlight the “continued increase in Islamic terrorism.” However, local MP Jess Philips claimed in response to the photo of Khan that she was “the real Brummy” compared with “the EDL who migrated for the day to our city and failed to assimilate.”